SEND & The Learning Centre

Within The Learning Centre at The Oldershaw School, we are committed to fostering an atmosphere and environment for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities which ensures they feel safe and valued. Our intention is that pupils with SEND are supported and challenged to develop the skills and knowledge needed to enter adult life with the appropriate qualifications, independence and confidence to be successful.

We have high expectations of all our students and work in partnership with parents / carers, relevant professionals and external agencies, including the Local Authority, to ensure the best outcomes for all our young people.

We aim to:

Encourage pupils to take pride in their own learning and abilities.
Develop pupils’ kindness to themselves, others and the environment.
Develop a resilient attitude towards learning, recognising the challenges that they may face as a consequence of their SEND.
Promote pupils’ tolerance and understanding of different faiths, races and identities, and provide cultural experiences which widen outlooks and perspectives on life in Britain in the 21st century.
Promote enjoyment and excitement in lessons and learning.
Develop and improve practical literacy and numeracy skills for life.
Support young people with social, emotional and mental health difficulties by teaching them strategies to manage their own needs.
Develop social skills and metacognition skills.
Provide a primary-based curriculum for KS3 pupils in the MLD Resource Provision to cater for their learning needs and attainment, relative to individual starting points.
Provide employability skills for pupils in the MLD Resource Provision in KS4 and 5 and generate ambition for adulthood and independence.
Ensure that pupils with SEND benefit from Quality First Teaching across the School as the ‘first response’ to supporting their needs.
Improve the knowledge and understanding of children and young people with SEND for all School staff, pupils and visitors.

The Oldershaw School has a longstanding collaboration with Wirral Local Authority and we are extremely proud of our Resourced Provision Base that serves to integrate children and young people with Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD) into a mainstream school setting. The School admits pupils to the MLD Base at the request of the LA when a pupil holds an EHCP stating MLD as their primary area of need. These pupils are typically catered for through The Learning Centre where they can access individualised curricula and specialist teaching.

Placement in the MLD Resourced Provision is determined by the Local Authority SEND Team, not The Oldershaw School. The MLD Resourced Provision is very popular and pupils must already have an EHCP prior to joining the School and parental preference for the MLD Resourced Provision expressed during Year 5/6 EHCP Annual Reviews.

The Learning Centre has a suite of rooms and is well-equipped with assistive technology and specialist teaching resources. The Learning Centre also provides a ‘safe space’ for pupils, allowing all students a place they feel they can belong to if they are feeling anxious or in need of additional support. The Learning Centre has many clubs that run at break, lunch time and after the school day, developing both academic and social skills.

In April 2016, Ofsted said, “The quality of teaching in The Learning Centre, for pupils who have special educational needs or disability, is good. Pupils benefit from good-quality individual support, which helps them to achieve well and develops their personal skills successfully.”

If required. please contact our SENCO, Me E Colwell, or the School’s SEND Link Governor via School Office on 0151 638 2800.

Please take a look at our SEND Policy and associated documents on our policies page.

For further information, advice and resources to support children and young people with SEND, please visit Wirral’s Local Offer: http://localofferwirral.org/