Special Needs

We are an inclusive school whose policy towards all children is that they should be helped to meet their potential: to this end we employ staff with adequate training to meet the needs of the children they teach and support. A child is defined as having Special Educational Needs (SEN) if s/he has a need which calls for special educational provision to be made:

• A significantly greater difficulty in learning than the majority of children of the same age, or
• A disability preventing or hindering the use of educational facilities provided within the school.

Drayton Park’s Special Educational Needs Policy aims to ensure that all children with special educational needs are identified and receive the support necessary to gain full access to a broad and balanced curriculum so as to achieve their full learning potential. The Inclusion Manager is responsible for liaising with parents as well as with specialist staff. The full SEN policy is available from the office. We are able to offer support for children with emotional and behavioural difficulties through Learning Mentors who support and work closely with children whose behaviour is giving cause for concern.

Pupils with physical disabilities
We do not discriminate in our admissions procedures on the grounds of disability. The ground floor of our school building is accessible to wheelchair users from both school entrances and we have a toilet, in the downstairs staff room, which is accessible for wheelchair users. We regret that the upper floors are currently not accessible, but this would not stop us from welcoming pupils who are wheelchair users; we could accommodate them by making sure their classrooms were always on the ground floor. The headteacher would welcome the opportunity to discuss with parents/carers any special needs that prospective, or existing, pupils may have.

Gifted and talented pupils
We have a Gifted and Talented (G&T) Register, which is maintained by our G&T Co-ordinator. 'Gifted' pupils are achieving academically above expected levels and 'talented' pupils show a particular aptitude for Art, Music, Drama, Dance, PE or Sport. Special events are organised for our Gifted and Talented pupils both by Islington and the school. Their progress is monitored as they move through the school.