Many children will have additional needs at some point during their time with us. These may be in the area of health, emotions, behaviour or learning and we aim to identify and address these needs through the school’s inclusive practice.

We hold the Dyslexia Friendly School Quality Mark and the Inclusion Charter Mark, both of which reflect the commitment we have to supporting all the children who attend our school.

Matthew Arnold Primary School is an inclusive school

We have a teacher with extra responsibility for following the LEA Code of Practice and working with staff and parents/carers to ensure that we take into account the needs of all our pupils. This may be provided through carefully differentiated work, a teaching assistant giving extra support through small groups, time with our Learning Mentor or using specialist services from outside the school. By carefully addressing individual needs we aim to ensure that all children at our school will be given every opportunity to achieve their true potential.

Our school is a modern, purpose built building designed with full access in mind so that no-one should be excluded because of their individual needs.

Speech and Language

The Local Authority have funded twenty places which are designated for children with speech and language difficulties and they are all fully integrated into the life of the school. The children receive a programme of intensive speech therapy and they follow the National Curriculum, while in the Language Unit, with the intention they return to their local school once their difficulties have been resolved. For some this may be a short stay while for others it may require a longer period through their primary school life. The children are drawn from around the South Sector of the city and transported to the school by taxi or mini-bus.

Assessment Centre

The Local Authority fund 25 places for children, between the ages of 3-7 years old, with a range of special educational needs. The children attend our Assessment Centre for a period of intensive assessment with a view to establishing the most appropriate educational placement. This may range from a return to their local mainstream school; a place in one of the specialized resource bases within a mainstream school, or a move to one of the Local Authorities more specialized provisions.