Jesmond Park Academy supports various groups of students, such as those who have Special Educational Needs or who are on Free School Meals.
We are also passionate about supporting students who are:
- Looked after,
- Previously looked after,
- Have been Adopted from Care or
- Have a Special Guardianship
If you believe that your child may fall in to one of these categories please disclose your child’s status to the school so the school best support them. If you feel your child fits into the above category please contact Chris Aitken at Jesmond Park Academy. We appreciate this can be particularly sensitive data and can assure you it will be held in the strictest of confidence.
Lack of educational achievement is one of the biggest barriers for looked-after children and previously looked after children to realise their potential. There are a number of explanations for this lower level of attainment: instability of care and school placements; inadequate levels of targeted support, low expectations and aspirations; lower starting levels because of earlier adversities; poorly informed teachers and social workers; and carers not sufficiently engaged in the child or young person's education.
At Jesmond Park Academy, we have high expectations for all our students. We support Looked after and previously looked after children by:
- Academically, all our teachers know who our looked after children and previously looked after children are in their class. We differentiate to meet their learning needs. Our staff have high aspirations for them and want them to succeed.
- Student Support runs several different intervention programmes and so we can target the needs of looked after children and previously looked after children. The interventions may be academic such as literacy or numeracy intervention but they may also be emotional interventions such as ‘zones of regulation.’
- Pastorally we support looked after children and previously looked after children through a Head of year, Year Manager and School Counsellor. These members of staff are they to support them through all the years at school. As part of the pastoral support, there is an award-winning careers programme with dedicated Connexions workers.
Resources are supplied by the school to support looked after children and previously looked after children. This may be laptops and printers, revision guides, subsidised school trips, staff CPD or bespoke members of staff dedicated for these students.
It should also be remembered that fulfilling potential is not just about educational achievement. Looked-after children and young people need to be supported so that they can realise their hopes and dreams for their future lives as adults.