(UK) Tottenham: Elem school to get new autism "support hub"
- Mar 8, 2025
- 2 min read
Mar 7, 2025, Haringey Community Press: Tottenham primary school first to benefit from new council Send investment
N. London
A Tottenham school has launched a new support hub for children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send).
The new autism resource base at Earlsmead Primary School in Tottenham includes two classrooms, a kitchen for teaching life skills, a soft play area, a sensory room, an outdoor play space, and a breakout room, all designed to support development.
The initiative is part of Haringey Council’s aim to provide 118 new Send places in mainstream schools across the borough. Earlsmead was chosen as the first to benefit because of the high number of children with autism in mainstream classes.
Children who require additional support through the provision will access 50% of the mainstream curriculum. This will enable “meaningful interactions” between students in both settings during playtimes, PE, maths, and more, the council says.
The level of interaction depends on the child’s readiness, ensuring they know they belong to a class and have friendships across the school.
The “bespoke timetables” are tailored to each child’s needs and are intended to make it easier to implement the requirements outlined in education, health and care plans (EHCPs).
Hina Shah, headteacher at Earlsmead Primary School, said: “As an inclusive school, we were very keen to have the resource base as part of our offer. It was a way of enhancing the provision for children with autism who attend our school as well as providing additional places for children from across the borough. . . .
Six schools across the borough are set to accommodate a total of 125 Send places as part of the council programme, supported by the Department of Education. . . .
Comments