East Sussex County Council has congratulated two of its schools that have won top national awards for their work supporting children with special needs

Wallands Community Primary School in Lewes and Peacehaven Community School both came out top in the Shine a Light Awards run by the Communication trust and Pearson Assessment for their work in supporting children’s speech, language and communication development.

Wallands was named Primary School of the Year, while Peacehaven Community School scooped the corresponding prize in the secondary school category.

Both were praised by judges for the range of support and practices they have in place to help children with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN).

Cllr Nick Bennett, the County Council’s Lead Member for Learning and School Effectiveness said: “I am absolutely thrilled for both of these schools. It is a considerable achievement for East Sussex schools to scoop both the top primary and secondary prizes.

“These awards are a tribute to the commitment of these two schools and the dedication of their staff to helping children with speech, language and communication needs. They have my thanks, praise and congratulations too.”

Wallands was singled out for the way it makes use of its speech and language unit to share expertise and understanding throughout the school, and also for the way that children are identified and prioritised for early intervention and provided with a specific programme of support.

At Peacehaven, meanwhile, there was praise for the way the teacher from its SLCN facility works across the school to make sure speech and language features across the curriculum and the way parents are offered training sessions to support SLC development at home.

Further information

For more information about the awards, the Communication Trust and Pearson Assessment contact the press and PR officer Lynne Milford on 020 7843 2564 or email lmilford@thecommunicationtrust.org.uk