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At Camberwell Park, the pupils and their holistic needs are at the heart of everything we do. The starting point for learning is a positive ethos and climate of respect and trust-based upon shared values across the school community, including parents of children and the pupils themselves. We celebrate the diversity in the school and the richness it brings to our school community. At the core of Camberwell Park School is the right of all the learners to an outstanding education and supported access to all articles in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The school will provide a safe, fun, happy, and healthy learning environment that meets each pupil’s holistic and individual needs. The pupil’s social and emotional needs continue to be considered and given high status as part of their overall learning. We pride ourselves on the outstanding behavior and safety of all pupils. The pupils, who present a range of learning difficulties and disabilities, remain at the heart of the school. We will support our pupils to be community citizens through respect and celebration of the varied cultures, racial backgrounds, languages are spoken and individual characteristics which they represent. Their views will be sought and valued in all aspects of school life including the curriculum and what helps them learn including the curriculum and what helps them learn about life in modern Britain. At Camberwell Park School we recognize the importance of evaluating and reviewing all aspects of school life to ensure we maintain and build on our high standards. To do this rigorously and coherently, the school has an annual program of self -evaluation which includes responsibilities for self-evaluation held by senior leaders, classroom staff, and governors. Our program of self-evaluation includes a range of activities including lesson observations, monitoring of teacher planning and assessments, learning walks around school, monitoring of the budget, monitoring of attendance and behavior records, etc. School governors are involved in a range of other important tasks, working with senior leaders to ensure we provide the best for our pupils. This includes participating in interview panels for new staff, participating in learning walks around the school, and attending school events. The Governors are also involved together with an external assessor in Head Teacher Performance Management. The governors are currently working closely with the school to revisit the school vision for the next 5 years, building on our already outstanding practice and shaping the future together for our pupils, their families, and the community. Camberwell Park provides an outreach service to mainstream primary schools across the north of Manchester to support the inclusion of pupils with a range of SEND. It is a whole-school approach that enables us to match the specialized skills of our experienced staff to the needs of the schools that request support. We currently have 50 schools in our area that can contact us for support and advice in assisting pupils to access learning. Our curriculum enables children to learn to develop the necessary skills to build self-esteem, respect others, defend those in need, resolve conflict without resorting to violence, question, and challenge, and make informed choices. Children and young people are encouraged to express and discuss their ideas, thoughts, and feelings through a variety of activities and have access to a range of opportunities that promote the fundamental British values of tolerance, respect, understanding, and empathy for others, which supports their social, spiritual and moral well-being as well as their physical and mental health. Our approach to working with parents/carers is one of transparency and honesty we aim to do this in partnership with you. In most cases, parents and carers will be informed when concerns are raised about the safety and welfare of their child. Parents and carers will be allowed to address any concerns raised. The Deputy Headteacher / Headteacher will make every effort to inform parent/carers if a referral is to be made to Children's Services or any other agency.Parents/carers will not be informed if it is believed that doing so would put the child at further risk. In such cases, the Deputy Headteacher or Headteacher will seek advice from Children’s Services. All staff in Camberwell Park School work together to safeguard and promote the welfare of children whilst acting in their best interest. All staff is PROUD to work at Camberwell Park School and embrace the key principles and expectations of Government legislation and Guidance as well as Manchester's Safeguarding Children's Board (MSCB) in protecting children and supporting their families by providing help for families to stay together. They are passionate about the children and know them well enough to care and know when things are a cause of concern they are Respectful of all of our pupils and support them through periods of difficulty and help them to cope with adversity and support them in developing positive strategies that help them become resilient. They are Organised and know who to report concerns to and what action to take they are Understanding the needs of the pupils and their families and work with other professionals to ensure the holistic needs of the children are met. They are dedicated to the children and meet their responsibilities in helping keep them safe. View full school

Ashgate Specialist Support School is a Primary School for children with Special Educational Needs based in Wythenshawe. We support children with ASC, PMLD, SLD, GLD, and other associated difficulties including behavior. As a Specialist Outreach and Inclusion Support Team, we offer support for primary schools in the South Manchester and Wythenshawe district by providing appropriate, targeted responses through verbal advice, observations, capacity building, and training. Support from Ashgate can be focused on the needs of the pupils or by supporting the school and its staff as a whole. The 'Core Offer' is the provision of services funded through the Local Authority. It provides schools with 4 hours of support per year free of charge. Details of the level of support are covered below under the 'Core Offer. Ashgate is also able to offer a range of CPD opportunities to staff in schools to build capacity and shared knowledge. It is offered through bespoke training programs that can be delivered on a half-day, full-day, or twilight basis. Education is a continuous process of growth and development throughout life. In partnership, schools and Parents / Carers make an essential contribution to this. Ashgate School Curriculum reflects our school ethos. We aim to meet the unique and individual needs of each pupil in all educational activities that we deliver including formal and informal learning. The Curriculum is organized into a Sensory Curriculum, an Adapted National Curriculum, and the National Curriculum as appropriate for each child according to his or her age, ability, and Special Educational Needs. We aim to ensure that the new National Curriculum is appropriately adapted to meet the needs and abilities of our pupils at Ashgate. The curriculum is meaningful to our pupils and prepares them for adult life, as appropriate to their stage of development. All pupils receive a broad and balanced curriculum and experience a range of Enrichment and Extracurricular Activities. Communication is at the forefront of our curriculum. We use the ELKLAN approach and consider each child’s communication needs when planning the delivery of the curriculum. We plan and deliver concerning advice from professionals who support our children with any other needs including, sensory, physical and medical. All pupils should have access to a broad and balanced curriculum. The National Curriculum Inclusion Statement states that teachers should set high expectations for every pupil, whatever their prior attainment. Teachers should use appropriate assessments to set deliberately ambitious targets. Potential areas of difficulty should be identified and addressed at the outset. Lessons should be planned to address potential areas of difficulty and to remove barriers to pupil achievement. In many cases, such planning will mean that pupils with SEN and disabilities will be able to study the full national curriculum.’ As such in planning and delivering the Curriculum, teachers create an Individual Education Plan for every child which sets targets with high Expectations and identifies strategies for overcoming any barriers to learning. To participate in any democratic process an individual needs a voice that can be heard and understood by others. All pupils at Ashgate have a One Page Profile that describes who they are and what is important to them. For our non -verbal pupils these profiles also outline how the child communicates with others. Where possible pupils are actively involved in writing their One Page Profile and the views of the family are also sought. A range of strategies is used within school to help pupils communicate with others. Ashgate has achieved the Elklan Communication Friendly Schools Status and staff has received training to increase the range of strategies they can use to develop our pupils’ verbal language skills. For our non-verbal pupils, their ‘voice’ could involve the use of objects, photographs, pictures, symbols, touch cues, eye pointing, or body language. Specific approaches such as Intensive Interaction, PECS, and High Tech Communication Aids are used as appropriate to develop the skills of individual students. By valuing each ‘voice’ and by listening and responding to that voice we demonstrate that we support democracy and liberty. The school is in the process of developing a school council and fact-finding visits to other schools have been completed to explore how to ensure participation for all. Pupils are encouraged to become good and valued citizens. We do this by supporting each pupil to become as independent as possible. Some pupils will be able to take responsibility for particular roles in school and to understand that with certain rights comes a level of responsibility. By providing pupils with the opportunity to make choices during the school day we attempt to demonstrate that everyone has rights and that this includes the right to say 'Yes' or 'No'. Targeted interventions including drama therapy, art therapy, and nurture room activities have been used successfully with specific cohort groups to develop confidence and emotional resilience and appropriate ways of self-expression. We believe that creating a caring and helpful environment and encouraging our pupils to be as independent as possible can boost and develop self-esteem. We support others by participating in national charitable events such as McMillan Coffee Mornings, Red Nose Day, and Children in Need as well as local initiatives such as community litter picking activities. View full school

The Birches is a relatively large specialist support primary school based in South Manchester catering for a vibrant population of truly outstanding children. From the very first time I walked through the doors of the school, it struck me how strongly the children are at the very heart of everything that the school does. The children are valued by a dedicated multi-disciplinary team of staff who will always go the extra mile. Through this highly experienced team, and excellent school resources, we can provide a challenging and rewarding learning environment for all of our pupils. One in which we can nurture them, to ensure that they grow, learn and develop in a safe, secure, and caring environment. We are a 143 place school that supports pupils with a diagnosis of ASC, SLD, and PMLD. The Birches is a fun, forward-thinking school that has communication at the heart of everything we do. Maintained by Manchester Local Authority, facilities include a hydrotherapy pool, a range of outdoor play areas, a sensory garden, two multisensory rooms, and two soft play areas. We offer a vibrant and exciting curriculum with independence, life skills, communication, and physical development as common threads of all that we do. We have a large staff team with a vast amount of experience of working with children and young people with learning difficulties. As well as teaching staff the school offers an onsite School Nurse, Physio team, Speech and Language Team, Sleep counseling team, Outreach program, and Occupational Therapy, and sensory integration. All pupils have an individual Pupil Personal Plan to support their learning which is supported by the curriculum. We invest in PE and Music based activities as key curriculum drivers. We have been accredited by the National Autistic Society as the first maintained school in Manchester to gain Autism Accreditation. We believe in forging a strong and positive partnership with parents, carers, and families. Organized events included weekly coffee mornings, Family Fun days, Christmas and Summer Fayres – We have an active supporting charity, Buddies of The Birches (BOBS) who organize various out of school events throughout the year, including a weekend away for families- We gained the Leading Parent Partnership award in 2011 and regained it in May 2015. We were recognized as Outstanding in all areas by Ofsted in 2016/17. We provide pupils with the enrichment of educational visits and community links. We take our pupil’s views and opinions very seriously, especially during School Council Election week. We have a healthy program for volunteers and students and are regularly supported by pupils from Manchester Grammar and Withington Girls Schools. As well as enrichment in the community the school is committed to developing its pupils creatively in areas such as PE and Music – the cheerleading team has represented the school nationally – Go the Birches Bears!! Pupils also take part in rebound therapy sessions, multisensory sessions, hydrotherapy, sensory and yoga sessions, wake-up shake-up sessions, sign to sing. The Birches School is located close to the Withington Community Hospital in West Didsbury, Manchester. The area benefits from the excellent road & public transport links to the city center and the airport. A short walk from either Burton Road or Wilmslow Road/Palatine Road which are served by busy bus routes, with services at least every 5 minutes and a regular night bus. Other attractions within easy reach that the pupils can benefit from including Chorlton Water Park, Fletcher Moss Botanical Gardens, Fog Lane Park. The neighboring suburbs of Withington and Disbury also offer a superb mix of shops for developing life skills and independence. Promoting British Values at The Birches Specialist Support School. The Department for Education states that there is a need “to create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools to promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.”The government set out its definition of British values in the 2011 Prevent Strategy and these values were reiterated by the Prime Minister in 2014. At The Birches Specialist Support Primary School these values are reinforced regularly and in the following ways. The Birches School Curriculum is currently under review and in an exciting phase of development. We have set ourselves the challenge of designing a more appropriate curriculum for our pupils one which is personalized and ensures that every child has the opportunity to achieve their full potential. We are creating a curriculum that recognizes and develops the whole individual and focuses on developing the key skills of Communication, Cognition, Physical Development, and Personal & Social Development (including self-help & life skills). These are all key skills that equip children and young people for life beyond school. Our curriculum will reflect and be responsive to the different learning styles of the pupils and build on individual strengths and interests. We hope to create meaningful opportunities both inside the school and out in the wider community which will enable our learners to make sense of the world they live in and transition into the wider community successfully with purpose. View full school