Why this is leading practice
Inclusion of identified groups of children have been acknowledged as good practice in all three settings, working with LAC, Traveler groups, Specific needs, Special Services, Parent Partnership. In addition we have been successful working with children who have been excluded from other schools and/or had time out of education. Our settings allow flexibility to nurture children back into more formal education,
Impact to date
Through scrutiny of documentation and discussions with a wide range of stakeholders it is evident that:
• Regular and targeted professional development is regarded as a necessary and welcome entitlement by staff and parents in each school
• Clear policies and protocols across the 3 schools ensure that provision is joined-up across all key stages
• Ambitious targets are being set & increasingly achieved for all pupils across all 3 schools, irrespective of individual needs. SEFs show rates of progress increasing and grades no lower than 2.
• All pupils actively participate in mainstream trips, visits and residentials
• Pupils from failed placements achieve academic and wider success in this nurturing environment
• Knock-on improvement in attendance due to more appropriate provision.
Rationale / Start Point
Cherry Orchard First School, Abbey Park Middle School and Pershore High School work closely as a cluster promoting excellent practice across all aspects of schools curriculum successfully achieving inclusion for all pupils. Each school demonstrates personalised learning tailored to meet the needs of individuals enabling them to fully access and achieve in the school setting. Furthermore each school has a Mainstream Autism Base supporting statemented children with a diagnosis of ASC and associated conditions. Pershore High School has a Learning Resource Centre for students with a Statement of Special Educational Needs for Moderate Learning Difficulties as well as the Mainstream Autism Base and main school SEN provision which caters for all types of SEN. In addition all schools demonstrate effective support in the classroom enabling not only SEN pupils, but also more vulnerable pupils and identified groups of pupils to successfully achieve in the school environment. The cluster of schools have a well developed transition package not only effectively supporting the transition of mainstream pupils but also vulnerable groups and pupils with specific needs, in addition transition packages are utilised within school supporting the move into the next year groups and across key stages.
Key Strategies
Essential to the success of this work has been:
• senior leadership and governor commitment from the start
• total commitment to finding ways to ensure that the needs of every child can be addressed appropriately so that they can achieve their very best
• ensuring that time and status is given to the leadership and management of the work
• time for regular communication within and between the three schools
• rigorous systems of monitoring and evaluation to assess interim impact
• targeted CPD for staff, pupils and parents
Sustainability and Further Development
There is total commitment from the headteachers, governors and staff for this work and considerable investment has been made to enable it to come to fruition. There is therefore no question about its sustainability and further development.
Although the key drivers in each school have been responsible for initial developments, this work is now so embedded in school policy and practice, there is no danger of the impetus being lost if a key member of staff were to leave any institution.