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Headteacher Letter
Tue 19 Nov 202419 November 2024
Dear Parents and Carers
I hope that this letter finds you, your friends and family in good health.
In my previous letters I have informed you of Kent’s Special School Review, Special School consultation and the potential impact for Laleham Gap school in the future.
The most significant issue is KCC’s proposal to change our designation from a Communication and Interaction school to a Neurodivergent with Learning Difficulties school. The new designation description is like that of Bradstow and Stone Bay schools. Also proposed is a change of Stone Bay to an identical designation as Foreland Field school. My view is that these proposals are illogical and do not take account of Thanet’s circumstances.
I cannot over state that there is no need for anxiety or concern for our current practice. These changes are proposed for gradual implementation starting from September 2026. My concern is for the long term and for meeting the needs of the most complex SEND children of Thanet and East Kent.
There is a Children’s Young People and Education Cabinet Committee meeting on Thursday 21 November 2024 at 2pm. This is where the decision will be made. You can use this link to access the agenda and papers relating to this meeting https://democracy.kent.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=894&MId=9492&Ver=4
I would like to draw your attention the supplement document items 6, 10 and 12, in particular pages 77-250.
I am most concerned about the following points:
- The consultation feedback of 1345 responses show that 72% of respondents disagree with the proposed designation and admissions guidance
- 71% of education professionals disagree with the proposed designation and admissions guidance.
- 89% of responses completed on behalf of Special schools disagree with the proposed designation and admissions guidance
- The proposal has no financial modelling
- There is no data on pupil need
- There are no projections for future pupil need
If the cabinet agree these proposals on Thursday, there is likely to be a formal consultation and representation period which will run for 4 weeks in January. If these proposals are agreed, I will be writing to you again to seek your support and collaboration on how we can best support the most complex SEND children and young people in Thanet and East Kent.
Yours sincerely
Les Milton
Headteacher
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Headteacher Letter
Tue 05 Nov 20245 November 2024
Dear Parents and Carers
I hope that this letter finds you, your friends and family in good health and that you had an enjoyable holiday last week.
Our next Parent Coffee Morning will be on Wednesday, 13th November at 9.00am, in the TISS Building. During this session, we will discuss how the school can further enhance support and communication with parents. We will start with a brief celebration of our current improvements before introducing the parent engagement award we are pursuing. We would welcome your feedback on how the school can better support parents in areas such as training, signposting of support, and communication to benefit all families in our community. If you would like to be part of this discussion or are interested in working with the school at a strategic level, please come along to find out more.
Next week, there are several national events taking place that the school will be participating in, including Anti-Bullying Week. Our Student Council is taking the lead on this and will be holding a meeting today (Tuesday, 5th November) to discuss how we will take part in these events. Additional information will be shared with parents following the School Council meeting.
The events being discussed are:
- Monday, 11th November - Remembrance Day
- Tuesday, 12th November - Anti-Bullying Week Odd Socks Day
- Wednesday, 13th and Thursday, 14th November - Anti-Bullying Week Awareness
- Friday, 15th November - Children in Need
Our Year 10 and 11 pupils will be taking their GCSE mock exams over the next two weeks. This is a great opportunity for pupils to experience exam conditions ahead of their actual exams next Summer. We wish them the best of luck and every success.
Yr11 Parents evening is on Monday 9th December 2024. An invitation letter and arrangements will be sent to you in the next couple of weeks.
The Kent County Council Special School review outcomes will be shared this month. I will write to you again sharing the outcomes and any proposed changes as soon as possible.
Best wishes
Les Milton
Headteacher
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Headteacher Letter
Fri 20 Sep 202420 September 2024
Dear Parents and Carers
I hope that this letter finds you, your friends and family in good health.
The new school year is now well underway. Welcome to all our new pupils and families. It is great to see so many new pupils settling in well and familiar faces happy to return to school.
Our exam results day went very well this year. Congratulations to our pupils in Year 11, 12 and 13 for successfully achieving their qualifications.
School Uniform
All learners are expected to wear the standard school uniform unless there is a good reason to deviate from this.
We understand that some learners may experience discomfort with certain types of clothing due to disabilities or sensory sensitivities. In such cases, reasonable adjustments to the uniform will be allowed.
These adjustments could include:
• Different types of fabric
• Looser or tighter fits
• Different types of footwear
Any adjustments to the uniform will be considered on a case-by-case basis. This ensures that the specific needs of each student are taken into account. Parents/carers are encouraged to liaise with the school if there are any sensory difficulties.
Pick up and drop off
Parking on site can sometimes be an issue at the beginning and end of the school day due to the volume of traffic we have at the school.
Therefore, as parents/carers you are free to use the additional parking spaces at the TISS building and walk your children through the pedestrian gate into school at the beginning and end of the school day. Please take care when parking and walking into the school. There will be a member of staff on duty at the pedestrian gate so please ensure that you and your children follow the pedestrian pathway all the way around to the main entrance gate and not cut across the disabled parking bays.
Most days there will be places available to ease the current difficulty however, when there are training events taking place parking spaces may be limited. This parking is for parents only, KCC transport providers will continue to use the turning circle within the main school gates.
We would like to encourage as many parents/carers as possible to use these additional spaces in TISS to make it safer for your children arriving and departing school.
Dates for your diaries
Term ends on Wednesday 23 October 2024.
Parents coffee morning will be on Wednesday 13th November. Theme to be confirmed.
Yr11 Parents evening Monday 9 December.
Best wishes
Les Milton
Headteacher
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Headteacher Letter
Fri 19 Jul 202419 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
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Headteacher Letter
Tue 02 Jul 20242 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
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Pride Day Event Letter
Fri 21 Jun 2024June 2024
Dear Parents and Carers,
Friday 28th June is going to be an off-timetable Culture and Community Day to celebrate Pride in our identities. (This is also the Year 11 Leavers Day – including their off-site activities.)
The ‘Laleham Gap Pride’ event and colour run celebrates the diversity in our school community. The 2024 symbol is a rainbow fingerprint to include and celebrate all staff and students. The day has been designed by the pupils to celebrate what they take pride in and to nurture healthy self-esteem, acceptance and positive relationships. As a Unicef Rights Respecting School, we are passionate about Equality. There will be an Awards Assembly for positive contributions to our community.
Pupils will be invited to participate in practical activities and meet guests that celebrate Inclusion and the students’ hobbies– including Sport and the Creative Arts. Our Fun Run will include optional colour stations (where coloured holi powder will be thrown at participants to decorate their t-shirts). If pupils choose to participate in the Colour Stations, please be aware that there is a risk of their outfit being stained. It is recommended to wear a plain pale or white t-shirt/top. Sunglasses will be provided to those who want a pair and participation running medals will be given to everyone who completes the course – with or without the colour stations. Please provide a change of clothes to prevent issues with transport home – please contact the school if you normally use a taxi and choose to collect on this day.
All pupils are invited to wear their own clothes. School uniform is always permitted, but we suggest PE Kit due to the range of activities. Please can all pupils wear, or at least bring, trainers for sport activities.
As this is a weather-dependent event the timetable and activities may have to be adapted for Health and Safety reasons. Please sign and return the consent form attached to the main school office by Friday 21st June. The day costs the school approximately £10/pupil, we are asking families for a voluntary donation of £4 to enable us to continue providing guest workshops and resources chosen by the students.
Many thanks for your continued support,
Ms Helen Schroepfer
Learning for Life Lead and Secondary School Council
helen.schroepfer@lgs.kent.sch.uk;
Please complete and return the below slip to the school office or email back to: office@lgs.kent.sch.uk
…………………………………………………………………………………………………….……………………………………………………
Laleham Gap Pride Day 28.6.24 (Culture and Community)
I consent to ……………………………………………………………….. (pupil name) in ……………………………. (class) to participate in (please tick):
- Colour run stations (if chosen)
- Face paint/Make-up/Glitter
- Refreshments (including ice lollies)
Comments/Questions: ……………………………………………………….………………………………………………………………………………………….……
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Headteacher Letter
Thu 06 Jun 20246 June 2024
Dear Parents and Carers
I hope that this letter finds you, your friends and family in good health.
Thank you for those of you who attended (6 parents) our annual cheese and wine evening yesterday. It was great to see and speak with some of you last night. I hope that more will attend next year. I would also like to thank Daniel Chantler the Chair of Governors, Josh Payne and Katie Reeves senior leaders who also attended.
We discussed the recent cabinet committee meeting, you can find a recording of this using the following link Children's, Young People and Education Cabinet Committee - Thursday 16 May 2024, 2:00pm - Kent County Council Webcasting (public-i.tv). We also discussed the potential impact of the proposals on Laleham Gap School in the future. I shared with you that the local authority will have a special school consultation which will be launched on the 17 June 2024. This will have more detail and information than the cabinet papers from last month. The cabinet papers regarding the special school consultation can be found using this link https://democracy.kent.gov.uk/mgConvert2PDF.aspx?ID=124983.
I will write to you again as soon as the consultation is live and share my professional opinion of the consultation proposals.
I wish to thank Danielle Dunn for all her support and contributions in the last five years as a co-opted, and then parent governor. Her contributions have been of the highest calibre and greatly appreciated by us as a governing body. This is an exciting opportunity for you to become our next parent governor.
The role of a parent governor at Laleham Gap School is to provide a parental perspective on the matters that we discuss. It is also to have a positive approach to learning and training. We expect each governor to attend the six full governing body meetings per year. We prefer that a parent governor participates in at least monitoring visit per year. But it is not essential. We will provide support, an induction and training.
If you wish to become a parent governor at Laleham Gap School, please email secretary@lgs.kent.sch.uk so that we can discuss further the role, expectations and the election process.
Term six brings lots of fun activities for pupils including Wellbeing trips to Thorpe Park and Legoland. We will celebrate again this year with a Pride day and Year 11 Leavers Day which will both be on Friday 28 June.
Our Primary Summer Fair is on 12 July and Secondary sports day and Summer fair is on 17 July. We will provide more details and reminders closer to the time.
Best wishes
Les Milton
Headteacher
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Headteacher Letter
Fri 17 May 202417 May 2024
Dear Parents and Carers
I hope that this letter finds you, your friends and family in good health.
Exams
GCSEs started this week. This can be an anxious time for our pupils, and we will do all we can to support them. From what I have seen so far, pupils have managed the exams and themselves brilliantly. We wish them every success.
Childrens, Young People and Education cabinet committee meeting
When the proposals are sufficiently detailed by the local authority for public consultation, I will write to you again informing you of the school’s position regarding the proposals. There may be comments in the local papers regarding yesterday's meeting. Please remember that yesterday’s cabinet meeting was simply an agreement to consult, and no detailed changes have yet to be made. You can see a recording of the meeting and the document that was discussed at Children's, Young People and Education Cabinet Committee - Thursday 16 May 2024, 2:00pm - Kent County Council Webcasting (public-i.tv).
If you would like to discuss this matter with me, please contact me at the email address above.
LGS Music Showcase
On 2 May 2024 we had our LGS Music Showcase. This was an opportunity to share a range of the work done in class, in clubs and also from outside of school that students have been working on. This was a wonderful evening for pupils, parents, carers and staff. Many thanks to everyone involved in this event.
Save the date – Cheese and Wine Eve.
Wednesday 5 June at 6pm in the TISS building is our annual cheese and wine evening. We hope to see you there. Term five will bring our new Year 7 cohort in for taster and transition days before fully joining us in September.
We have new chicks in the school for the last few weeks. The pupils thoroughly enjoy looking after and spending time with them.
I hope you all have a lovely May half term.
Best wishes
Les Milton
Headteacher
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Music Showcase
Thu 02 May 2024
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World Book Day
Fri 08 Mar 2024February 2024
Dear Parents/Carers,
World Book Day (WBD) is nearly here! We shall be having our WBD on Friday 8th March (which is a day after the National WBD). Your child is encouraged to dress as their favourite book character for the day if they should wish. If your child wishes to dress up and is due out on a trip for part of that day, please ensure they have a suitable change of clothes with them.
We are also running a whole school ‘Book swap shop’ to celebrate our World Book Day this year. We would welcome pupils to bring in a book(s) they would like to donate to the ‘swap shop’ and in return they will be able to choose a book from the swap shop in the afternoon of our WBD.
The day will also include:
Bring in a favourite book to share an extract with the class in class time/tutor group time
Prizes for best dressed character
A range of art and craft, writing and reading activities relating to World Book Day
A poet and author visit
Kind regards,
Fran Eastwood/Alice Carey
English Lead/Primary Lead
