Luton primary school's new inclusion hub gets special visit from Children’s Commissioner for England

Pupils at a Luton primary school had a special visitor when the Children’s Commissioner for England stopped by to open the school’s new inclusion hub.

Dame Rachel de Souza visited Dallow Primary School on Thursday, March 23 to open the hub, which will provide a safe space for children.

Dame Rachel, who has been the Children’s Commissioner for two years, received a tour of the Luton school and met with staff, pupils and school governors. She was then asked to officially open the hub which is primarily set to be used as a safe space for children who require extra support.

The hub is also the location for the community room where the school’s family worker team hosts a variety of classes including English and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) for Luton people.

Katharine Lovell, headteacher at Dallow Primary School, which is part of Chiltern Learning Trust, said: “At Dallow Primary School we are committed to providing the best possible outcome for all learners. Primarily, the inclusion hub is a safe place for our learners with special educational needs; many use the new sensory room, structured learning through play areas or small intervention rooms to meet their individual needs.

“Our school counsellor who visits once a week is also based in the hub as is the school’s SENCo and SEN administrator. We thank Dame Rachel de Souza for visiting us and opening this wonderful new facility. The children loved meeting her.”

Dame Rachel de Souza said: “Both the children and staff at Dallow Primary School told me that the school is strong academically but also a really fun place to be. The children clearly love coming to this school each day and their pride in being part of the Luton community was

evident.

“I was so pleased to return to Luton to be part of the launch of the inclusion hub, which will not just be a valuable addition allowing for tailored support to individual children’s needs, but also a place for the local community to enjoy. Schools are the heart and soul of their communities, so it’s great to see children at Dallow learning about how they can be part of this."