Nick Timothy, the MP for West Suffolk, enjoyed a recent visit to a Haverhill secondary school where he chatted with its head teacher about the situation regarding local education.
Castle Manor Academy’s head teacher Vanessa Whitcombe described the school’s specialist Cognition and Learning Hub — The Arch — which works to support the learning of 24 pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) between the ages of 11 and 16.
And Mr Timothy heard about the school’s experience of being part of the Unity Schools Partnership which incorporates 17 schools in West Suffolk constituency. It is part of a group that includes 39 learning institutions across three counties — Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex.
The MP also met Year 11 students who were just completing their GCSEs and on the cusp of moving on to the next stage of education.
Speaking after the visit, Mr Timothy said: “It was wonderful to talk to Mrs Whitcombe and hear about Castle Manor’s experiences as a school. I also loved meeting the children, hearing about their plans for next steps and answering their questions.
“I want to say congratulations. It is evident that the school has a really positive environment, as well as extremely strong leadership.
Mr Timothy continued: “The work done by the school’s SEND hub is also very inspiring and exciting. I’m sure it can be treated as a model of best practice. This couldn’t be more timely or urgent given the huge demand for top quality SEND provision here in West Suffolk. We need more of it.”
