Compass Point Primary School in Bedminster has launched its newly refurbished and enlarged Resource Base for children with Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
The event was attended by Councillor Tessa Fitzjohn, staff, and governors, as well as many families and members of the South Bristol community who will benefit from the new facilities.
The Resource Base provides specialist education and support for children with Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP), with a primary need of Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC) and/or Speech, Language, and Communication Needs (SLCN). Supported by specialist staff, these pupils are able to access mainstream education with their fellow pupils, alongside their own personally tailored curriculum and specialist provision, reflecting the fully inclusive approach at the school.
The extensive improvements made at the school, which were part of the council’s 2020 £28m SEND Sufficiency and Capital programme, will increase the spaces available from eight to 24 children, and extend the provision to all year groups from Reception to Year 6. These pupils will benefit from three new classrooms, a sensory room, a therapy room, de-escalation space, a meeting room, specially designed small teaching spaces, and direct access to a secure outdoor space.
Headteacher, Linda Brown, said, “We are delighted that the excellent education and specialist support that we provide through our Resource Base will now be available to up to 16 more children. The new facilities will help our children to flourish, giving them spaces and resources to support their specific needs, whilst also being integrated with our mainstream education, which benefits all of the children in our school community, as they learn and grow together.”
Councillor Asher Craig, the Bristol City Council Deputy Mayor for Children, Families and Equalities, said the enhanced Resource Base, part of the Mayor’s pledge to provide 450 specialist provision places by the end of 2024, will have a positive impact on all the children at Compass Point Primary School.
“We know that Resource Bases in mainstream schools make a significant and positive difference to the children who access them as well as their peers,” she added. “Children receive the specialist attention they need while still accessing the social, emotional, and educational benefits of a mainstream setting. This is an inclusive approach to education which helps all of our city’s children and young people to feel a sense of connection and belonging from a young age.”
Following an introduction to the provision at the school by the resource base leader, Charlotte Williams, guests were treated to a tour of the new facilities and other areas of the school, assisted by staff and pupils who were keen to ‘show-off’ their school, which they are clearly very proud and happy to be part off.
“Seeing the pupils taking such an active role in this event, being proud of their school and being part of this occasion, is testament to the focus this school has on each child’s personal development, and the wonderful and inclusive culture that this school nurtures”, said Nick Lewis, The Gatehouse Green Learning Trust CEO, speaking at the event.
Children can apply for a place at the Resource Base through the SEND team at Bristol City Council, while the school provides more information about the facilities and how to arrange a visit on its website, www.compasspoint.bristol.sch.uk.