Islington News: Samuel Rhodes MLD School | Dowrey Street | Barnsbury | Montem Primary

Publications by New Journal Enterprises

Home

Archive

Competition

Islington Tribune - by TOM FOOT
Published: 23 May 2008

Special school is moved to top floor

Pupils with mobility problems face trek to fourth storey after switch from old classrooms

DOZENS of pupils with special educational needs will have to scale four flights of stairs each day to get to class after their specialist school closes in September.
Youngsters at Samuel Rhodes MLD school in Dowrey Street, Barnsbury, are moving to Montem Primary in Highbury Grove as part of a multi-million pound shake-up of education services in Islington.
More than 80 pupils – who suffer from a range of conditions including autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), while many others have mobility difficulties – will be taught on the top floor at Montem when the new term begins in September.
While most parents have welcomed the move, one mother has warned the new premises are unsuitable.
She said: “At the new site these pupils will be expected to walk up and down 70-odd steps to the fourth floor. For those with visual perception difficulties this will be a painful and likely a frightening experience. And what would happen in the case of fire?
“The pupils require a high level of experiential learning and the current site has a large playground with grass and trees. It is located near parks and local amenities which can be easily and safely reached by foot.
“Montem School has one tree and no grass, only a small garden in a small playground which will be shared by over 500 children.
“The idea of relocation on to a mainstream site has many advantages, and Montem is an excellent school to be co-located with, but I feel we must question whether the specific needs of all the groups concerned have been adequately considered in this particular case.”
Samuel Rhodes headteacher Jackie Blount said: “Samuel Rhodes School will be housed on the top floor of the Victorian Montem building. It will be well served by lifts.
“Pupils with any mobility problems will use the lifts, and, following rigorous risk assessment, strategies and procedures have already been put in place to ensure the speedy and safe evacuation of all pupils in the event of any emergency. Plans are well advanced for the purchase of special equipment to assist that evacuation.
“Access to the playground will be closely supervised in both schools, and all play and study arrangements will reflect the fact that inclusion must be both effective and meet the needs of both groups of pupils. A small soft playground is being provided on the top floor for Samuel Rhodes School.”
She added: “The move is one that falls in with the long planned and widely consulted upon Inclusion Policy, which states that special schools will be co-located on mainstream sites. This enables the pupils at special schools such as Samuel Rhodes to benefit from the separate space, and to mingle and learn with their mainstream peers.”
The inclusion strategy was criticised last year following publication of a report by education experts at Bath University. It stated: “Teachers are finding it increasingly difficult to support children with special educational needs in mainstream primary schools.”

Comment on this article.
(You must supply your full name and email address for your comment to be published)

Name:

Email:

Comment: