admissions

The majority of children attending Greenacre experience severe learning difficulties. Roughly speaking this means that out of 100 children of the same age, 99 would be showing more advanced skills, knowledge and understanding and be able to communicate more effectively. For some of the children attending Greenacre, roughly 80 of the same age would be showing more advanced skills, knowledge and understanding and would be able to communicate more effectively. These children experience other barriers to learning such as communication and interaction difficulties of complex physical and/or medical conditions.

Greenacre only accepts new admissions from children who have an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP). Parents and carers may express a preference for the school under the Children & Families Act 2014. Prior to naming us on a child’s EHCP, the LA must consult with the school over the admission of the individual child and carefully consider our response, parental views and whether Greenacre is suitable for the child given their age, ability, aptitude and SEND and whether the admission would be incompatible with the provision of efficient education at the school or the efficient use of resources.

More information about admission can be found here.

ways of working

Reception to Year 2 – Our Early Years children follow the Greenacre Foundation Stage curriculum. The continuous provision, play-based approach to learning is supported by adult guided investigative play activities that promote independence and curiosity. The Prime Areas of Development – Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Communication and Language Development and Physical Development form the basis for pupils learning with bespoke support given to those who need specific interventions. Personal Learning Maps (PLMs) provide personalised holistic targets that are measured in line with pupils EHCP outcomes. Pupils whose needs are not met on the Foundation Stage are transferred to our Access curriculum.

Year 3 to Year 5 – The amount of direct teaching, as opposed to supported continuous provision increases in line with each child’s needs. The majority of children by the time they reach 8 years are able to make good progress through direct teaching in groups and at an individual level. Some pupils follow highly individual timetables all through the school and these always include time with their class group so that they do not become isolated from their social group. Our curriculum is carefully planned so that each child can make progress against their individual starting points. Whenever we can, we use a creative thematic approach to learning so that children are provided with the imaginative stimulus to develop connections across contexts. All personalised programmes continue to ensure that pupils’ emotional, sensory and physical needs are fully met. Children from Early Years to Year 5 are in two class groups called Freeflow.

Year 6 to Year 8 – Children in these year groups are taught in three class groups known as COOL. Communication and Literacy and Maths and Finance are taught for approximately 40% of the time and include the whole class, small groups and individual teaching. Computing, Science, and humanities are taught through our Wider world curriculum. Creativity lessons cover Art, Drama and Music through a topic based approach that changes every half term. Independence and futures and PSHE are taught as discrete subject areas focusing on meeting the needs of individual pupils at their varying stages of development. Physical development is taught across the department in mixed ability groups allowing inclusive learning and socialisation. All personalised programmes continue to ensure pupils’ emotional, sensory and physical needs are fully met.

Years 9 to Year 11 – From Y9 the students begin their personalised accreditation pathway, this means they begin working towards achieving a range of qualifications. This is called the Life skills programme. All students continue to access Communication and Literacy, Maths and Finance, Wider World, Creativity, Independence and Futures and PD. They also follow a Life skills rolling programme that covers Citizenship as well as community based learning, home management and personal care skills. Pupils access vocational based learning on a weekly basis, where they begin to focus on personal skills and qualities, and work experience related learning. All personalised programmes continue to ensure pupils’ emotional, sensory and physical needs are fully met.

Post 16 – If young people choose to stay on at Greenacre College or join the college from another setting, they follow a highly personalised programme which includes:

Core skills lessons embedding literacy, numeracy and ICT
Community based learning – including use of the life skills house, money management skills and personal organisation
Vocational options – these include Creative Arts, Health and Wellbeing, Sports and Leisure, Catering and Horticulture.

Post 16 students also have the opportunity to develop their employability skills through our Work SMART programme, community based work experience opportunities, and employability lessons as part of the Independence and Futures curriculum.

Satellite Provision - we have two Primary satellites and one Secondary satellite that are located in host schools within the Barnsley borough.

specialist support

Teachers and Teaching Assistants are all trained to a high standard to meet the very different needs of all the children who attend. Staff are particularly skilled in supporting children to develop communication and language, good social interaction and conduct skills, good basic education skills – literacy, numeracy and ICT, and good life skills and employability skills.

Pastoral Team

Greenacre believes that in order for pupils to be able to learn effectively, to make outstanding academic progress and to make measurable steps towards becoming self-sufficient and valued members of their local community it is of paramount importance that the holistic needs of the learner are identified, nurtured and promoted.

With this belief held firmly at the centre of the Greenacre ethos the school employs a team of professionals each possessing a wealth of skills and knowledge on how best to ensure each and every individual pupil is able thrive, that they remain healthy, safe, are positive contributors, that they enjoy and achieve in all aspects of life and that they are able to make steps towards achieving lifelong economic, emotional, social, physical and academic wellbeing. Greenacre Pastoral Team comprises a Pastoral Manager, Pastoral Welfare Leads and Pastoral Care Workers.

complex health needs

At Greenacre there is a School Health Team who provide on site support to children with a very wide range of ongoing health care needs. This service is provided by Apollo Healthcare. As well as providing highly skilled care for tube fed children and those with complex epilepsy, they train and supervise the school staff so children can go out and about with their peers and still have their needs met. In addition, several consultants and specialist nurses hold their clinics at Greenacre – which means pupils don’t have to miss time from school and parents can have good quality time with the consultants, knowing their child is happy back in class.

Greenacre recognises that it should maintain good links with the Local Authority and that the Local Authority must put in place systems to promote co-operation between the School and Local Authority when children cannot attend school because of ill health. Greenacre School recognises that it can do a lot to support the education of children with health needs and that for the most part the school has robust procedures, practices and mechanisms in place to enable all children to attend full time education. Where a health need means that full time education is not possible, the school recognises that the sharing of information between schools, health services and LAs is important. Greenacre School can also play a big part in making sure that the provision offered to the child is as effective as possible and that the child can be reintegrated back into school successfully. In the event that a child presents as unable to attend school due to a health need the school will work closely with the Local Authority SEN team, as the commissioning authority, and Education Welfare Service to ensure an appropriate package of education can be delivered to the child. The school is also able to explore partial timetable options as an interim measure to support reintegration back into full time education. The school liaises termly with the Local Authority to outline any pupils who currently access a timetable that is less than full time.

How can parents get involved?

Parents are the experts on their child. We know we need to work with parents and carers to get the best outcomes for every child. Families can join workshops and groups looking at different issues that affect their children(sleep for example). Families can join in a range of social and fund raising activities. Contact the Family Team to find out how you can get involved in your child’s education and development. Every half term families receive a leaflet about what their child will be learning about that half term and are encouraged to support this with family time trips and experiences, watching the right TV programmes, reading together, as well as supporting their children with homework.

Barnsley Family Information Service Directory

We welcome feedback about Barnsley’s Local Offer. Email infoFIS@barnsley.gov.uk. Click here for more information on SEN and the assessment process.

Partner Services

Speech and Language Therapy (SALT)
The children’s speech and language therapy team provides services for people in the borough of Barnsley. We work with children and young people who have speech, language and communication problems and also eating and drinking difficulties.

Speech Therapy

Information and Advice

In Barnsley there are two organisations, Special Educational Needs and Disability Information Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS) (previously parent partnership service) which offer the full range of SEND information, advice and support and a short term funded organisation Core Assets who provide independent support solely around Education Health Care Processes. Both SENDIASS and Core Assets work closely together and for more information about what they do you can visit their web pages:

Special Educational Needs and Disability Information Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS)

SENDIASS