Church Lawton School, ST7 (ages 4-19)
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We offer education to young people aged 4 to 19 with a diagnosis of autism, who have been referred by their Local Authority. |
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| Contact name | Mrs Rachel Whitehurst |
| Contact position | Admssions & SEND Manager |
| Contact telephone | 01270 877601 |
| Contact email | admin@naschurchlawton.cheshire.sch.uk |
| Second email | rachel.whitehurst@naschurchlawton.cheshire.sch.uk |
| Venue name | NASAT Church Lawton School |
| Cherry Tree Avenue | |
| Church Lawton | |
| Staffordshire | |
| ST7 3EL | |
| Notes |
When the Government and Public Health England made the decision to ask schools and colleges to only open to a small number of children and young people, this was done with the aim of reducing transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19), to protect the NHS and save lives. As the situation improved, the government began to consider how they could bring more children and young people back into education settings, and from 15th June we have been open on to welcome back as many children and young people to Church Lawton as could safely cater for. The Government and PHE have stated in their guidance that the risk to children and young people themselves of becoming severely ill from coronavirus (COVID-19) is very low and there are negative health impacts of being out of school or college. Now, the circumstances have changed again. The prevalence of coronavirus (COVID-19) has decreased and the NHS Test and Trace system is up and running. The Government have provided guidance about the measures that need to be in place to create safer environments within education settings. Visits to school and EHC Reviews Please can all parents and carers be aware that any visit to school must be very carefully managed and we would encourage parents to contact the school first, please do not attend school unless you have been specifically requested to do so. It is important that schools manage all and any visit to the school as we are restricting movements of both staff and students in school. With this in mind we will not be conducting reviews in school they will continue to be completed virtually, we will continue to support parent and families with ensuing all information and reports are made available to you in a timely manner. Attendance Attendance will be mandatory in September, as the government expects all students to attend school. The usual rules will apply, meaning we’ll be recording attendance and following up on any absences. If your children have been staying at home due to the current shielding guidance, the government is due to pause this guidance on 1 August if there's a continued decline in coronavirus transmission rates. That means they should be able to come back to school in September. Pastoral Support We’re aware that the lockdown has been a difficult time for many of us, including our students. Please let us know if you think your children might need extra support when returning to school, such as if they feel anxious about coming. We will also work to address well-being issues that will have arisen from the situation that we have been in. A key part to the successful return to school will be reinforcing our values, particularly resilience. Curriculum Our teachers have been working hard to plan the new Catch Up and Recovery Curriculum from September. Teachers are working together to ensure children are given the best chances to catch up the lost learning in many subjects including Reading, Writing, Maths, and Science. Over the course of the year, our curriculum and timetable will be more flexible to respond to the different needs of the children who return to school. We will prioritise their wellbeing and emotional response to the pandemic by including lots of personal and social education, wellbeing, creative arts and outdoor learning as well as Reading, Writing, Maths and science. All the staff want to make sure our plans are based on the best research and guidance available. There are some restrictions in an around maintaining the integrity of the planned bubbles within the school environment. As a school we are doing all we can to make our provision the best we can. All the staff here at Church Lawton have done and will do, everything we can to support your child. Students in school will work in their normal classrooms completing their normal timetable. There will be some changes to entry and exit from lessons and these are specifically designed to reduce the number of students in the corridor at one time. We will also be introducing steps such as rotating use for the sensory field and library to ensure that only one bubble has access to this area at any one time. Break time and lunchtime swill be staggered. It is vital that we reduce any risk or likelihood of the virus coming into the school, if anyone develops Coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms please do not come into school. We must follow current Corvid19 guidance to Stay at home: guidance for households with possible or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection. All households can now Arrange to have a test. Please remember, this is all dependent on government and scientific advice. If this advice changes over the coming weeks, we will obviously follow that guidance. |
| Website | https://www.churchlawtonschool.org.uk/ |
| School's extended local offer response |
What kinds of SEND does the school provide for?Church Lawton is a specialist provider of education for young people who have been diagnosed with autism and have an EHCP. How does this setting know if their children/young person needs extra help and what should I do if I think my child/young person may have special educational needs?As a specialist provision, all of our students must have a diagnosis of autism. During the course of the first 6 weeks all young people will undertake a comprehensive baseline assessment this will allow staff to ensure that all the pupils’ needs are being met. Should further needs be identified then this would communicated appropriately and involve the appropriate professional for the identified need. All staff have expertise in autism Student progress is tracked constantly and carefully monitored. We track the progress of all our learners and as professionals we regularly discuss any concerns we have as well as celebrate achievement. We have systems in place to use data to support tracking. Parents are encouraged to speak to the Admissions & SEND Manager about any concerns they have. We have some in-house expertise in special educational needs. Having identified needs, we seek to match provision to need. We define expected outcomes of interventions and then monitor the impact through regular meetings and tracking of pupil progress. Our Admissions & SEND Manager leads on this aspect and the head teacher shares this information with governors/trustees How will the setting support my child/young person?Students are taught in small groups, where groups have been determined through a group rationale process, so that work can be clearly differentiated and individualised to their needs both within and between groups. Differentiation is embedded in our curriculum and practice. We have a tailored personalised curriculum and regular Learner Progress Meetings with children and young people and their families helps us to monitor this and reflect on the next best steps. All our teachers are clear on the expectations of wave 1 provision and this is monitored regularly by the leadership team. Differentiation is embedded in our curriculum and practice. We have a tailored personalised curriculum. How will teaching approaches and the curriculum be matched to my child or young person's needs?Senior leadership team have regular meetings through the academic year to check progress of all students. Pupils have 3 assessment check points throughout the academic year and education staff will use these to monitor progress and check learning. Should pupils experience difficulty in any identified areas then the school will ensure an intervention strategy is implemented to support the student. In our newsletter and on our website we regularly share information about the curriculum and we encourage parents to support their child’s learning through additional activities outside the school. How will both you and I know how my child/young person is doing and how will you help me to support their learning?All learners have a key worker who they can talk to at any time, and who is responsible for close monitoring of that specific student. We have an active school council which is made up of representatives from each class so that all students get a say in things like the caterers, outdoor play equipment etc. Independence is promoted through giving students choices of activities, and through presenting them with structured tasks that they can complete alone. In our newsletter and on our website we regularly share information about the curriculum and we encourage parents to support their child’s learning through additional activities outside the school. What support will there be for my child's/young person's overall wellbeing?All learners have a small group of key workers who they can talk to at any time, and who are responsible for close monitoring of that specific student. We have an active school council which is made up of representatives from each class so that all students get a say in things like the caterers, outdoor play equipment etc. Independence is promoted through giving students choices of activities, and through presenting them with structured tasks that they can complete alone. Every learner has a named professional s/he can talk to, should the need arise. Staff are regularly reminded of our policies and these are updated by the governors. We have a school council to elicit the views of the learners. We promote the development of independence across the school/setting. What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the setting?All staff complete additional training each year specifically focussed on supporting students on the autistic spectrum. We have links with an Occupational Therapist, a Speech and Language Therapist and an Educational Psychologist, all of whom specialise in working with young people on the autistic spectrum. Many of our staff are trained to work in specialist areas of special educational needs. We encourage staff to continually update their skills and knowledge. What training are the staff supporting children and young people with SEND have had or are having?The school provides 10 days of training to all staff each academic year. 5 days are determined as Autism Specific training. Staff have undergone training in:
Specific staff will also be accessing courses throughout the course of the year to develop specific areas for the school. Our Special Needs Co-ordinator (SENDCo) holds the National Award for Special Educational Needs Coordination and is a qualified teacher. Other members of staff also hold level seven SEN focussed qualifications. All staff are offered regular training opportunities. How will my child/young person be included in activities outside this classroom including school trips?There are frequent off site activities that all students have the opportunity to participate in. These include trips to the local shops, parks and leisure centre. Some students will access these activities in smaller groups where there are safety concerns. All pupils and activities will have the appropriate risk assessment in place. Off-site activities are visited prior to pupils attending to ensure appropriate Health and Safety and Risk assessments are in place. We are an Adventure Learning School and children in the Primary and Middle School classes take part in a range of adventurous activities each week- this has in the past included skiing, climbing and horse riding. Some of these activities take place off site. Our Inclusion Policy promotes involvement of all our learners in all aspects of the curriculum including activities outside the classroom. Where there are concerns of safety and access, further thought and consideration is put in place to ensure needs are met; where applicable parents/carers are consulted and involved in planning. How accessible is the environment?The school has recently been built, opened April 2015 and therefore was subject to specific access planning. The school has accessible classrooms and teaching areas and all areas have accessible toilet and changing facilities. The school is single floor construction. Our Accessibility Plan is robust and we continually remind staff and learners about the Equality Act 2010. We value and respect diversity in our setting and do our very best to meet the needs of all out learners. How will the setting prepare and support my child/young person to join the next stage of education and life?Students join us from a range of previous settings. To aid with transition, staff from CLS will visit the prospective student in their existing setting, possibly attending an annual review. Depending on the time frame for a student starting, there may be further visits to their current setting, or the student may then begin their transition program of visits to CLS. The number and format of visits is personalised to each student’s requirements. Induction is important to us and we invest time in welcoming our learners in a way that makes them feel a part of our setting. We work well with our partner schools. How are the setting's resources allocated and matched to children's/young people's special educational needs?The school looks carefully at the EHCP for each young person and will look at how resources are to be utilised to maximise learning potential. This can be through specific staffing or professional services or through specific learning aids. The head teacher, governors and bursar oversee all matters of finance. How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child/young person will receive?Autism is a spectrum condition and requires a range of different provisions and placements to meet the whole spectrum of need. NASAT offers a range of different types of provision and placement which will vary in each school according to identified local need. Church Lawton School will provide for different types of placement. The Admissions & SEND Manager decides in consultation with staff and using the information provided on the child’s EHCP what additional appropriate provision to put in place. How will our child and young person be involved in the decisions about their learning?The school has an open door policy for all our parents and we actively encourage participation. The School has parent governors who feedback to the principal on a regular basis. The school also has home school diaries to ensure regular and consistent communication. Parents are invited to various school activities throughout the school term and are invited to attend annual reviews. How will we be involved in the decisions about the learning of our children and young people?The school has an open door policy for all our parents and we actively encourage participation. The School has parent governors who feedback to the principal on a regular basis. The school also has home school diaries to ensure regular and consistent communication. Parents are invited to various school activities throughout the school term and are invited to attend annual reviews. How are parents involved in the setting? How can I be involved?The school has an open door policy for all our parents and we actively encourage participation. The School has parent governors who feedback to the principal on a regular basis. The school also has home school diaries to ensure regular and consistent communication. We regularly involve parents and families in discussions about their child/young person’s learning. We welcome feedback. What do I do if I want to make a complaint?Policy available to download on the schools website. What other support Is available to parents and how can I contact them?The National Autistic Society has many services which can help a child or family. The charity runs these services throughout the UK, and they include:
Find out more about these services on The National Autistic Society’s website. Our staff are well informed and therefore able to help parents seek external help. |