Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.

• Headteacher Letter

  Fri 19 Jul 2024

  19 July 2024

   

  Dear Parents and Carers 

   

  I hope that this letter finds you, your friends and family in good health.

   

  As we come to the end of another school year, I want to thank the whole Laleham Gap School community for your continued support.  Our pupils are at the heart of everything we do at LGS. I have had many proud moments this year watching our pupils Learn, Grow and Succeed this year. Our Year 11 pupil’s leavers day was one of these moments. I am pleased that so many of our Year 11 pupils are going on to some form of education or training. We wish them all the best for the future.

   

  We are looking forward to our new pupils arriving in September. Reminder to parents, Year 7 pupils will be expected to hand in their mobile devices on arrival at school and collect them again at the end of the day. Please prepare and encourage you children to follow this procedure.

  The Department for Education has changed the rules regarding holiday permissions. The document is called the New National Framework for Penalty Notices. The following changes will come in to force from 19 August 2024.

  We want to make you aware that we will no longer be able to authorise any leave of absence requests for pupils from the 19 August 2024. This means any pupil taking holiday during terms time will be marked as unauthorised. My belief and approach to this has not changed but the rules have. If you think this is going to affect you, please let me know.

   

  Special School review – Please ensure you have completed the consultation available at

  Special Schools Review: proposed changes to designations and admissions guidance | Let’s talk Kent

  In my previous letter I stated that my concerns included:

   

  • If learning difficulties and Neurodivergent are not defined accurately, how can we comment on the new designation?
  • Locally, will there be sufficient Communication and Interaction provision in new Specialist Resource Provisions to meet the need of our current pupils?
  • Why are the needs of our current pupils not fully detailed in the Equality Impact Assessment?
  • The consultation directs us to the sufficiency plan for pupil need but, there is no data regarding the proposed new designation.
  • Where are the cost projections for the building modifications required to meet the pupil needs of the new designation?

   

  We have had lots of exciting events taking place recently. I would like to thank all staff, pupils and families who have made these possible and so enjoyable. Have a great summer and I look forward to seeing you all again soon.

   

  Best wishes

  Les Milton

  Headteacher

• Headteacher Letter

  Tue 02 Jul 2024

   

   2 July 2024                 

   

  Dear Parents and Carers 

    

  I hope that this letter finds you, your friends and family in good health.

  The special school consultation www.kent.gov.uk/specialschoolsreview is unlikely to be updated further. I am asking that you respond to the public consultation as I believe your opinion is important. The link also has arrangements so you can join online meetings specifically for parents. I encourage you to attend one before completing the questionnaire. An overriding concern I have is that the consultation questions are very open, descriptive questions which you are unlikely to disagree with e.g.

  8. KCC is proposing that the children for whom special school places are planned, are those who have both an Education, Health and Care (EHC) Plan and also have severe and complex special educational needs. Special school places would not be planned for those with lower levels of need that could be met through an adapted curriculum in a mainstream school.

  To what extent do you agree or disagree that KCC should be planning special school places for those children who have severe and complex needs?

   

  I think everyone is going to agree with this statement. I assume that is what KCC should be doing already. This is why the text box is important. I will comment that pupils with typical cognitive and academic ability can still have severe and complex special educational needs, which the designations in this consultation does not recognise.

  I encourage you all to use the text box to express your answers in full.

   

  My concerns include:

  • If learning difficulties and Neurodivergent are not defined accurately, how can we comment on the new designation?
  • Locally, will there be sufficient Communication and Interaction provision in new Specialist Resource Provisions to meet the need of our current pupils?
  • Why are the needs of our current pupil not fully detailed in the Equality Impact Assessment?
  • The consultation directs us to the sufficiency plan for pupil need but, there is no data regarding the proposed new designation.
  • Where are the cost projections for the building modifications required to meet the pupil needs of the new designation?

   

  Reminder: don’t forget to place your vote for a new parent Governor using this link https://forms.office.com/e/JEKgTsXNCc   or by hand in the main reception. The deadline is Thursday 4 July 2024.

   

  Thank you everyone for your support with Pride Day on Friday 28 June. All the pupils had a wonderful day joining in with the Colour run. We also had an Awards Assembly for positive contributions to our community.

   

  Thank you to all of you that supported the Friends of Laleham Gap Quiz night on Friday 28 June. We raised over £200 for the evening which will go towards FOLG funds.

   

  Our Wellbeing team have been busy organising and attending various school trips with children including Thorpe Park, Betteshanger and Wildwood.

   

  Summer event coming up in the next few weeks include:

   

  Friday 12 July – Primary Summer Fair

   

  Wednesday 17 July – Secondary Sports Day and Summer Fair

   

  Term ends on Friday 19 July

   

  Best wishes

  Les Milton

  Headteacher