Prospectus

The SEN Code of Practice (2014) requires schools to publish an SEN Information Report (paragraph 6.79), which outlines their provision for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). The report must be published on the school’s website, should be easily accessible to parents/carers and pupils, and should be set out in clear, straightforward language. It should be updated each year.

As an independent school, Gesher School is not required by law to produce this document; however, it provides a simple way to explain to parents/carers, pupils and local authorities what is offered at Gesher School. It should help parents/carers and their children understand the school.

Introduction to Gesher School

Gesher School is an independent all-through Jewish special school for children and young people aged 4 to 16 years. It received an Ofsted Outstanding in its first-ever inspection. Gesher School provides a specialist, meaningful and functional learning environment for children and young people with special educational needs, including language, communication and social pragmatic difficulties. Children are at the heart of Gesher School, where a sense of belonging and community is fostered. Gesher School is a safe, friendly and stimulating environment in which children are supported to learn, interact and have fun.

Gesher children are unique, individual and learn in their own special way. They may benefit from being educated differently regarding communication and social interactions, tailoring and adapting their environment to their own learning style. Gesher children are likely to have mild-moderate learning needs and/or autism. Many children have sensory processing difficulties and poor attention skills. Gesher School is not a school for children whose primary need is emotional and behavioural difficulties or severe learning difficulties. Children that attend Gesher School will come from a family that understands and respects the values and ethos of the school and the Jewish way of life; subsequently, Jewish Studies is an integral part of the weekly curriculum that all children have access to.

Gesher ensures that each child’s needs are met through a whole and multi-therapeutic team approach.  Gesher gives children the confidence and resilience to maximise their potential and, where appropriate, access opportunities for integration; the school works closely with families and Local Authorities to support this process.

At Gesher we provide:

  • Opportunities that enable children to thrive; we want our children to be ambitious about achieving their full potential.
  • A collaborative learning team around every child to support each child’s learning needs and maximise meaningful learning opportunities.
  • A specialist therapeutic team that will work together with families to nurture and support a child’s emotional, social, physical and academic development.
  • A partnership with families to improve the lives and life chances of children with SEN by ensuring that they are healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and experience the wider community.