Shirebrook Academy

Support and Inclusion at Shirebrook Academy
The Special Educational Needs department at Shirebrook Academy works hard to ensure that every young person feels safe, is able to enjoy and achieve and is happy and healthy. Shirebrook Academy is a truly inclusive Academy and we work hard to ensure all our young people are well supported to ensure they can access the curriculum fully and have the opportunity to be the best that they can be.

Learning Support Unit

The Academy’s Learning Support Unit (LSU) plays a central role in supporting any young person with special educational needs who may be experiencing difficulties with school life.
It is crucial that all our students can access the mainstream curriculum and to be to do this students need to be able to read confidently. We put great focus on developing students’ literacy skills as strong literacy skills really are the key to success. Students who may be experiencing difficulties with reading will work in small groups or on a one to one basis with very experienced staff. The students will follow a structured, multi sensory language development programmes to build their literacy skills at a pace appropriate to the individual. Students may also follow handwriting programmes and some students may also be entitled to the support of a reader and/or scribe for formal examinations.
The majority of students with special educational needs are best supported in the mainstream classroom by our highly skilled team of teaching assistants but for students experiencing more severe difficulties the Learning Support Unit (LSU) offers a supportive and nurturing environment for some or all of a student’s timetable. The Learning Support Unit has its own multi sensory room which is used for student counselling and positive support, both of these activities have a strong emphasis on developing self confidence and self esteem within our young people. The LSU also has its own garden area which was lovingly restored last year by our students. Horticulture is very popular with the students of the Learning Support Unit and we do find that this also helps develop a sense of leadership, ownership, increased self confidence and self esteem within our students.The Learning Support Unit also runs the Academy’s nurture group which focuses of supporting students who may be finding transition from primary to secondary school difficult.. Students who access the Learning Support Unit have the opportunity to participate in a variety of offsite alternative curriculum opportunities such as Garden Busters, Grow to Grow, Pleasley Vale project and the Oakland’s Care Home project.

The Behaviour Support Unit
The Academy’s Behaviour Support Unit (BSU) focus is to support students in the short term who are having difficulty accessing the mainstream curriculum due to behavioural, emotional or social needs. Students who work in the Behaviour Support Unit follow a structured programme of support and re-intergatretion to help them move forward, reflect on their own behaviour and understand how it is impacting on their learning and the learning of others. We find that students who work in the Behaviour Support Unit respond very well to the structured, supportive environment. Students referred to the Behaviour Support Unit also have access to a wide variety of alternative curriculum pathways.

Who to contact?
If you have any concerns at all about your child whilst at Shirebrook Academy please contact Sandra Peake, Community Liaison Officer, your child’s form tutor or head of year or Alison Brannick, Vice Principal, on 01623 742722

Grow to Grow

Five students are currently participating in the YISP Grow to Grow project at Shirebrook Academy. Students involved are Keegan Dockwray, Kieran Brooks, Ellis Cheeseman, Sam Oakton and Brogan Bown. The boys absolutely love the project and are currently constructing garden benches and a rabbit hutch! The project focuses on not only developing construction skills but also fostering team work and an ethos of working together. Keegan Dockwray said ‘I love the project, it’s excellent and I have really enjoyed learning new skills’