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What sort of school are we?

Parkwood Hall is a day and residential specialist school. We specialise in meeting the needs of children who have Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC) along with moderate to severe learning needs. Some of these pupils may also have additional complex needs. All pupils have Education Health and Care Plans (EHCP). At Parkwood Hall we see each pupil as an individual. When children first arrive, we spend time getting to know them and understand their needs. We talk to all other professionals and parents before the child starts at the school, so we have as full a picture as possible of the child. We admit children from 7 years (Year 3) to 19 years (year 14).

Parent and Pupil Voice

The Parkwood Hall Family of Schools values the support and feedback from all our stakeholders. We have an active school council and promote positive pupil voice activities throughout the year. Our pupils give feedback to the governing body every term. Parents may wish to join our Governing Body and we ask you to give us feedback through ‘Parent View.’

How We Support Your Child and How the Curriculum Is Matched to Individual Needs.

We have a range of specialist expertise in the area of autism, social communication and language difficulties and cognitive delay. The school can offer a range of therapies: Speech and language Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Music Therapy and Psychological therapies. The support we provide is matched to individual need and our curriculum framework is based on two learning pathways that provide what we call the formal and pre-formal curriculum. These pathways allow us to address the varying needs of our pupils. You can find our curriculum framework on the website. The school operates in as empathic a manner as possible to take account of these varied special needs. Classes have high pupil staff ratios and some pupils may receive one to one teaching as appropriate. Targeted interventions for literacy are provided for pupils where appropriate.

How will both parents/carers and school know how well each pupil is doing?

All pupils at the Parkwood Hall Family of Schools have an IEP (Individual Education Plan) which is reviewed at the end of every term with parents/carers. Parent meetings are held every term and parents receive their child’s progress review based on their IEP, which is in turn linked to progress in literacy and numeracy and outcomes on their EHCP. All pupils have an annual review of their EHCP with a report and meeting.

Our Staff

We have highly experienced teams of staff who may be involved in supporting your child. These include:

Your child’s teacher, who will always make sure that they create a learning environment which suits the needs of your child. They are available to you at the start and end of each day in person or by phone.
Teaching Assistants, who support all pupils in class.
Our team of therapists who work with children in addressing their particular area of need.
In the residential part of the school the team includes key workers and education support workers who support your child in developing their social and independent living skills.

Staff Training

To ensure our staff have the skills and knowledge to support all children appropriately there is a programme of ongoing training both in school and elsewhere. Recent training has included: Attention Autism, PECs, Numicon and Team Teach for physical intervention.

Transitions

Transitions are very important and are carefully managed to support children, young people and their families. There are key transition points at Parkwood Hall: entry to school, each September change of class group, moving to upper secondary and Post 16 and then leaving school. At all times the approach taken is matched to individual need. Transitions commonly involve visits, team and multi-agency meetings. We involve parents and use approaches like social stories to support our pupils.

Working In Partnership With Other Services To Support Your Child

Partnership working is an important element of the support provided to your child and family. All our schools work closely with a number of agencies from education, health and social care. These include CAMHS, Early Intervention Services and Family Support.

If you want advice from professionals outside of the school, you may find the following numbers useful: