Children don't arrive at school with exactly the same strengths, find the same things difficult or make progress at exactly the same pace.
At Greenbank, we don't expect them to.
Our approach to learning support starts with knowing children well. It means noticing when something isn't clicking, understanding why a child may be finding something difficult and putting the right support around them. Just as importantly, it means recognising when a child is ready to move further and making sure they are challenged too.
Sometimes that response is very simple. A different explanation from their teacher, more time to practise something or working with a smaller group may be all that is needed.
At other times, a child may need more focused or ongoing support.
What matters is that we notice and respond.
The person who knows a child's learning best is usually their class teacher, so this is where our support begins.
Teachers adapt what happens in the classroom according to the children in front of them. That might mean changing the way something is explained, providing additional resources, adjusting the level of challenge or giving a child more opportunities to revisit and practise something.
Our teaching assistants work alongside class teachers too, supporting children individually and in groups as part of everyday classroom life.
When we feel something more is needed, we can draw on wider support across Greenbank.
There isn't one Greenbank programme that every child receiving support follows.
Depending on the child, support might include individual or small-group work, targeted literacy or numeracy support, communication and language work or support with social and emotional development.
Some children may need this for a relatively short period of time. Others may have additional needs which require more consistent support throughout their time at school.
We look at what we are trying to help the child achieve, put appropriate support in place and review it as they progress.
And because children's needs change, the support around them can change too.
The opening of The Meadow, our new inclusive learning space, has given us even greater flexibility in the way we support children.
It doesn't replace the support already happening in our classrooms. Instead, it gives our teachers another environment to use when a child would benefit from individual work, a smaller group, a quieter space or simply a different approach.
Some children may use The Meadow regularly. Others occasionally. Some may hardly use it at all.
The important thing is that we have another option available when it is the right one for that child.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE MEADOW
If a child has, or may have, a special educational need, our SENCO works closely with their teachers and family to build a fuller picture of what they need.
That relationship with parents matters.
What you see at home and what we see at school may be different, and sharing those perspectives helps us understand the whole child rather than simply looking at an area of difficulty.
Where appropriate, we also work with external professionals and specialists and use their advice to help shape the support a child receives in school.
We will always be open with prospective and current families about what Greenbank can provide. Where a child has significant or specialist needs, we want to understand those needs properly and talk with parents about whether Greenbank can provide the right environment and level of support for their child.
Learning support at Greenbank isn't only about what happens when a child finds something difficult.
Sometimes knowing a child well means recognising that they are ready to go further.
Children working at a higher level are challenged through their everyday teaching as well as through opportunities to explore ideas in greater depth, work with others at a similar level and extend their thinking.
We don't believe support and challenge sit at opposite ends of school.
Both begin in exactly the same place: understanding where a child is now and thinking carefully about what they need next.
Parents know their children incredibly well, and we want that knowledge to be part of the conversation.
If we identify an area where a child may need additional support, we talk to their family and keep them involved as support is put in place and reviewed.
Equally, if something is concerning you, you don't need to wait for us to raise it first.
We would much rather have a conversation early, share what we are both seeing and decide together whether anything more is needed.
Leah Parren is Greenbank's Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) and Enrichment Coordinator.
Leah works alongside our teachers, children, families and external professionals, helping to identify additional needs, coordinate support and ensure that provision develops with the child.
She also plays an important role in The Meadow and our wider approach to inclusion across Greenbank.
If your child currently receives additional support, has an identified special educational need or you simply have questions about how they learn, please talk to us before or during your visit.
We don't expect prospective parents to arrive with all the answers or necessarily with a diagnosis or label.
Tell us about your child.
What they enjoy. What they find difficult. What has worked well before. What hasn't. And what you hope their next school will give them.
It helps us have a much more useful conversation about whether Greenbank could be the right place for them.
Banks Bee is a whole-school reward initiative encouraging children to: Bee Committed; Bee Involved; Bee Loyal; Bee Bold and BE THE BEST THEY CAN BEE!
We are proud to be a school which values community and involvement. Banks Bee is here to keep the Greenbank Family together!
As our children progress through the school, they will be rewarded for their participation and endeavour through Banks Bee’s reward scheme – comprising of bronze, silver, gold and even platinum awards.
