Abbey Hill School and College, ST3 (ages 3-19)
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Abbey Hill School & College is a foundation special school located in Stoke on Trent, catering for pupils aged 3 to 19 years, who have communication and interaction needs. Approximately 50% of pupils have a diagnosis of Autism. A proportion of the pupils present with more complex needs - these pupils are taught in specialist classes where there is a high staff to pupil ratio. We are proud to have satellite classes based in mainstream schools. This provision is known as Abbey Hill Connect. Classes cater for higher attaining pupils who benefit from having access to mainstream provision, as well as the expertise of our staff at Abbey Hill. These are located at Weston Infant Academy (Y1-Y3) and Weston Junior Academy (Y4-Y6). We are in the process of opening our third satellite which will cater for secondary aged pupils. The school places great emphasis on pastoral care and the emotional well being of the children and young people in our care. We also support pupils and staff in mainstream schools across Stoke on Trent and Staffordshire through our Outreach & Training offer. Abbey Hill School & College is a purpose-built building. Facilities include:
All of these facilities ensure our pupils are supported in accessing an exciting curriculum that promotes learning. Resources are well-maintained and of a high quality. We are also excited to be growing our STEM equipment which now includes: Virtual Reality viewer, 3D printer, touchscreen laptops. For further details please see our SEND policy. Parents and families are welcome to visit the school. |
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| Contact telephone | 01782 355 849 |
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| Contact email | abbeyhill@abbeyhillschool.co.uk |
| Venue address | Box Lane |
| Meir | |
| Stoke on Trent | |
| ST3 5PP | |
| Website | https://www.abbeyhillschool.co.uk |
| School's extended local offer response |
What kinds of SEND does the school provide for?Abbey Hill School & College is a foundation special school located in Stoke on Trent, catering for pupils aged 3 to 19 years, who have communication and interaction needs. Approximately 50% of pupils have a diagnosis of Autism. A proportion of the pupils present with more complex needs – these pupils are taught in specialist classes where there is a high staff to pupil ratio. We are proud to have satellite provision based in mainstream schools, known as Abbey Hill Connect. These classes cater for higher attaining pupils who benefit from having access to mainstream provision, as well as the expertise of our staff at Abbey Hill. These are located at Weston Infant Academy (Y1-Y3) and Weston Junior Academy (Y4-Y6). We are in the process of opening our third satellite which will cater for secondary aged pupils. Under the SEND Code of Practice, we provide for pupils with following areas of need:
We specialise in catering for pupils with a diagnosis of autism and / or speech and language difficulties. We also have excellent facilities for pupils who have sensory needs. How does this setting know if their children/young person needs extra help and what should I do if I think my child/young person may have special educational needs?Pupils at our school are either currently being assessed or have in place an Education Health and Care (EHC) Plan. Families are fully involved in the process and supported by our specialist staff. How will the setting support my child/young person?Once offered a place, a transition plan is arranged to support pupils and parents. Pupils will be introduced to key staff, begin to meet their classmates, and become familiar with our school. Abbey Hill School & College is a purpose-built building. Facilities include:
All of these facilities ensure our pupils are supported in accessing an exciting curriculum that promotes learning. Class sizes vary from 10-16 depending on the needs of the pupils. For pupils with more complex needs, they will be based in smaller class sizes of 6. Pupils' learning is assessed against our ‘Steps in Learning’ tool. How will teaching approaches and the curriculum be matched to my child or young person's needs?Our ambition for pupils is to be independent, creative, be able to challenge themselves, and to make a positive contribution to their local and wider community. This vision drives our curriculum and underpins everything we teach. An extended school programme is in place to widen our pupils' learning. Pupils are able to access lunchtime, after school and holiday clubs. We have recently launched our new exciting curriculum offer – see our website for further details We use many approaches to meet the SEND needs of our pupils. Some of these include:
For students who are preparing for employment, we offer a Support Internship programme which college students can apply for. More details can be found on the ‘Interns’ section of our website. Our school motto is ‘Aim High, Be the Best you can’ How will both you and I know how my child/young person is doing and how will you help me to support their learning?Pupils are assessed against progressive statements in all subjects. We call these ‘Steps in Learning’. Throughout the year, pupils work towards their individual EHC milestones. Evidence for the achievement of these is collated to support the review process. For those students taking qualifications, assessment follows the examining board criteria. For pupils following specific programmes (eg Rebound Therapy), outcomes are continually assessed and shared. In our specialist autism support classes, pupils are also assessed via PECS and Communication tools. We hold two parents’ afternoons per year as well as an Annual Review, where parents can discuss their child’s progress with class teams. What support will there be for my child's/young person's overall wellbeing?We have an extensive PSHE offer, which includes:
What specialist services and expertise are available at or accessed by the setting?
What training are the staff supporting children and young people with SEND have had or are having?Abbey Hill School & College is highly committed to ongoing training of staff. As well as meeting statutory requirements, our training is tailored to meet the needs of our pupils. Our commitment to this can be seen through a weekly 2-hour training session, as well as external training. Some examples of our CPD offer are: PECS, Sensory Integration, Makaton, First Aid, Safeguarding, PREVENT, MAPA, Numicon, Read Write Inc, Emotion Coaching, Mindfulness, Stop Think Do, and Paws.B In addition to this, we have a dedicated training room where our staff run courses to local schools and parents/carers. See our Outreach & Training brochure for more details. Access to Medical Interventions:
How will my child/young person be included in activities outside this classroom including school trips?‘Community’ is one of our curriculum drivers and therefore we promote outdoor learning. A number of off-site visits relating to curriculum areas take place. Pupils in our Autism Support classes take part in a social education programme. We offer a variety of lunchtime / after school clubs and holiday activities. How accessible is the environment?Abbey Hill School is a purpose-built building and is fully accessible to all pupils. How will the setting prepare and support my child/young person to join the next stage of education and life?All transitions are well planned for. This commences prior to starting school / college, and continues throughout their time here as pupils and students move from class to class and phase to phase. Transitions are co-ordinated by our Outreach and Inclusion Manager and our Transition Manager. There are a range of opportunities for pupils to familiarise themselves with their future learning environment. These can include:
In preparing our young people for adulthood, we focus on developing their independence and decision making. The following facilitates this:
We have a college that focuses upon ‘Employability’ and ‘Adulthood’ where learners are able to develop skills to prepare them for life beyond Abbey Hill College, ensuring positive sustained destinations. How are the setting's resources allocated and matched to children's/young people's special educational needs?Resources are allocated to meet the needs of all pupils. This can include purchasing specialist equipment and resources to support individual pupil needs. We also have high staff to pupil ratio proportionate to the child’s needs. For further details, please see our SEND policy. Parents and families are welcome to visit the school. How is the decision made about what type and how much support my child/young person will receive?Class sizes vary from 10-16 depending on the needs of the pupils. For pupils with more complex needs, they will be based in smaller class sizes of 6. Each class has a class teacher and is supported by a qualified special educational needs practitioner. Primary-aged classes and autism support classes also benefit from a special educational needs support assistant. How will our child and young person be involved in the decisions about their learning?Pupils are consulted in the following ways:
How will we be involved in the decisions about the learning of our children and young people?Regular meeting are held with parents to discuss pupil progress through Annual Reviews and progress report discussions. We run Parent Support Sessions regularly, to ensure parents have access to a range of quality information and advice to enable them to best support their child. How are parents involved in the setting? How can I be involved?
What do I do if I want to make a complaint?The school has a complaints procedure, which is available on our website. What other support Is available to parents and how can I contact them? |