Inclusion

"The school gives every pupil the chance to participate in all aspects of school life." - OFSTED, November 2008.

Equal Opportunities

Celebrating our differences

We are committed to equal opportunities for all.

We firmly believe that every child has the right to achieve his or her full potential, regardless of their gender, race, language, physical ability, special educational needs or socio-economic background. We ensure that every child has equal access to all areas of school life and full entitlement to the curriculum. It is our aim to positively promote equality of opportunity for all children in our school.

We value all members of our school community, whatever their cultural background or family origin.

We are continuing to improve access to the environment for members of the school community, their families and visitors with disabilities through our Disability Equality Scheme.

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Gifted & Talented or More Able Children

Children are put onto the Gifted and Talented Register if they are achieving in the top 5-10% of their class in any area. Identifying gifted and talented or more able children is a continuous process. Teachers are continually 'talent spotting' particularly looking for children who show good thinking skills. There is open communication between teacher and parents/carers as part of the identification process - parents know their children best and are partners in their child's learning. Parents are informed when their children are added to the register and are given information about the Young Gifted and Talented website (ygt.dcsf.gov.uk) which is packed with fun activities and information.

We ensure that all classes provide an appropriate, challenging and supportive environment where children have opportunities to 'shine' and all children can fulfill their potential.

Lessons have an enrichment task that is intended to motivate the children by applying the Learning Objective of the lesson in a different context. Lesson tasks are designed to develop the learning behaviour we would like to nurture in all children, especially those who are gifted and talented. This includes: exploration of diverse viewpoints; consideration of difficult questions; formulation of opinions; problem solving and enquiry; regular use of higher order thinking skills (analysis, synthesis and evaluation) and independent thinking and learning.

Additional support is given to gifted and talented and more able children through parallel teaching in small groups, research and enquiry groups and participation in the Aim Higher Project run by a local high school.

Special Educational & Additional Needs

"... provides good support for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities ..." - OFSTED, November 2008.

It is our aim to provide the right kind of help for all children. For some children this may mean making sure that they have additional support at some stages in their education.

Teachers monitor children's progress very carefully and will personalise children's learning to meet their needs. Any concerns are discussed with parents and the Inclusion Co-ordinator and children's names are put on a Register of Special Educational Needs. Additional advice, assessment or support may be requested from the Educational Psychologist, Speech and Language Therapists or the Local Authority Pupil Support Services. Children's progress is continuously monitored and the level of support they receive reflects their changing needs.

All classes provide an appropriate, challenging and nurturing environment where every child's individual needs are met so that all children can fulfil their potential. Staff attend training to gain greater understanding on how to help children overcome their barriers to learning. Additional support is given to children in a variety of ways e.g. additional adult support, small group work, targeted reading, writing or numeracy programmes, social skills groups.

Speech and Language Provision at Castle Hill

"Pupils who have speech and language difficulties receive very effective specialist support ..." - OFSTED, November 2008.

Star Class and Rainbow Class

We currently have two speech and language resourced provisions, Star Class Nursery provision and Rainbow Infant provision. In September 2010 we will also have a Junior provision. All the provisions are for children with speech and language difficulties. Children are allocated places by the Local Authority. The children spend time in their mainstream class as well as in Star or Rainbow classes. Rainbow and Star class teachers, Nursery Nurses and Speech and Language Therapists work as a team with mainstream teachers to ensure that each child's individual needs are met fully. The expertise in Speech and Language is shared across the school and supports mainstream children with Speech and Language needs.

English as an additional Language

"... provides good support for pupils ... at an early stage of learning English." - OFSTED, November 2008.

All children are equal members of our school community. We seek to ensure that all English as Additional Language speakers are integrated as fully as possible into the school curriculum and into the life of the school. In turn, the school seeks to ensure that all pupils' languages and cultural backgrounds are reflected in the school environment, the school curriculum and many school activities.

A specialist teacher and teaching assistant provide additional support for children for whom English is an additional language. Regular support is also given to parents with Coffee afternoons giving parents the opportunity to meet other parents and build friendships. 'Maths Packs' are also available which assist parents with their child's learning.