St. Anthony Class (Special Provision Class)
Hello, Welcome to St Anthony's Class
We are a special learning unit specifically for children with Speech, Language and Communication Needs.
We have ten children in our class this term, with varying degrees of need, children with ASD, developmental delay, and speech and language needs. We follow a sensory & explorative timetable, incorporating topics & learning from both the EYFS & KS1 curriculums. We enjoy providing the children with real life skills, experiences & learning through play.
On Monday mornings we alternate visiting a local park or going to the supermarket.
On Tuesdays we use public transport to travel to Mile End Leisure Centre for a dedicated SEND swimming session.
On Friday mornings we visit our local city farm, Spitalfields.
More Information about our Specialist Provision Class: St Anthony’s Class
St Anthony’s Class is an inclusive classroom for autistic students. It is a specialist classroom which students can access for part of the day whilst also accessing mainstream lessons where it is in their best interests. Phoenix school is supporting us to build an inclusive space for a group of up to 10 children to work effectively following the Phoenix model. Staff working within St Anthony’s class will receive enhanced support from Phoenix outreach service, receive extra training and be able to access and use Phoenix assessment and planning resources where required. They will also attend resource evenings to meet other teachers and visit Phoenix and work with Phoenix staff.
The support received from Phoenix school is part of a 2-year pilot project which runs from September 2023 – July 2025. Phoenix and Tower Hamlets SEN section launched the pilot to meet growing autism numbers in mainstream schools in the borough. They recognise that a lack of special school places means more children are accessing mainstream for longer and want to ensure that children who attend mainstream schools have access to trained teachers and resources to support them.
It is important to state that St Anthony’s class is not a Phoenix ‘Satellite Class’ (in satellites, staff are employed by Phoenix and the children are on roll at Phoenix school). St Anthony’s Class is for children who are on roll at our school and the staff working in St Anthony’s class are employees of St Anne’s and Guardian Angels School. St Anne’s and Guardian Angels school is responsible for safeguarding, policies and the daily running of the class. Phoenix works in an advisory capacity only.
Pupils’ attendance in St Anthony’s Class will not receive preferential treatment for placements at Phoenix. Consultations for places will still be through the Local Authority.
All aspects of our SEND Offer and our SEND Policy apply to those children in St Anthony’s class.
We hope the pilot leads to better outcomes for autistic learners who attend mainstream schools. Our vision is that those learners in St Anthony’s Class will develop the skills, confidence and ability to:
- communicate their wants and needs to others
- spend increasing amounts of time with their peers in their mainstream class, with full re-integration where possible and appropriate
- successfully progress on to the next stage of their schooling and for families to be well supported in this transition