NeneGate School is the latest school to join Meridian Trust, and our third school specifically looking after children with special educational needs.
The school, situated in the heart of Peterborough city centre, supports 60 students aged from 8 to 16 with Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs.
The school’s headteacher is Catherine Wilson who has been at the school since 2021, joining right in the middle of the Covid pandemic. The school’s values are based on ambition, belonging and sense of worth.
We spoke to Catherine to find out more about NeneGate School, her background and her hopes for the school now it’s part of Meridian Trust.
“My background is in mainstream education and I was previously a Senior Leader at St John Fisher Catholic High School, in Peterborough. I’d worked there for 18 years and over this time developed a strong interest in working with children with special educational needs.
“Joining NeneGate School in the middle of a global pandemic did bring its challenges but I soon got to know everyone and learned what a fantastic, supportive community we have here.”
The style of education at the school is nurture based. The students are taught and looked after by more than 30 members of full and part-time staff.
Catherine added: “We as the school staff look at it that we have 60 children each with a different pathway. There are barriers around literacy so we have to put a lot of focus and determination into supporting our students with this.
“We find that students really respond well to practical learning, for example, in food and design and technology. We also have a forest school on site so horticulture is also a favourite.”
The school has forged strong connections with local community groups. These include Beat This, a social enterprise that gives children access to music and creative experiences. Peterborough MP Paul Bristow was a guest for the Platinum Jubilee celebrations at the school and Catherine hopes to do something similar to mark the King’s coronation.
NeneGate School had a strong partnership with Meridian Trust prior to joining.
Catherine said: “When I joined NeneGate I asked Mary Abeyasekera, Meridian Trust’s Executive Director of SEND/V, to mentor me and we got on really well. The school’s Governing body arrived at a stage where it was keen to explore academisation. In the end, joining with Meridian Trust became a really easy decision to make.
“Now we have joined we look forward to the opportunities for the school staff to learn from others across the Trust. For students, one area we are excited to explore is in drama as the Trust does events bringing schools together.”