North Cestrian School

Special Education Needs

The School has a well-established reputation for helping late developers, adding value and helping children achieve at least in line with, and often above, expectation. This reputation extends to those with various forms of special educational needs who are encouraged to believe in themselves and helped to develop through good pastoral care and positive teaching within a supportive learning environment. The school espouses grammar school principles and does not believe in treating those with special needs in a manner which is fundamentally different from their fellow pupils, but we do our very best to manage the curriculum and school day in such a way as to help each child thrive. The main teaching team is composed of expert classroom practitioners within their own subject, and criteria for entry include the assumption that a child will be able to cope and thrive within mainstream education. Those with special needs will be carefully monitored and allowances made in line with the particular challenge they may have to face. This is particularly helpful during examinations when additional time can be granted to those who need it. With two expert (self-employed) dyslexia tutors in school each week, provision is made for specialist tuition on a one-to-one basis. Individual timetables are re-arranged to accommodate such sessions within free time or standard lessons. Finance for these sessions falls outside standard fee arrangements and tuition charges are payable directly to the relevant tutor. Both dyslexia tutors are qualified to carry out formal assessment. The School has a considerable number of pupils with dyslexia assessments and also welcomes applications from those with other forms of special needs. The structure of the curriculum and the nature of the school's mission means that such special needs are generally of mild to moderate severity, but the school is willing to look at each child as an individual and will happily accept other conditions where we genuinely believe we can help to strengthen a child's academic performance whilst maintaining happiness and self-belief. 10-09

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