As many will be aware, Lancasterian Primary School shares its site with The Vale Special School. We are very proud of this co-located model and the inclusive offer that it provides for children attending both schools. Pupils from Lancasterian and The Vale share play and lunchtimes together, will occasionally collaborate on joint special projects and a very small number of children are able to access provision in the partner school, according to their individual needs. However, Lancasterian Primary and The Vale are two separate schools with their own separate staff, budgets and governance.
It has recently become apparent from discussions with colleagues across Haringey that there may be some misconceptions within the borough as to whether Lancasterian Primary is a special school, a mainstream school with a specialist provision/unit, or a standard mainstream school. To clarify, we are a standard mainstream school. Confusion on this issue – undoubtedly caused by the co-location of Lancasterian Primary and The Vale – has seemingly led professionals to direct parents/carers of children with special needs to Lancasterian Primary; as a result, we now have extremely high numbers of children with EHCPs or SEN Support. Whilst inclusion is one of our school values and we are proud of the diverse community we serve, we are not staffed or equipped to cater for a disproportionate number of SEND children; like all mainstream schools, we believe in being part of a system where all schools work equitably to meet the needs of the Haringey community.
The purpose of this communication is to clarify all of the above, and to seek the support of professionals in ensuring that parents/carers are given accurate information about Lancasterian Primary School and the fact that we are a mainstream provision.
Paul Murphy
Head Teacher
Lancasterian Primary School
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