Kingsland School Welcomes Dame Christine Lenehan to Explore SEND Provisions.
Kingsland School was delighted to host Dame Christine Lenehan, former Director of the British Council for Disabled Children, during her recent visit. Dame Christine’s interest in inclusive education brought her to both of Kingsland’s sites, where she explored the various provisions and services designed to support vulnerable pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Dame Christine’s role as a key advisor working closely with the government, highlights her dedication to improving outcomes for children with disabilities. Her visit provided an opportunity to showcase Kingsland School’s commitment to fostering an inclusive environment where every pupil is empowered to succeed.
Dame Christine’s visit reaffirmed the importance of ongoing efforts to create inclusive educational practices. Kingsland School is proud to contribute to this vision and remains committed to exploring new ways to support all pupils, regardless of their challenges or needs.
Article: 'The Oldham school where robots sit in for children unable to attend classes'
Phil Pye the teacher with responsibility for online learning and AV1, with one of the robots
Robots are bridging the gap for pupils facing long-term absence.
When children are undergoing long-term treatment or struggling with mental health issues, it isn’t just feeling unwell that can have a negative effect.
The separation from the classroom and friends can also take a toll, and this is a problem being addressed by the Kingsland School for pupils of secondary school age with complex needs.
At its Laurel Bank site in Shaw, for children and young people who cannot attend mainstream school because of medical needs, Kingsland is the proud home of three little robots who are changing the face of education at the school for those who can’t have home tuition or leave home because of mental or physical illness.
Developed by Norwegian company No Isolation, the AV1 telepresence robot takes the child’s place in the classroom and serves as their eyes, ears, and voice, maintaining a sense of belonging and helping them to stay connected with their classmates.
They can see everything that the robot can see through a small camera fitted on its head, and their real voice can be projected out into the classroom, or just to their friends by adjusting the volume, through the AV1’s speaker.
Expression in the AV1’s eyes can be changed to neutral, happy, sad or confused and their head flashes when the pupil wants to ask a question.
Teachers place them on a classroom desk while the student controls them remotely – and the robots have proven to be a ‘revolutionary’ move for Kingsland.
One of the biggest benefits is the ability to maintain social bonds to ease reintegration back in the classroom. One student requested that her robot could join her friends for lunch so she could chat to them and remain in their inner circle.
AV1 was viewed by Cllr Mohon Ali, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills and Matt Bulmer, Director of Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning during a special visit to the school.
One of the robots meeting Cllr Mohon Ali, Cabinet Member for Education and Skills
Sal Qureshi, head of the school’s Laurel Bank site, said about the robots: “We are the only school in Oldham to have these. It’s revolutionary and you can see that with the impact on our students.”
Referring to another students’ success story she said: “He wasn’t attending school at all and he wasn’t leaving the house.
“He finds it really anxiety inducing to leave the house and started 100 per cent on the AV1 robot.
“Now I’ve managed to get him to the library so he has some face to face tuition. We will aim to increase that because it’s always better than being at home.”
And Phil Pye, the teacher with responsibility for online learning and AV1, said: “One of the students wasn’t attending because of a medical need. With the robot her attendance is 99-per- cent, and that was a technical glitch and she came on in the afternoon. It wasn’t 100 per cent because of the glitch.
Mr Pye at his workstation
“With this particular child it has worked really well and we are looking at her transition back to school in Year 10.”
Students have six to eight-week placements with the robots initially, but depending on their needs they may keep it for longer.
One Laurel Bank pupil said: “I like it here because it’s small. There are about 30 pupils here.”
Another said: “I’ve been here since November and it’s better than mainstream. The classes are smaller and less rowdy than and there are not at here is lot more help if you need it.”
And another pupil said: “They support you with your mental health and there’s space to go to chill out and rest your mind.”
Cllr Mohon Ali, Emmett Patel and Matt Bulmer at the Laurel Bank site
A parent praised about the support for his son: “He came to the point where he was a non-attender and we couldn’t get him to school. For about five months he was out of school due to severe anxiety.
“He was undiagnosed at that point as autistic. It was a struggle and we were trying
“We got him referred to here and he loved it from day one. The change in him was amazing.
“In his first week straight away we saw the difference it made because of the size of the school and the kids being on a similar wavelength.”
Over at Kingsland’s Broadbent Road site in Derker, a Pupil Referral unit for pupils of secondary school age who have been permanently excluded, the team, in their hub of expertise, work hard at reintegrating vulnerable children to mainstream education as well as providing longer term placements while planning post-16 life and career choices.
One pupil, who has been at Kingsland for a year, told how she is coming up for reintegration and is hoping for a fresh start at a new mainstream school.
“I’m more mature now and I think it’s because this school has helped me,” she said. “I feel that this school has helped me more than my previous school and it will be nice to have a fresh start.”
Headteacher Emmett Patel at the Broadbent Road site
She said about her time at Kingsland: “I like food tech because we make meals like cottage pie and chilli and I like art. I also like my English teacher.”
Targeted work includes intervention and working with parents and carers.
Kingsland headteacher Emmett Patel said: “Children across our sites come in with undiagnosed and certainly unmet and unexplored special educational needs. We want all the children to leave here and to go on to be successful.
“Every child is on a bespoke plan and part of that is a child’s voice and a family’s voice.”
Cllr Ali said: “The passion that the team have at Kingsland, and their commitment to providing children with the best education and start in life, is truly inspiring.
“The work that they do in providing bespoke support to vulnerable children is beyond education.”
Local Cllr Marc Hince Visits Kingsland School to Offer Award and to Open new Wellbeing Garden’
A heartfelt thank you to Cllr Marc Hince, Tony Hilton Chief Officer and Anne Clark Inclusion Manager from Oldham Local Authority for attending the Wellbeing Garden opening ceremony, sharing your kind words of support, and officially cutting the ribbon.
Mr Patel, Head Teacher of Kingsland's School was presented with a plaque by Tony Hilton officer Shaw and Crompton Council with the inscription 'Presented to Kingsland School, Laurel Bank As a token of gratitude For the outstanding work you do And the support you provide To your pupils and their families'.
Kingsland School secured the High Needs Capital Funding Allocation to develop an outdoor area at the Laurel Bank site. The new Wellbeing Garden is designed as a safe and inclusive environment where pupils can play, socialise, and learn.
The garden features swings, an outdoor classroom, picnic tables, a basketball hoop, and a horticulture area. This thoughtfully designed space aims to provide a wide range of benefits, including reducing stress, enhancing mental wellbeing, and improving physical health through activities such as games, gentle exercise and gardening.
The garden's sensory features—stimulating touch, smell, sound, and sight—offer therapeutic value, helping to foster focus, alleviate anxiety, and promote active engagement. This tranquil haven for relaxation, exploration, and connection will undoubtedly become a cherished asset to the school community.
Our Laurel Bank site in Shaw offers a range of services for children and young people who cannot attend mainstream settings ordinarily as a result of medical needs, they have SEND and some have Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP). The Laurel Bank site comprises various provisions including the Specialist Learning Centre (SLC), Hospital and Home Tuition, and Laurel Gardens.
Cllr Marc Hince said 'both I and the Town Council are pleased to support such an amazing school, we are fully appreciative of the positive work carried out by yourselves both at the school and out in the wider community.'
