Tuesday 09 March 2021
The Communication, Interaction and Autism base supporting primary school-age students will move to Forest School from September this year.
Pupil numbers have significantly increased at Amherst Primary, where the CIAS is currently based, over the last few years meaning additional classroom space is urgently required and this, combined with the temporary building which houses the support provision being in need of urgent repairs, led to senior educationalists exploring if there were better options for these children.
The move to Forest Primary will give children attending the CIAS base access to the dedicated staff at Forest who are already committed and experienced in meeting the needs of all children with additional needs and in addition if required children will have access to the state of the art sensory facilities at Le Rondin.
The base at Forest will be located centrally within the school - the current one is disjointed from the main school building - and this will increase the flexibility for pupils to access the base throughout the school day as needed. Equally it can be used as a quiet space to retreat to for students if they need to.
Amherst headteacher Tracey Moore and Jenny Jura, Head of the Communication, Interaction and Autism Service, spoke with the parents of each pupil that this affects directly to seek their views on the move and ensure they understood that they had the choice for their child to remain at Amherst (with ongoing additional support) or transition to Forest in September. Parents were reassured that they could contact either Mrs Moore or Mrs Jura if they had any concerns or further questions.
There are currently nine pupils at Amherst who have allocated additional access to the CIAS base. However, four of these pupils will transition to Secondary School in September 2021 leaving five children in need of this additional support.
The decision was made by senior educationalists, as it is an operational matter, who believe this is the best solution for the long-term provision of this specialist support.
Nick Hynes, Head of Education Inclusion Services, said:
'We are delighted to have found a new home for the Primary Communication, Interaction and Autism (CIAS) Base at Forest School. Accommodation at Amherst has become challenging in recent years due to increased pupil numbers at the school and the move provides children and young people with the very best opportunities to be successful. I am very grateful to all the dedicated and skilled staff at Amherst for providing a place for the base over the last number of years but equally excited about the chance to set up a new provision at Forest School with the overwhelming support of staff at the school and our existing CIAS team.'
Tracey Moore, Headteacher of Amherst Primary, said:
'It has been a privilege to host the Primary Base at Amherst. We have learned so much over the years and have benefitted greatly from the knowledge, commitment and support of the Base staff. I know that the children and staff will be in good hands when they move to Forest and that they will be warmly welcomed into the school community.'
Paula Sullivan, Headteacher of Forest Primary and Le Rondin, said:
'We are absolutely delighted to be welcoming the CIAS Base to Forest Primary School. We pride ourselves on being an inclusive school community who value the contribution of each and every individual. We view this as a fantastic opportunity to work together with pupils, parents, staff and specialist colleagues to continue to achieve our school aims of "Innovative, Inclusive, Inspirational Learning" which enable us to "be the best we can be".'
