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Langside School

Langside School, established in 1959, is an independent non-maintained, day special school for children who have a statement of SEN identifying learning and physical difficulties. The school supports children from 2 years 6 months to 19 years of age in small class groups of 6 or 7 pupils with high levels of adult support. Children placed at the school will have a statement of special needs identifying a severe or profound and complex learning difficulty, possibly with additional medical needs and sensory loss. The school can accommodate up to 32 full-time pupils and the local authority placing the child pays all fees.

Specialist School Status

The Department for Children, Schools and Families awarded Langside School Specialist School Status in July 2007: we are now nationally recognised as specialists in the provision of sensory and physical special needs education. We are extremely proud that we have been awarded SEN specialist schools status, as we continue to develop excellence and share our best practice. For further information about Specialist School Status and the outreach / inreach work performed by our school, please click here to download a PDF file on our Outreach and Consultative Service.

School Organisation and The Curriculum

The school operates with five teaching groups that roughly correspond to national curriculum key stages. Our Early Years, Infant and Junior classes each have six pupils ranging in age from pre-school to Key Stage 2+. Our Senior group consists of up to 7 pupils in KS 3 / 4. Our community Group also has up to 7 students between the ages of 16 and 19. The school is extremely well equipped and all classes have specialist sensory resources, dedicated computer equipment, specialised curriculum access devices as well as overhead hoisting and changing facilities.

Up to the Senior level pupils follow a curriculum which, although based on National Curriculum guidelines to support breadth and balance, is specifically tailored and delivered in a way to support the unique learning styles of each pupil. Our experienced and innovative staff adopt a range of sensory approaches that not only build on the pupils skills and experiences, but will also motivate them to extend their knowledge, skills and understanding. These sensory approaches are designed to build confidence and develop independence skills through enhanced communication and understanding, whilst celebrating all individual and group achievements.

At Senior level and above the emphasis subtly changes as pupils begin to prepare for the time when they will be leaving school. At this time there is an increased emphasis on working in the wider community, culminating in the final year at Langside School when students will be spending a significant percentage of their time in their post school placement, with continued and focused support where necessary.

To support the highly individualised learning styles, progress and achievements of each child, every pupil has an Individual Education Plan (IEP).These IEPs are set out in terms of specific objectives targeted to support individual progress within the curriculum as a whole. These targets are agreed between staff, pupils and parents or carers and are assessed and revised termly. IEP objectives are regarded as a positive record of individual pupil achievement.

Professional Support

At Langside School we understand and ensure that our pupils receive a holistic educational experience and recognise that they require specific individualised support to enable them to reach their full potential. For this reason Langside School employs a multi-disciplinaryprofessional team. In addition to the teaching staff the Langside School employs it's own nursing team, physiotherapy team, speech and language therapists and occupational therapy team. These professionals are always on site to support the pupils and the Langside Team as a whole, and make a very significant and valuable contribution to the complete learning environment of the pupils.


In addition the school provides regular music therapy sessions, a counselling service for pupils, families and staff, regular clinics with the paediatric consultants, orthotics and wheelchair clinics as well as providing support from dietician and the peripatetic hearing and visual impairment services. All of these services are provide on site, and work as part of a regular and familiar routine, or by appointment.

Facilities

Family Community Links

We believe that it is of vital importance to work in partnership with our families and the local community. The school operates an “open door” policy and parents and carers are always welcome. In addition, we have a parent support group that meets every two weeks and which is administered and led by a trained counsellor.
We aim to offer a wide range of out of school activities to our pupils. Our community group has a number of regular links with local secondary schools, working with two other local schools on a weekly basis. All the pupils in the senior group and above are offered the opportunity of an annual residential visit, which has always proved popular. We also embark upon local community projects. There are weekly visits to a local swimming pool for a range of pupils as well as riding at a local RDA school. We actively encourage our staff to use the local environment to enhance the pupil's learning experiences, and provide our own transport to support these activities.

We aim to offer a wide range of out of school activities to our pupils. Our community group has a number of regular links with local secondary schools working with two other schools on a weekly basis. All the pupils in the senior group and above are offered the opportunity of an annual residential visit which has always proved popular. There are weekly visits to a local swimming pool for a range of pupils as well as riding at a local RDA school. We actively encourage our staff to use the local environment to enhance the pupil's learning experiences and provide our own transport to support these activities.