Equal Opportunities at Dulwich Village Infants’ School

Inclusiveness and equality are at the heart of education and underpin all aspects of school life. We recognise that there are groups of children who may experience disadvantage because of their special educational needs, gender, ethnic or social economic background. Dulwich Village C of E Infants' School is committed to equality in education to ensure that all pupils are valued and their right to a broad and balanced curriculum respected.

Special Educational Needs

At Dulwich Village Infants’ it is our aim to ensure that all children regardless of their learning difficulty, physical disability, mental disorder, behavioural or emotional difficulty will progress towards their full potential within an inclusive setting in school.

Our staff will aim to identify, at the very earliest possible stage any children which have Special Educational Needs. In these cases staff will assess pupils regularly, set targets, plan and set appropriate differentiated work to meet the needs of pupils with Special Educational Needs.

Teachers use a variety of teaching styles to suit pupils with differing learning needs as part of everyday teaching and learning. Teachers and Teaching Assistants ensure that suitable resource materials are provided to enable children to access the curriculum. The SENCO will ensure that outside agencies make regular assessments and provide guidance and support to teachers so that they can plan more effectively for their pupils with Special Educational Needs. The school will arrange for all staff involved with Special Educational Needs pupils to receive appropriate training, either by attending outside courses or within the school.

Our Special Educational Needs Coordinator is Emma Hamill. If you wish to make an appointment then please contact Emma who is based in the old building and can be contacted directly on: 020 7525 9236.

Involving Parents

Our school is proud of our partnership with parents of children with Special Educational Needs and we believe it is this partnership that will support the development of the child in all aspects of school life. We recognise at Dulwich Village Infants’ School the importance of informing the parents of any concerns we have relating to their child's progress at school. In accordance with the Code of Practice we ensure that parents are consulted at every stage of their child's learning and the SENCO keeps them informed of any reports provided by outside agencies. Parents are invited to attend review meetings and will be encouraged to contribute to their child's Individual Education Plan through half termly learning conferences with the teacher and child.

SEN Parents' Coffee Morning

The school is delighted to hold coffee mornings each term for all parents of our school community to come together and discuss issues relating to special needs, their child and school life in general. Please contact the school office for the date of our next coffee morning, everyone is welcome.

Behaviour Support

Parents are also invited to come into school to meet with Robert Kotey who is a child mental health practitioner and can advise and support parents if their child is experiencing emotional and behavioural difficulties. If you would like to make an appointment to see Robert, please contact the school office on 020 7525 9233.

INSET Opportunities

As part of our commitment to the extended schools agenda we are delighted to offer workshops and training for parents on a wide variety of topics including Literacy, ICT, the Creative Curriculum, the Foundation Stage Curriculum and Developing Emotional Skills.