A note on this document: This policy is written in plain UK English wherever possible. If any term is unclear, please contact the office and we will explain in person, by telephone or in an Easy Read format. This page can be enlarged, made dyslexia-friendly, read aloud, or printed/saved as a PDF using the toolbar above.
1. Philosophy
Suffolk Sensory Kitchen operates a deliberately therapeutic, trauma-informed and non-punitive behaviour model. We work primarily with young people whose nervous systems are dysregulated, often as a result of conditions or experiences over which they have no control: late-identified autism, ADHD, attachment trauma, EBSA, anxiety, sensory aversion, hunger, poor sleep, or the long aftermath of distress. We do not treat the outward signs of dysregulation as misbehaviour to be punished. We treat them as communication to be understood, met and gently re-shaped.
This does not mean we have no expectations. We have very high expectations. It means we take the route to those expectations through co-regulation rather than escalation, through repair rather than retribution, through skill-building rather than shaming. We also recognise that a small number of behaviours - set out under Red Lines below - fall outside the scope of this approach and require an immediate, decisive response.
2. Expectations
Every student, member of staff and visitor at the Provision is expected to:
- Treat others with dignity, irrespective of background, identity or presentation.
- Take care of themselves and others - physically and emotionally.
- Take care of the kitchen, the food and the equipment.
- Communicate honestly with staff about what is - and is not - working.
- Engage with the regulation routines built into every session.
3. Regulation first - our approach
When a young person is presenting as dysregulated, our default sequence is:
- Notice and name. A regulated adult notices the change, names it gently (“I can see this is feeling like a lot”), and offers a co-regulating presence.
- Reduce demand. Sharps and heat are paused. Verbal demand is reduced. Lighting, noise and proximity are adjusted where possible.
- Offer a known regulator. A drink. A move to the quiet corner. A familiar physical task. The five-senses protocol from Module 4 - Digital Detox.
- Re-enter when ready. The student returns to the task when their body allows. No public re-entry. No commentary.
- Repair, later. If anything was broken or anyone was hurt, we return to the moment when the student is regulated and we repair - in language the student can hear, with an adult who is themselves regulated.
We do not use sanctions for difficulties that arise from the young person’s underlying need. Loss of privilege, public correction, written lines, isolation and exclusion-as-punishment are not part of our model.
4. Consequences & repair
This is not a consequence-free environment. Where a student’s actions have caused harm or damage, we expect a piece of restorative work, scaled to the student’s capacity and developmental stage. Examples include:
- A genuine, well-supported apology to the person affected.
- Replacing or cleaning the equipment damaged.
- A short reflective conversation, recorded with the student’s consent, that the student is invited to revisit in a future session.
- A change to the student’s personal regulation plan, co-written with them.
Consequences are always paired with a piece of skill-building so that the young person leaves the encounter more capable, not more diminished.
5. Red lines - behaviours that trigger an immediate response
The following behaviours, regardless of underlying need, trigger an immediate response under this policy. Where the behaviour places anyone at acute risk, the response includes a same-day call to the home school and, where appropriate, the police, and may include immediate suspension or termination of the placement.
- Possession or use of a weapon, or use of a kitchen knife or other sharp as a weapon.
- Possession, use or supply of controlled drugs, alcohol or other restricted substances on site.
- Sexually harmful behaviour towards another student or member of staff.
- Hate-based abuse on the grounds of any protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010.
- Serious physical assault - deliberate, repeated or with a likelihood of causing significant injury.
- Theft from the Provision or from another student.
- Wilful, repeated damage to the kitchen or equipment after a written warning.
- Behaviour that endangers the safe operation of hot, sharp or electrical equipment for others on site.
A red-line incident is fully recorded and reported to the home school, the parent or carer with parental responsibility, and where appropriate the Local Authority and the police, within the timescales set out in our Safeguarding Policy.
6. Use of reasonable force & physical intervention
Suffolk Sensory Kitchen operates a no-routine-physical-intervention model. Staff do not, as a matter of course, place hands on young people. The only circumstances in which staff may use reasonable physical contact are:
- To prevent a young person committing an offence.
- To prevent a young person causing personal injury to themselves or another.
- To prevent a young person causing significant damage to property.
- To maintain good order on the premises where no other reasonable response is available.
Any use of reasonable force is recorded the same working day and reported to the home school and the parent or carer. Staff are trained in de-escalation as the primary tool. Physical intervention is the last, not the first, response.
7. Confiscation & searches
Staff may confiscate, retain or dispose of any item that is banned under this policy or that is being used in a way that places anyone at risk. Where there are reasonable grounds to suspect that a student is carrying a prohibited item, a search may be requested and conducted in line with current DfE guidance. Searches are conducted by two members of staff of the same sex as the student wherever possible, in a private space, with consent sought first.
8. Bullying & harmful peer behaviour
Bullying - including online bullying - is unacceptable. Because our cohort sizes are small (typically four to six young people per session), bullying is uncommon, but where it occurs we respond promptly under this policy and our Safeguarding Policy. Patterns of harmful peer behaviour are reported to the home school as a safeguarding matter.
9. Suspension & termination of placement
Suffolk Sensory Kitchen does not hold statutory exclusion powers - those remain with the home school. We may, however, suspend or terminate a placement under the terms of our Service Level Agreement.
Suspension is a temporary pause on attendance, agreed between the directors, the home school and the parent or carer. It is used where the student requires time to stabilise before continuing on site, or where a serious incident requires investigation.
Termination of the placement is a measure of last resort. It is initiated where, in the honest judgement of the directors, continued attendance places the student or others at unmanageable risk. Termination is communicated in writing, with full reasons, and is accompanied by a recommended next setting. The right of appeal under SSK-POL-01 Complaints applies.
10. Reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act
Every behaviour decision is taken with the Equality Act 2010 duty to make reasonable adjustments firmly in view. Where a young person’s presenting behaviour arises from their disability, that fact is central to the response. Reasonable adjustments include sensory-light environments, predictable routines, advance notice of changes, simplified communication, and acceptance of stimming and other regulating behaviours. This policy is read alongside SSK-POL-04 SEND Information Report.
11. Review
This policy is reviewed annually by the Board of Directors, in consultation with our DSL, the home schools that commission us most regularly, and a parent / carer voice group.
Editing this policy: The full text of every policy lives in /app/policies/*/page.tsx and supporting copy lives in /content. The named author and approving director should re-date the document at every review.