Staff and students at a special needs school in Kempston are celebrating after being recognised for the high standards and commitment of their Learning Support Assistant (LSA) staff.
Last Friday (24 March), The Grange Academy was awarded the national Best Practice with Teaching Assistants (BPTAA) award acknowledging the excellent practice and skills of the Learning support assistants to deliver bespoke, high-quality support to the school’s pupils, all of whom have special needs.
The award highlights the excellent quality of training and opportunities provided for staff and the school’s commitment to developing them.
Praising the school, the assessor reported that LSAs are an integral part of driving teaching and learning throughout the school and play a crucial part in helping students to overcome their barriers in learning.
According to a pupil, “They help me remember what to do”.
The assessor said that, “LSAS clearly feel well valued and confident about the impact they have.”
“We place great importance on developing our staff to enable them to deliver an exemplary level of academic and pastoral support to our fabulous pupils,” said head teacher, Mrs Timms.
“Support staff are highly trained and work in close partnership with teachers to provide the best possible opportunities. This was highlighted as a key strength when achieving this award. “
Mrs Thomas, deputy head and BPTAA coordinator said: “We are extremely proud of the wonderful LSAs we have at Grange Academy and want to acknowledge the important role that they play within our school.”
