Parents and The London School for Children with Cerebral Palsy

The London Centre provides a range of services to children with cerebral palsy and their families.

We run The London School for Children with Cerebral Palsy, which is the only primary aged special school of its kind in London. It is an independent school for children with physical disabilities approved by the Department for Children, Schools and Families.

The curriculum is planned and organised to meet the special educational needs of young children with cerebral palsy. The National Curriculum is also delivered to the appropriate age groups.

We are committed to achieving the five key outcomes of the Every Child Matters agenda which are: staying safe, being healthy, enjoying and achieving, achieving economic well being and making a positive contribution.

Foundation Stage Class

The curriculum incorporates the Early Learning Goals in compliance with government guidelines. Differentiated activities accommodate each child's individual special needs. Particular emphasis is placed on valuing the child's contributions positively, developing the child's confidence, sense of achievement and self worth.

Key Stage 1 and 2 Classes

Children are taught Key Stage 1 and 2 of the National Curriculum within the framework of the Conductive Education curriculum with appropriate provision being made for children who need to use alternative means of communication. Some of our children are on dual placements with other mainstream or special schools, and so our training and outreach support service aims to help and advise the receiving schools to ensure that the placement is a successful and happy one for the child.

Admissions Process

The School caters for children with cerebral palsy up to the age of 11 years, who may have a range of physical and learning disabilities. Children are assessed to determine their ability to participate and learn in order to benefit from Conductive Education. Conductive Education is an integrated system of learning and not a treatment or therapy. As such, the assessment would aim to determine the suitability of a place in our school for a child.

Families are welcome to arrange an informal visit to the School. Referrals are also accepted from professionals within the child's local authority. When an assessment is be carried out to determine if the child would benefit from the system of Conductive Education, permission is sought from the parents for educational, therapeutic and medical reports to be obtained. The child may then be offered an age-appropriate place or be put on a waiting list.

Ongoing assessments of the children's progress is undertaken to indicate whether Conductive Education continues to be appropriate for them. Individual and group aims are set, recorded and reviewed on a half-termly basis.

Parent and Child Service

The Parent & Child Service caters for children between the ages of 0 to 5 years and is a part of SCOPE's School for Parents Network. The service places parents at the forefront of their child's learning, developing partnerships between parents, children, and highly trained and skilled staff members. By attending these group sessions, the parents and children learn all the skills necessary for the children's independence in daily life.

Conductive Education enables parents to guide the child towards their fullest potential for independence. This is achieved through developing partnerships between the parents, children and staff members. Through carefully structured sessions in a group, the children are taught the skills that other children acquire through normal development, while the parents are taught how to help and direct their child and how to transfer these skills to the home environment. The group sessions also provide an opportunity for the children to develop their social skills and for parents to meet up and share their experiences.

Dyspraxia Workshops

Dyspraxia is a specific learning difficulty, defined as an impairment or immaturity of the organisation of movement. It has become an umbrella term for disorders in which one or several areas of development are affected. Specific areas of difficulty will depend on the individual, though they may include problems with motor skills, hesitant or awkward movements, lack of confidence, concentration difficulties, language difficulties, lack of strength and stamina, perceptual problems and difficulty with social relationships. Conductive Education has proven very effective in helping children with dyspraxia develop their physical abilities, confidence, motivation, social skills and self esteem.

The programme can include sessions and activities designed to improve children's balance, co-ordination, perception, physical awareness, handwriting and social skills.

As part of the expansion of our Pre-School and Outreach programme, The London Centre will be running regular Dyspraxia block holiday sessions and a Saturday group. Places are limited and all new participants need to undergo an assessment prior to placement.

If you require a printed copy of this information, here is a copy of the poster. Also please see our 2010 Block Holiday Programme for details of other Dyspraxia Workshops, also information on cerebral palsy and hemiplegia sessions planned throughout the year - 2010 Block Holiday Programme.

The London Centre for Children with Cerebral Palsy