SEND & EAL

Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) 

At Parkgate House, we believe each child is special. They are celebrated for their unique talents, interests and strengths. Our staff work together to nurture our pupils whatever their needs to encourage and help each pupil to achieve their full potential. 

The processes involved for each neurodiverse child can be very different and individual. Some children join Parkgate House with identified needs. These might include Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia or Dyspraxia to name just a few. We then make use of all available information; for example, reports from educational psychologists or occupational therapists. These reports, coupled with close communication with parents, allow us to create action plans to provide each child with the support they need to thrive in our school. For some, this may include small changes to classroom practices. Others may benefit from weekly one-to-one sessions with our own specialist support teacher.     

For some children, neurodiversity may take time to present itself. Observations may come from home or school to indicate that further exploration could be advantageous. As a school with small class sizes we are able to notice even the subtlest of indicators which may lead us to look holistically to ensure early identification of any barriers to learning and therefore provide appropriate support. In some situations it is then appropriate to work with parents to start the journey of utilising external professionals to either identify or further support any areas of need. 

Once we have an identified need and recommendations from external professionals (after assessment reports have been shared with us) we create an Individual Education Plan (IEP) which is tailor made to each pupil’s needs. Our SENDCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) and class teachers work with parents and, where appropriate, our specialist SEN support teacher, to produce the IEP which includes details about specific targets for the child to work towards. It also details how we plan to support the child to meet those targets. The IEP is reviewed every term and new targets are set. We share the IEP with parents each time changes are made. For the children who see our specialist SEN teacher each week, they also receive reports and weekly updates in a home/school book that goes home with the additional homework set to reinforce the learning after each support session. 

Partnership with parents is key to enabling pupils with SEND to achieve their full potential. All parents of pupils with SEND are treated as partners and supported to play an active and valued role in their child’s education. 

Neuro-differences are recognised and appreciated by our school community. All of our children are valued as individuals and integrate with their peers, both socially and academically. We support children in a manner that acknowledges their entitlement to share the same learning experiences that their peers enjoy. 

English as an Additional Language (EAL) 

At Parkgate House we are committed to meeting the specific needs of each child. For our pupils with English as an additional language, we ensure they are fully immersed in the curriculum and school life from day one. 

Pupils with English as an additional language who are offered a place at Parkgate House are assessed during their first week of joining the School. They are then allocated the appropriate level of support in the classroom. Our teachers monitor progress throughout the school year to ensure we are meeting each pupil’s language needs.   At Parkgate, all class and subject teachers are incredibly knowledgeable about all their pupils’ abilities and their needs in English and other subjects, using this knowledge effectively in curriculum planning, classroom teaching and class grouping. 

Pupils with English as an additional language are provided with a range of opportunities through the curriculum and extra-curricular activities (drama, sport, music) to engage in speaking and listening activities in English with peers and adults and, wherever possible, they are offered bilingual support in the initial stages to extend vocabulary.  

We believe our EAL provision is fluid and dependent on the changing demographics of our families, using a holistic and pastoral approach. There are also a number of benefits of EAL in promoting multicultural diversity and additional language skills for both children and for the school. In addition to our appreciation of diversity during everyday school life, we mark international events such as the European Day of Languages and an annual International Languages Day, which celebrates the wide range of ethnic diversity and languages spoken throughout the school.