Cherry Garden Outreach Support Service
Cherry Garden School is Southwark’s primary school for children with severe or profound learning differences. We have an outreach teacher who is funded by Southwark for three days a week to support children with special educational needs in mainstream schools, who are working significantly below their peers. These children are referred through a direct referral system to Cherry Garden Outreach by the individual schools (with parental consent). Support for autistic children is provided through Southwark’s Autism Support Team.
Once a referral has been approved, and when a space is available, the teacher will come into the school for an agreed initial support package. They will observe the child and talk to the professionals involved, and then suggest targets or strategies that will support the child’s learning. On subsequent visits, they can support in whatever way is most helpful for the school (for example planning with the teacher, modelling particular strategies or types of activity, training staff in programmes that will benefit the child, attending IEP reviews, working alongside the speech and language therapist or other professionals, supporting with assessment etc.). Reports of the visit are shared with the school and the schools can also pass them on to the parents/carers.
Cherry Garden are also a member of the London South Teaching School Hub. This was established in 2015 and brings together schools and selected partners who share a commitment to working together to achieve a vision of an education system where children and young people are nurtured and challenged to flourish in all aspects of their life.