A GRATEFUL Barnsley mum has nominated a local school for neurodiverse young people for a Proud of Barnsley award.
Elizabeth has paid tribute to ’this amazing and beautiful specialist provision that supports secondary aged pupils with an EHCP’.
West Riding is the Barnsley satellite of Kenwood Academy, based in Sheffield, and is sited on Ardsley Road in Worsbrough.
Mum Elizabeth said: “Many of their pupils have been out of school for a significant length of time, many have lost trust in schools.
“Often having been cast out from their mainstream settings as ‘unable to meet needs’.
“They often arrive at West Riding disengaged from their learning.
“My son joined here having been rejected by two mainstream secondary schools in the borough due to his needs and spent a period of 18 months out of school.
“He had lost his love for learning before joining West Riding but supported by the school team, he is accessing a full-time school place where he is engaging with his learning.
“This is through the patience and kindness of the teaching staff, support staff, learning mentor team and senior leadership and office staff, who are knowledgeable, reflective and clearly committed to meeting the needs of their pupils.
“If something doesn’t work they don’t blame my child’s needs like his previous school, they learn too and see what they can do better.
“My son has learnt to trust school staff again.”
Sarah Compai took up the position of head of school at West Riding this term taking over from Matt Hallam.
“I became head of school recently but worked at the school prior to this it’s absolutely lovely to read the nomination.
“We work hard to keep communications open with families at all times as they often have had a more complex experience due to challenging journeys they may have had.
“I have an amazing team here and we support our pupils always as we know they can go on to achieve great things with the right support.”
The school, part of Nexus Multi-Academy Trust, opened in January 2023 and has 70 pupils on its roll.
Elizabeth concluded: “I believe this school deserves School of the Year because of the amazing work they do for their pupils through their care, expertise and understanding of their pupils to meet their needs.”
