Plans for further educational development at Leigh Academy Rainham
We are very pleased to inform you of our plans for further educational development at Leigh Academy Rainham.In partnership with Medway Council, we would like to establish a Specialist Resource Provision (SRP) for students with Mild Learning Difficulties (MLD). It is proposed that the SRP would support 4-5 students initially, growing to 20 students over time ranging from Years 7 – 13. It is intended that the provision will be in place from September 2025 starting with the first students in Year 7.
All students at the provision will have an Education, Health and Care Plan and their primary need will have been assessed with a Moderate Learning Difficulty (MLD). The development of this provision is in conjunction with Medway Council as part of its Strategy for children with SEN and Disabilities (SEND). As part of the Trust’s and Leigh Academy Rainham’s fully inclusive ethos, we believe that the SRP will be of great value to all students in the academy. By including children with MLD, other students will learn to appreciate the needs of others in a diverse and caring community. Additional funding will be provided to ensure that students receive any required support, which will also bring additional specialist teachers into the academy to support students within the SRP but also the wider student population.
The Academy will be supported by, and share best practice with, other academies within the Leigh Academies Trust that already have a specialist resourced provision to ensure the very best outcomes are achieved by our students. We hope the following questions and answers will explain, in more detail, what creating the SRP will mean.
What is Leigh Academy Rainham being asked to do?
We are being asked to consider establishing an SRP for students with Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD). The academy is confident that its staff has the relevant expertise and skills to meet the needs of these children, however additional training for staff will also be organised by the academy and we will also look to recruit specialist teaching and learning assistants with the additional funding provided by Medway. The SRP will provide specialist support to students with MLD, minimising their separation from their peers.
