SEN Provision Award

sponsored by Mike Ayres Designs
Presented to the UK SEN Establishment that can demonstrate an increase in the quality of care and education services provided to students with Special Educational Needs.

2011 Winner: James Brindley School, Birmingham

As a result of the outstanding care, guidance and support that James Brindley school provides its students, pupils’ medical barriers to learning are successfully overcome. Parents readily explain their view of the exceptional assistance they gain in helping them understand and manage their children’s needs, especially when children are returning to mainstream schools or are moving to the next stage of their education. Where pupils spend extensive periods of time at the school, target-setting is used effectively in promoting their personal, social and academic development. Thorough monitoring systems track the work of the school, and assessment data accurately targets where further improvements are due.

Commended

Frank Wise School, Oxfordshire
Frank Wise School’s exceptional leadership team is implementing a lucid vision for the continued development of the school; and is extremely proactive in a number of ways to support schools both locally and regionally. As a result, at least 80 percent of pupils have met their achievement targets. What they are gaining with iWise, for instance, is at least on par with their mainstream peers, and in some cases they exceed them. The practical impact of the school’s strategy was to develop the iWise media centre that enhances classroom activity and augments the school’s ICT learning. That also benefits the partner schools. The iWise centre also focuses on community and partnership work.

Roman Fields School, Herts
Romans Fields is a very successful five to twelve year school for children with Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties (EBD), where the winning emphasis is on provision of support and care in a homely and attractive environment. Consequently, cooperative relationships between pupils and staff contribute significantly to its purposeful and well-ordered atmosphere. The teaching leadership managing that environment through careful use of assessment data thereby ensure pupils have learning activities that match their needs. There are particularly effective arrangements for delivering social and emotional aspects of learning (SEAL) programme support, which identifies individual pupils accurately.

Ambergate Sports College, Lincolnshire
Ambergate College is a relatively small school where pupils require a range of special learning circumstances: many are on the autistic spectrum, have ADHD, some with Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties and some are other schools’ exclusions. Providing activities to promote their intellectual, physical and social development as well as building their independence and social skills, is considered paramount. As part of the Grantham Additional Needs Federation, comprising Ambergate Sports College and Sandon School and with the Federation engaged in Governor’s Mark training, Ambergate came under more supportive monitoring as befits the College’s seriously committed educators.  

The New School At West Heath, Kent
Rejuvenating pupils with emotional and social communication difficulties is the priority at The New School at West Heath. There is a strong therapeutic approach to learning and all students spend time in HEART, or health, education, assessment and revitalising therapy unit programme. This novel approach aims to fully establish the strengths and needs of each individual student. With a successfully honed Key Stage 3 & 4 curriculum and a thriving post-16 department that supports educational independence, students go on to achieve excellent GCSE and A level results. For many pupils, New School has been much more: a place where safety from harm and freedom are natural and friendships forged.