Every child, no matter what their starting point or background, has the right to an education that prepares them for adult life. As Headteacher of Lotus School, I will provide safety, stability and success for every child.

Our school has been purpose built to accommodate students who have an Education, Health and Care plan for Social, Emotional and Mental Health as their primary need. It has been carefully designed to ensure that students who have struggled accessing mainstream education are fully supported to succeed.

We can cater for up to 48 students, ranging from Year 6 to Year 11. All students have access to a number of curriculum pathways which deliver all core subjects, meaningful qualifications, and therapeutic interventions that will help them to develop and re-engage with school life.

We also provide students with opportunities to study off site and take part in outdoor educational activities, work experience, and community based work.

Ms Melanie Kelsall

Headteacher

About the trust

BCHS is a mainstream 11 -16 school with 900 students on roll. It is a highly diverse and multi-cultural school, and it serves the most deprived ward in Blackburn; its deprivation indicator is almost double the national average. Around half the students are deemed to be from disadvantaged backgrounds and thus the school attracts substantial additional ‘pupil premium’ funding. Additionally, BCHS has significantly more than the national average proportion of students with special educational needs. There are a high number of students with education, health care plans (EHCPs), several needing support for issues relating to social, emotional and mental health (SEMH).

Crosshill Special School is also an 11-16 school and it currently has 67 children on roll, all with EHCPs. The main identified needs of the pupils are in the areas of language and cognition. Its pupils often also display additional needs, which is usually associated with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN), Autistic Spectrum (ASD), Hearing Impairment (HI), Visual Impairment (VI) and SEMH.

Lotus School opened in 2020. This is a brand new special school which was awarded to the trust by the Department for Education as a result of a free school competition with BCHS and Crosshill as key partners. It will cater for 48 children with a wide range of social, emotional and mental health.

The trust has benefitted from some skilful people who have helped with the free school and the existing schools’ conversion to academy status. The new arrangements are currently being developed and some of the initial team have also expressed interest in roles at varying levels in the new governance structure.

We understand that for some children, their journey so far has been difficult, but this can change, and with patience and the right support, every student can thrive and learn.

We know that relationships are vital in helping to build a student’s self-esteem and willingness to learn, and that just one ‘champion’ can make a real difference. Our approach is student centred and they are at the forefront of everything we do, from the design of the building, to the staff and curriculum.

We will build strong and lasting relationships with the families and key adults of the students who join Lotus, as we know how important this is in securing a successful future for the young person. We believe in looking to the future and showing students that nothing in their past is too great to overcome.

Quotes:

“Every child, no matter what their starting point or background, has the right to an education that prepares them for adult life. Lotus School will provide safety, stability and success for every child.”

“We will be driven by a moral purpose to transform opportunities and change life chances of children and young people, who live in challenging times as well as challenging areas.”

“We believe in looking to the future and showing students that nothing in their past is too great to overcome.”