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News

Montacute School Recognised As A 'Specialist' School

Montacute School, one of the borough’s three special educational needs schools, has been recognised as a specialist school for cognition and learning, one of only nine special schools nationally to be awarded this designation with effect from September 2006.

Specialist schools have a particular focus on those subjects relating to their chosen specialism and also meet the National Curriculum requirements delivering broad balanced education to all pupils.

As a ‘Specialist’ Special School for ‘Cognition and Learning’ Montacute has been judged to have:
· A major and successful focus on developing pupils’ communication skills
· Individualised and specialised learning programmes
· A well developed curriculum, creative teaching approaches and excellent resources
· Positive and rigorous systems of behaviour management
· Effective outreach working with mainstream schools and the wider community
· Provision of a range of specialist staff training and development opportunities
· Strong links with children’s services including health, social care and voluntary agencies

The benefits of the designation will enable the school to build on the excellent links that exist with other schools and community partners, and to further improve the provision and support both for their own pupils and those in partner schools.

This includes a £60,000 annual grant for additional staff and resources, especially for communication, ICT, music and a £100,000 capital grant and £20,000 private sponsorship to refurbish and equip the disused wing of Lodge Hill in order to provide a language resources base, music base, parents’ room, training facilities, PE changing facilities, showers & toilets.

Marion Sammons, Headteacher at Montacute School said: “The staff and governors of Montacute School are proud and delighted that our school is to be designated as a Specialist School for Cognition and Learning.  This is fantastic news for the school and well-deserved recognition of the innovative work and the commitment of an extremely talented staff team.”

John Nash, Strategic Director for Children’s Services said: “We are proud of the valuable and important service that all three of our special educational needs schools provide in our borough which helps those children with particular educational requirements reach their full potential. The recognition of Montacute School as a Specialist School reflects the high standards and enhanced learning opportunities that the school provides and we congratulate all those involved.“

Katharine Teed, Communications, Borough of Poole 01202 633295