Visiting Professionals
At Frank Wise school all staff are committed to providing high quality education for every pupil. We recognise that this will usually be best achieved when school staff work closely with parents, other professionals and all who are responsible for the care of the children who attend the school.
Each profession has specific roles and responsibilities and works under different systems. Education is no different except that all children go to school, therefore, we often become a focal point for other professionals who may be involved in some way with individual children and, if cooperation is to be effective, this requires careful coordination and management.
We believe cooperation is best achieved when respective tasks are clearly defined, roles and responsibilities are understood and the perceived requirements of individual professionals, pupils, parents and the school as a whole are correctly balanced.
It follows that the need to liaise about an individual child must be for the direct educational benefit of that child i.e. supporting teaching and learning and must not be at the expense of a whole class of children.
We are acutely aware that if we do not get this partnership right it can be detrimental to us all, particularly our pupils.
The four main paramedical support services the school receives are:
- Occupational Therapy
- Speech and Language Therapy
- Physiotherapy
- Nursing
The special school nurses for Frank Wise School are:
– Kerry Annesley, Senior Special School Nurse
– Amy Chewter, Special School Nurse
They work part time in school on term time only contracts. For more information about the nursing service, please click here.
Teaching School Hub
Frank Wise School was designated a Teaching School in 2013 as part of a Multi-Teaching School alliance made up of ourselves, The Cherwell School and King Alfred’s Academy. Bartholomew School joined the Alliance in 2014, followed by the Grandpont and ACE Centre early years settings in 2015. The alliance ended up comprised of ten Teaching Schools working collaboratively to deliver a shared vision across Oxfordshire and beyond.
Since the end of the Teaching Schools project we have continued to work closely with the Oxfordshire Teaching Schools Hub and Oxfordshire Teacher Training. Within the context of this work, Frank Wise School contributes to SEND CPD across a range of programmes and supports the SEND elements of Initial Teaching Training. Our work in this area is led by our Assistant Headteacher Matt McArthur
Training and CPD
Frank Wise School is committed to actively supporting children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). One of the ways in which we do this is by providing a traded Outreach service to mainstream schools. We work collaboratively with mainstream staff to increase their knowledge, skills and confidence in meeting the requirements of – and getting the best outcomes for – a wide range of children and young people with SEND. This is through the provision of training, consultation and bespoke support, which may include:
- Reviewing the school leadership, culture and systems in order to celebrate strengths and develop a plan to address areas for development
- Assisting with identifying a child’s developmental priorities to inform individual pupil target setting
- Identifying and modelling strategies to support inclusion and engagement in learning
- Classroom observation and feedback
- Staff development
- Resource development
For further information or to have an initial conversation, please contact the assistant headteacher Matt McArthur: matt.mcarthur@frankwise.oxon.sch.uk
Please note: We will signpost schools to other services where we feel that the needs of the child can be better met through their involvement. Special school places are controlled by the Local Authority, and pupil placements may not be materially impacted by previous special school support.