Inclusion
We aim to contribute fully to making Charles Read a truly inclusive learning community.
We are committed to the 'Every Child Matters' agenda, the revised SEN Code of Practice and ensuring that discrimination in any form is avoided.
We aim to help our students to develop the social and academic skills each will require to successfully complete secondary education and move onto the next part of his or her life. Our intervention is based on individual need and fully embraces the academy's philosophy. We promise to make every effort to enable students to achieve their aims.
Charles Read Academy is committed to equality of opportunity and access and regards all students as having equal worth and importance, for all, regardless of:
- Disability • Race • Religion or belief • Sex • Sexual orientation • Age • Gender reassignment • Pregnancy and maternity together, this is known as the “protected characteristics”.
Inclusion, equality and access of opportunity underpin our academy. We believe that the active promotion of diversity within the overarching equality of opportunity enriches the lives and experiences of all students at the school.
Equality Objectives
- To narrow the progress and attainment gap, primarily in English and mathematics for socially deprived students, identified as those in receipt of the Pupil Premium so that there is no statistical variation.
- To narrow the progress and attainment gaps made by students identified as having significant barriers to learning including SEND, PP, CIC and EAL as a result any gap is in line with the national average
- To improve attendance and persistent absence rates for all significant groups of students identified as having significant barriers to learning including, SEND, PP, CIC and EAL and as a result, any gap is in line with the national average.
- To provide equality of opportunity through advice and guidance and the teaching and learning experience within the curriculum.
- Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not by ensuring that all members of the school community are aware of the protected characteristics listed in the Equality Act.
Additional Challenge
Some of our students may have particular talents in the creative and performing arts while others excel in sporting activity.
Other students are identified as having outstanding academic potential and some may show exceptional leadership, organisational or decision-making skills.
These students have the ability to develop various skills significantly ahead of their peers. We aim to identify these students quickly as they have additional needs above and beyond the usual differentiation provided by their teachers.
As well as the extensive curriculum and co-curriculum developments aimed at catering for the Additional Challenge group, links are being developed with various partners and external agencies such as the Young Gifted and Talented Learner Academy, the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) and the Music and Dance Scheme (MDS) to further enhance our provision.
Learning Support
A small number of children experience great difficulty in coping with education.
These difficulties can present themselves in aspects of the child's attendance, behaviour and/or emotional well-being. We have set up a facility specially to address the needs of children around Learning Support using DfE guidelines to address such barriers to learning and return students to a successful experience of secondary education.
The SELS unit is set in the heart of the academy where it is easily accessed by students and staff. There is accommodation for groups of students or individuals on a full or part-time basis. Students attending are often among the most vulnerable in the academy and our aim is to help each one to develop the skills needed to succeed and move on.
Learning Support Practitioners and Specialists each contribute specifically to the development of students from within each Faculty, while a core team remains to specialise in such areas of need as dyslexia, Irlen screening and generally building confidence and expertise.
Special Education
We aim to make flexible, child-friendly provision to address the needs of our students.
The team of supporting staff is led by an experienced practitioner with a deputy and a range of other support staff with different specialist areas of interest.
