At Acorn House since 2003 we offer the professional support of a Psychotherapist once a week.

This service develops in the following areas:

Families and students

  • Organisation and delivery of workshops dedicated to parents focusing on topics rotating around important aspects of childhood and pre-adolescence decided with the school management board
  • Organisation and management of informative sessions/workshops dedicated to Middle school students, developed around topics that are considered useful and are highlighted as such from the school’s management in accordance with teachers or suggested/emerged amongst students. Time and programme scheduling is attentively negotiated and decided in accordance with teachers.
  • Availability for one-to-one meetings with parents and/or students whom feel the need to have a constructive and individual talks regarding issues emerged inside the learning setting.

 

EYFS department and Year 1 class

  • Collaboration with Early Year Foundation Stage department and Year 1 class, in order to observe and collect relevant data related to:
  1. development of the Italian language in children who are native Italian speakers and in children who are bilingual or trilingual
  2. Emotional and social development
  • Management of the IPDA screening test in the Year 1 class, communicating any relevant results to the Head teacher and the relevant class/department teachers – agreeing with the school Senco about the need to confront those data with the ones acquired in English.
  • Guidance to the Italian teacher in the EYFS and Year 1 department, in order to outline the most suitable strategies with children aged 2-6 years old with respect to the individual cases that need an intervention.
  • Support EYFS and Year 1 teachers during meeting with parents to outline the activities that should be undertaken outside the school to further reinforce certain abilities of 2-6 years old children.

 

Primary and Middle school departments

  • Observations based on teachers, parents or Head teacher’s request, related to the emotional-social development and/or the learning process, reporting data and results within a week from the observation to Head teacher, Senco and teachers.
  • Availability upon request of Italian teachers for meetings on individual cases or regarding specific themes and/or issues emerged in class
  • Management for the Italian department of individual parts of the ACMT and any other assessment test, which is considered necessary.

 

Middle school department:

  • Organisation and management of informative sessions/workshops dedicated to Middle school students, developed around topics that are considered useful and are highlighted as such from the school’s management in accordance with teachers or suggested/emerged amongst students. Time and programme scheduling is attentively negotiated and decided in accordance with teachers.
  • Availability for one-to-one meetings with parents and/or students whom feel the need to have a constructive and individual talks regarding issues emerged inside the learning setting.
  • Guidance and delivery of specific resources related to “attitudinal questionnaire” to be handed to students who are completing their final year of middle school and are making a decision with respect to their future academic path. Evaluation of the scores attained and communication of results to the teaching team and to parents.

 

Sen procedure:

  • Attendance to monthly meetings with the Senco coordinator in order to contribute to identify the specific interventions and activities that are more suitable for the screening of specific cases.
  • Share vision and advice with Senco to support flagged children who have been included in the SEN procedure.
  • Guidance offered to the Italian teaching staff in all departments towards the use of specific assessments and/or means through which they can identify particular specific difficulties.
  • Availability to participate, upon request of the Head teacher or of the Italian teachers, to meetings regarding the revision or draw up of the PDP.

Federica Ritorto collaborates with Acorn House once a week since 2003. She graduated in Psychology, in 1992, from the University “La Sapienza” in Rome, with a specialization as Psycholinguist. In 1997 she became psychotherapist with a Major in Cognition Attitude. She carries out both clinic activity in various service centres in Rome and organises programmes for the formation and updating of teachers throughout Italy.