Willowdown Primary School in Bridgwater is celebrating the launch of its specialist inclusion base.
The school has refurbished 2 classrooms to create the 16-place provision for children who have special educational needs.
Already 7 pupils from the main school have moved into the inclusion base, meaning they remain part of the school rather than having to travel to a special school.
Eventually the classes will accommodate 8 early years and Key Stage 1 children and 8 from Key Stage 2 with specialist teachers and dedicated staff to support their social communication and emotional regulation needs.
Headteacher Katie Sharp said:
We are incredibly proud to open our specialist inclusion base, funded by Somerset Council. It reflects our commitment to making sure every child at Willowdown feels they belong, is valued and has the support they need to flourish.
The base is one of the first to open since a Government White Paper earlier this year announced the policy, which aims to provide better and more tailored support for children with SEND.
Willowdown is 1 of 3 Futura Learning Partnership primaries in Bridgwater to provide specialist places within their mainstream schools.
- Northgate Primary, which opened an 8-place SEN provision a year ago, is now converting a classroom and other space to accommodate eight Key Stage 2 pupils, meaning it will have specialist SEND provision across the age range for moderate and severe learning difficulties and speech, language and communication needs.
- Westover Green, which already provides 16 specialist places for children with autism, will refurbish a third classroom so it can offer another 8. From January, its current resource base will become The Glade, a specialist inclusion base for 24 children with social communication and emotional regulation needs, moderate and severe learning difficulties, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN).
Gary Schlick, Futura’s chief executive, said:
We are proud to be working with Somerset Council to help it achieve its ambition of creating 250 places in specialist inclusion bases over 3 years. We will be offering 56 places in these 3 schools by January and have plans to develop more.
While some children with SEND needs flourish within mainstream classrooms, others require and deserve additional support within smaller classes. Specialist inclusion bases give them the chance to achieve and thrive in their local school alongside their peers. This benefits families as well as the whole school community.
Somerset Council’s Lead Member for Children, Families and Education, Cllr Heather Shearer, said:
Every child deserves the opportunity to learn, thrive and feel they belong in their local school community. This new specialist inclusion base at Willowdown means more children with SEND can receive the tailored support they need, close to home, their family and friends.
Developments like this bring high-quality support, and help build an education system where every child can achieve their full potential. The Council is committed to working with schools and partners to create more specialist bases across Somerset, just as we have done here at Willowdown.
Children and families joined members from Somerset Council and Futura Learning Partnership for the Willowdown launch on Monday 21 September.
Press release courtesy of Future Learning Partnership.
