Leehurst Swan passes CReSTeD inspection with flying colours

Following a recent inspection, Leehurst Swan is delighted to have once again met the requirements to be included in CReSTeD’s Register of schools providing provision for pupils with dyslexia.

The Council for the Registration of Schools Teaching Dyslexic Pupils (CReSTeD) aims to help parents, and those who advise them, choose an educational establishment to support a child with Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD). It also provides feedback to the school on the quality of teaching and learning for children with SpLD and recommends changes where appropriate.

The report summarised: ‘Leehurst Swan School provides a thorough and well-resourced level of support for its SEND pupils. It provides a nurturing environment for the children who benefit from the support given by the skilled Learning Support staff, classroom teachers and the subject staff throughout the school. The parents are involved at all stages of provision and review.’

Leehurst Swan’s headmaster, Mr Philip Oldroyd, said: ‘We are thrilled to have met CReSTeD’s high standards and to have them recognise that our staff have considerable expertise, not only in classroom teaching, but in the field of dyslexia. This is a very important report and we are delighted with it.

‘I want to thank all our staff for their commitment to providing the very best education and care for our students, this report is confirmation of their hard work.’

The report contains many positive observations about Leehurst Swan, such as:

• ‘The [Learning Support] Department provides exceptional support for the pupils’ personal development. Drop-in sessions during break-times, combined with intervention, meet both the personal and academic needs of the pupils and is an integral part of the care provided throughout the school’
• ‘The approach to identification and assessment of SEND pupils and their changing needs is comprehensive and thorough.’
• One parent said that the school has been ‘empathetic and genuinely concerned for her child’s progress, also that communication with the LS department and the rest of the teachers has been brilliant’.
• All parents reported that the staff have been quick to respond when difficulties have arisen. One parent said that she has found ‘all the staff to be approachable and immediately accessible and willing to take time out to meet me or talk to me’.
• One pupil said that the school community was non-judgemental towards pupils receiving support. They each said they felt valued and the extra input from the LS had proven beneficial not only in lessons but that they felt more confident than before. They regarded LS as being central to their time at the school.