Specialist Support Centre
This is an eight-place unit to support children with existing statements of special educational needs or education and health care plans. Some children have a specific learning difficulty, such as dyslexia, dyscalculia or dyspraxia, and some have an additional need, such as attention deficit disorder, or a combination of the two. Others have a significant language disorder, either receptive or expressive. Children are placed in the unit to receive specialist help in reading, writing, maths, speech and language and social skills during the mornings. In the afternoon they join their peers in the mainstream classroom to fully participate in the wider curriculum including music, art and PE – subjects in which some children with learning difficulties shine. Children are fully included in extra curriculum activities with their peers, and frequently make a strong contribution to the life of the school.
Children are not offered a place in the unit if they have significant behavioural difficulties that put other children or staff at risk, as we do not have the necessary facilities to meet their needs sufficiently well.
Children are only accepted into the unit with a statement of special educational needs, applied for by their previous school or parents.
Please do call us, or email if you have any questions regarding the Special Support Centre at Blackthorns, or if you would like any advice. We may not have all the answers, but hopefully we would be able to point you in the right direction!