Inclusion

Orchardside is a school where all students regardless of their individual needs or challenges feel welcomed.  We can provide tailored support for all of our students ensuring they can meet their true potential.   On arrival, all students have an induction period which includes baseline assessments.

In some cases, our students do not have significant needs. They make excellent progress without significant support. These students can manage and thrive within Orchardside’s curriculum, which is broad, balanced and academically ambitious.

However, some students may need more intensive support to access the curriculum. All staff are trained to differentiate the curriculum using ELKLAN training, which is designed to support students with communication needs.

Additionally, we are a trauma-informed school, meaning our staff are trained to understand the effects of trauma on children’s behaviour and learning. This approach helps our teachers and staff be specialists in dealing with complex behaviours and provides a nurturing environment where students feel safe and supported to learn and grow.

To support students with any gaps in their learning we use the Catch-Up Literacy and Numeracy Programs, designed to support students who may be struggling with basic reading, writing, and maths skills. Through targeted, one-on-one sessions, these programs focus on building foundational skills to help students catch up to their peers.

We have an identification pathway to identify needs and allocate the necessary support services for students where necessary.  

There are a small number of students who arrive with significant needs which require significant support not ordinarily available in our curriculum offer. These are usually children who have unidentified Special Educational Needs and/or a Disability (SEND). Their journey at Orchardside takes on a different pathway and, in some cases, culminates in an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).  This can give our students with SEND the opportunity to access more specialist school placements and/or provisions that are better equipped to meet the needs of these learners.