School visit Emersons Green School visit mersons Green Primary School in South E Gloucestershire was purpose built in 2000 to include disabled young people, and perhaps this is the main factor in the development of its inclusive approach. It seems significant that because no disability-designated, separate learning areas were set up at the school when it opened, no disabled pupils are required to go to them today.
Although originally designed to accommodate physically and visually impaired students, it is evident that a broader range of impairment groups are now attending. Built for around 210 children but now with 270 attending, there is plenty of natural light and there are window blinds, contrasting colours, Braille signs and acoustic panels to mute noise for students who are neurodiverse (autistic) or have a hearing impairment. There are 53 children on the SEN/EHC register of whom 20 have Statements/EHC plans, and 12 are Resource Base pupils.
student session. The school is easy to get around because it is on one level, doors are invariably open, and hoists, power chairs and other impairment related equipment are readily available. Facilities are available for physiotherapy and bathrooms are accessible.
Karl shared his frustrations with reduced SEN funding, having to cut teaching assistance hours, and having to argue with the local authority about Inclusion is seen as a civil and human rights issue the need for lunch break supervisors, currently 27 at Emersons Green; the school tries to embed an in total. As we were observing one of the classes, inclusive ethos through everyday relationships Karl explained the buddy system which operates in the school, and how friendships are and by example as well as through as easily made through personal assemblies and other organised “We’re trying to create interest in a football team as in activities. School outings and ripples of change, anything else. As Karl pointed out, residential visits are carefully socially. … It’s the same “Well we do have a City/Rovers researched to ensure everyone can experience for everyone, thing going on in this school,” and take part. The school’s British Values as much as possible.” commented: statement includes the following: “What we find is that pupils are buddies because they’re their friends. They don’t see them as disabled because that’s all they’ve ever known in their class, what they’ve only known, We visited the school for some hours during the disabled or not.” middle of the day. We joined the children at work Cohorts of children had been and were learning and and play, and spoke with staff and pupils. We growing up together. During this teaching session were welcomed by the school receptionist who we were introduced to a Blind student who was introduced us to Head Teacher Karl Hemmings. He practicing his Braille skills on a Braille typewriter. had previously been a teacher at the school, left As we talked to him it was clear that this student for a while and then returned in 2016 to become was pleased with the progress he was making. Head. Karl showed us round the school during the Another student stopped us in the corridor and “The pupils know and understand that it is expected and imperative that respect is shown to everyone, whatever differences we may have, and to everything however big or small.”
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