Whitfield Aspen School serves the village of Whitfield, just north of Dover in Kent, with easy access from the A2. Pupils aged 4-11 are admitted, most of whom live locally. The school roll is currently 360 in the main school (primary) and 55 in Aspen. As a “School within a School”, we are an inclusive school which means that there is a general policy for the inclusion of children with PMLD, SLD and CLN within academic and social settings. Inclusion activities are assessed against the needs of the individual child. We believe this opportunity to be unique not only in Kent but also in the country as a whole. The inclusion ethos works right throughout the school and is very much a two way process with children from the main school, on appropriate occasions, being involved in activities in Aspen. It is due to this policy that classes in the primary department are kept as low as possible and are generally around the 26 – 27 mark.
Our learning and teaching policy is focused on a personalised learning approach and is dedicated to enabling our children to become more effective and efficient learners. We encourage the use of a range of “Learning to Learn” strategies such as TASC and BLP. We achieve this through creative curriculum design which enables us to provide exciting experiences for all our children.
We believe that one of the key successes of the school is the availability of resources and staff expertise which we are able to bring to both the mainstream primary and AEN areas of the curriculum. Provision is made across the whole of the primary ability spectrum in order to explore the limits of every child’s potential including the gifted and talented.
Back in September 2007 we entered an exciting phase of our development when Whitfield and Aspen merged within a new building. The innovative designs have created a stimulating environment in which all our children learn and work. Specialist facilities such as hydro therapy pool, sensory and soft play, therapy rooms and integrated play areas were developed to enhance the facilities further. April 2008 saw the completion of building work with a nursery for children with profound and severe learning needs (Aspen Roots) and the SMILE Centre, a conference, training and support facility for the district.
Inclusivity at Whitfield is best described in the poem by Bethany Jagger, Aged 8, below:
Me and my friend Lucy
Lucy, and me
Do a lot together,
And I know
We’ll be friends forever.
We walk around the playground
Talking to each other,
Stay away from the football,
And my little brother!
We tell all of our secrets
With our other mates,
And everyday we meet
Up at the school gates.
There’s one thing I haven’t mentioned,
My friend Lucy cannot walk,
She’s no different from you or me,
Even though Lucy cannot talk.
We have a lot of fun together
Every single day,
Our school is called ‘inclusive’,
Lucy and me, like it that way.
By Bethany Jagger Aged 8