Chilworth House Upper School

The post admission review is the first opportunity for you to meet with staff to discuss how your child is doing academically and socially, and where we can begin the process of meeting the needs of your child.  The teacher’s assessment data and academic reporting will enable us to build up a picture of how your child is progressing, in addition to listening to your views and opinions. Your child’s education plan will be developed by the Head Teacher and the SENCo, in conjunction with yourself and his or her teachers.

Your participation in the annual review process allows you to play an important part in planning for your child’s future. This will be the forum for you to express your wishes for your child along with their own wishes for the future. The school will then look into how we can achieve these outcomes.

Following your child starting at school you will be involved in discussions about your child’s education on a regular basis, for example, through daily home-school diaries, phone calls, a Post Admission Review, Annual Reviews, Parents Evenings, and in the writing of Individual Care and Education Plans (ICEPs). If you have any questions or concerns at any point about your child’s education, you can speak to one of the Senior Leadership Team, or your child’s class teacher, or request a meeting to take place.

We have a high staff/pupil ratio and therefore there is always staff available to support your child in class and in and around school. All of the staff at Chilworth will help your child to become more independent in their learning and social interaction. In particular, they will cover topics in PSCHE and in ‘Preparation for working life’ to help them become more independent.

They will be able to take part in Residential trips where they will learn life skills as well as being able to do some exciting activities. In years 10 and 11 they will get the chance to do work experience, which will also help them prepare to become more independent.

In each class we have up to 8 students with a Teacher and up to two Teaching Assistants. Therefore the teacher is able to ensure that each subject is taught at the level of each individual student and in a way that engages them.  We also have a wide range of vocational subjects, as well as our academic subjects, ensuring that all students find areas that they can excel in.

All work taught will be differentiated according to the pupil’s needs. Due to the small size of the classes and the number of adults available to support the pupils, they receive a high level of support in class. We can also support through 1:1 sessions, when required. We use base line tests to make sure we are pitching work at the correct level and teachers are continually assessing pupil’s progress throughout the year. The staff will set achievable outcomes for the pupils across the curriculum.

Through close working with our Occupational Therapists (OT) and Speech and Language Therapists (SALT) we are able to provide support through therapeutic interventions which will also enable staff to deliver lessons in a way that all pupils can access.

If a student particularly struggles with a certain part of the curriculum, or is interested in a subject that we don’t cover, then we will look into an alternative timetable to meet their individual needs. This may involve doing one day a week at a local provider like Trax or Horsewyse or accessing a subject at Meadowbrook College, who we have links with so that our students can access courses that we don’t currently offer.

All staff at Chilworth House Upper School receive training to meet the needs of the pupil population at any given time. The Witherslack Group, of whom the School is a part, provide a comprehensive induction programme for all new staff, which includes specific training which is tailored to support their role.  Further training is able to be requested or identified through the staff development review process.  Staff have a vast amount and variety of experience and are able to coach and mentor each other to deal with needs that have been experienced before. 

We provide training for our staff on a diverse range of specialisms including Autism, Pathological Demand Avoidance, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and attachment disorders, as well as drawing on the extensive experience of our staff team. We also provide training and support on behaviour management and de-escalation techniques.   We provide training on dyslexia and we are able to screen for both dyslexia and dyscalculia and provide support and interventions to help pupils with these needs.

We have a range of therapeutic expertise to draw upon. This includes our Educational Psychologist, who performs a range of assessments and works with the key staff around the child offering advice and support. Our Occupational Therapist will assess the sensory needs of the pupil and put into place sensory diets which will help the child in class and around school. Our Speech and Language Therapist will assess communication needs, putting programmes in place for support and advice to teachers in regards communication. For more psychological problems we have support and advice from our Mental Health Practitioner who is able to use play and art therapy to tackle complex issues such as bereavement and will be working closely with the Educational Psychologist to produce a package of support and advice for pupils and teachers.

We provide all equipment needed at school.  We also provide iPads and laptops for students who require them, as well as special pens and coloured paper to support those with dyslexia or fine motor skill difficulties.

We have the facilities to offer all exam access arrangements allowed by the JCQ. We frequently use readers and scribers for our students and also have separate rooms available for those who struggle to sit exams in rooms with lots of other students. 

The teachers will assess your child as they go from term to term. They will use baseline assessments and also track how they are doing in class. From this they will know what they have to do to help them make progress. They will make sure that your child knows how they are doing at all times and help them to understand what the next steps are for them to continue to make progress. When your child has done really well in a subject you will get a postcard sent home to you so that you can share in your child’s success.  You will also be invited to an annual review to discuss all aspects of their school life.  We will be tracking their academic progress a minimum of three times a year.

Since the development of the new Education Health Care Plans the focus is more on outcomes rather than targets.  These outcomes will be set during the annual reviews and broken down into achievable chunks so that they clearly demonstrate what the aims are for the child with regards to their academic, social, emotional and behavioural development. You will always be involved in the annual review, along with staff from school and also LA and health representatives will be invited.

You can contact the school at any time to discuss your child’s progress and you can also arrange a meeting at any time.  We also have parent evenings at least once a year where you will have the opportunity to meet all of the staff that are involved with your child’s education.  The Teaching Assistants or Form Tutor will make contact with you at least twice a week to keep you informed of how you child is doing and this may be done through a phone call, home school diary or an email, depending on what form of communication you prefer.  At the end of every term we send out a pupil report which gives an overview of how your child is doing with regards to their academic progress, attendance and there is input from pastoral care.

The Form Tutor or Class Teaching Assistants will make regular contact with you through a phone call, email or home school diary, depending on which you prefer, this will happen at least twice a week.  We also have a Family Liaison Officer who provides regular support to families and can offer home visits if needed.  The Pastoral Care Team is also available to talk to you if you have any concerns.

You can support your child’s learning by being involved in their school life. Regular communication with the school about things that you think may affect how they are in school is hugely beneficial and enables us as a school to ensure we can provide that additional support to them when they need it.  Attending meetings around your child and supporting your child with their homework will all help with your child’s learning.

As a school we put on regular parent events, these take place once a term and are free for all parents to attend and are also available to their friends or other parents whose children don’t attend the school. These involve getting in guest speakers to talk on specific topics, or workshops to provide parents with information and skills to further support their child.  If there are parents interested in learning more about a specific subject, then we will do our best to provide a parent event around it.

All of the pupils at Chilworth House Upper School have a keyworker allocated to them and will have regular keyworker sessions.  This is an opportunity to discuss how they feel about various aspects of their school and home life and to look at the progress that they are making.  Also the ‘pupils voice’ is gained prior to each annual review to again discuss with them how they are doing and highlight any areas they find difficult or would like more support with.  The pupils can also ask to speak to any member of staff at any time, regardless of if they are their keyworker or teaching assistant, and the staff will do whatever necessary to make sure this happens as soon as possible.

English - Edexcel ELC, Edexcel FS level 1/2, WJEC GCSE, 

Maths - Edexcel ELC, Edexcel FS level 1/2, Edexcel GCSE, 

Science - OCR ELC, OCR GCSE 21st Century Science, OCR ELC,  Additional Applied Science

Computing - Edexcel ELC, Edexcel FS level 1/2, Edexcel, Certificate in Digital Applications - GCSE level 1 and 2

Design Technology - OCR ELC, BTEC level 1 award and certificate in Engineering

Construction - BTEC Construction level 1/2

Food technology - Edexcel GCSE in Food Technology, Jamie Oliver Course

Art - AQA ELC Art, AQA GCSE Art and design.

Preparation for working life - AQA ELC Preparation for working life, AQA GCSE Preparation for working life

Uniform public services - ASDAN CoPE Award

PCSHE - ASDAN & COPE

Geography - Edexcel GCSE Geography 

History - Edexcel GCSE History

Music - Personal tuition available in enrichment time.

PE - BTEC Sport level 1/2

We do also offer a variety of courses through an external provider, Meadowbrook College.

The school is part of the Witherslack Group who believes in providing the highest standard of education and opportunities to their pupils. Therefore they continuously provide training to all of the staff and closely monitor each of the schools and the provision they are providing.  The teachers regularly meet to discuss development and improvement in teaching and learning.  Within the Witherslack Group, there are people who also support the schools to monitor, observe and provide advice and guidance.  Parents and pupils are also provided with questionnaires to complete so that they can share their views and have a say in how the school is run.

To support with your child’s health and well being we have a pastoral care team and your child will have access to regular key work sessions. The PSCHE curriculum tackles issues that will affect the pupils as they grow, develop and enter more into life outside school.

There is regular communication between home and school through the home/school liaison officer. The pupils are encouraged to be active and sociable at break times and all have access to a varied PE and outdoor education curriculum.

Pupils are offered healthy options for breakfast and lunch, and are provided with water throughout the day, promoting a healthy lifestyle. We have a very effective rewards and sanctions system, which encourages pupils to make positive choices and engage with their education programme. Daily communication, in the form of telephone calls, between staff and parents/carers ensures behaviour and personal needs are reviewed regularly to meet the needs of pupils.

We have an excellent rewards and sanctions system which all of the students really buy into, which is further supported with our Vivo Points.  The pupils get points per lesson for behaviour and for learning and these points are accumulated throughout the week and decipher what status the pupil will be on at the end of the week and therefore what activities they can choose from during enrichment time on a Friday afternoon .  Blue means they have to catch up on work, Bronze is an onsite activity like football, cooking and computers.  Silver and Gold are offsite activities like bowling, golf, archery and fishing.

We have a pastoral care team on site who manage all medication.  Also all of our staff are trained in First Aid and with how to manage epilepsy and diabetes and this training is refreshed every year.

Any medication is administered by the pastoral care team, who are all medication trained. All medication is securely stored and clearly recorded when administered. 

Our students are all independent and do not need support with personal care.  If a student needed extra support with changing for PE due to mobility difficulties, then a member of the pastoral care team or a teaching assistant would be available to provide this support.

We have an in house team of therapists and so are able to provide a lot of our services on a daily, if not weekly, basis to the students. We also have rooms available for CAMHS, Social Workers or other professionals to come in and complete work with pupils, as and when needed.  We have a range of contacts depending on the local authority the child resides in, who are able to provide specialist support as and when needed.

We have a range of therapeutic expertise to draw upon. This includes our Educational Psychologist, who performs a range of assessments and works with the key staff around the child offering advice and support. Our Occupational Therapist will assess the sensory needs of the pupil and put into place sensory diets which will help the child in class and around school. Our Speech and Language Therapist will assess communication needs, putting programmes in place for support and advice to teachers in regards to communication. For more psychological problems we have support and advice from our Mental Health Practitioner who is able to use play and art therapy to tackle complex issues such as bereavement and they will be working closely with the educational psychologist to produce a package of support and advice for pupils and teachers. 

As Chilworth House Upper School is already well equipped to cater for providing high levels of staff support and supervision with the small classes, the majority of pupils’ needs are met through the delivery of a highly differentiated, individualised curriculum. Any additional support, in the form of 1:1 intervention programmes for literacy, numeracy, dyslexia, speech and language etc. will be decided upon through the regular and thorough assessments made. You will be fully informed of the type and level of support your child receives, and will be involved in agreeing any additional support deemed necessary to meet your child’s needs.  If you have any concerns regarding your child and think that they need additional support from one of these services, you can contact the SENCo to discuss this further.

All pupils are provided with small class sizes of up to 8 maximum, with one teacher and at least one teaching assistant. Your child also has the support, as and when necessary, of pastoral care members of staff who are available to help them with any social, behavioural or emotional difficulties. The support of the therapy team is provided as and when assessment indicates this is required, for example, a pupil may receive two 1:1 Speech and Language Therapy sessions per week and one group session focussing on social skills. The progress and attainment of all children is tracked and resources are allocated according to need, for example, should your child require additional 1:1 support to accelerate progress in literacy, this will be identified through the tracking system and the support will be provided accordingly. We also have 4 HLTA’s based in school on full-time basis to provide individual interventions across a range of curriculum areas with particular focus on Literacy and Numeracy in addition to supporting therapeutic work such as OT work or Anger Management sessions. 

If you have any concerns regarding your child and think that they need additional support from one of these services, you can contact the SENCo to discuss this further. 

Our Pastoral Care Team and our Family Liaison Officer have all developed close working relationships with Children’s Social Care.  They have all attended the specialist safeguarding training and the Head of Care or Family Liaison Officer will attend all social care meetings with regards to a pupil in the school to ensure the appropriate support is provided to the child and family.

We provide training for our staff on a diverse range of specialisms including Autism, Pathological Demand Avoidance, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and attachment disorders, as well as drawing on the extensive experience of our staff team. We also provide training and support on behaviour management and de-escalation techniques. We provide training on dyslexia and we are able to screen for both dyslexia and dyscalculia and provide support and interventions to help pupils with these needs.

As with teaching staff, we provide training for our staff on a diverse range of specialisms including Autism, Pathological Demand Avoidance, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and attachment disorders, as well as drawing on the extensive experience of our staff team. We also provide training and support on behaviour management and de-escalation techniques.   We provide training on dyslexia and we are able to screen for both dyslexia and dyscalculia and provide support and interventions to help pupils with these needs.

The teaching staff having a range of teaching qualifications and the support staff have a variety of qualifications and degrees in a range of subjects.

All of our staff have done the NAS training on ‘Understanding Autism’ and ‘Autism and Communication’ and they have also had PDA Training (Understanding what PDA is and how it effects young people), provided by Warwickshire Autism Support.  They have also completed Radicalisation and Child Sexual Exploitation courses.  Our HLTA’s have a range of qualifications between them that cover literacy, numeracy and dyslexia

All of our staff undertake extensive in house training throughout the year on understanding and managing behaviour and we have clear reward and consequence systems in place to support with this.  We have an in-house Occupational Therapist who provides child specific training to all relevant staff following any assessment.

As above 

We regularly have school trips as part our Outdoor Education program and also Forest Schools.  Also the activities during enrichment time are frequently offsite.  We also organise residential trips once a year.  All of our pupils are included in our class trips out and that is built into our curriculum.  Some of the other trips, for example, to football matches or residential trips, will be dependent on the child’s behaviour as these are done as reward trips.  Everything will be done to support the pupils to enable them to achieve going on these trips.  However, if they don’t manage to go on a trip one week, then they have the added incentive to go the following week.  This is why our enrichment time happens every week, and every week is a clean slate for the pupils.

Due to the abilities of the pupils who attend Chilworth, additional support is not necessarily required.  Parents will always be contacted and permission sought if it is a residential trip, but otherwise trips are part of the curriculum.

We do not have any students who have mobility problems currently accessing the school.  We are able to offer downstairs classrooms and always work to consider the individual needs of every pupil.

We do not have any students with severe auditory or visual impairments.  However, we provide enlarged print to support students with visual impairments and ensure we consider and support students if they have an auditory impairment.

We have disabled toilets on both sites and changing facilities on both sites, although the main site changing facilities are not accessible for wheel chair users at present. 

We have a referral process to ensure that we can meet the needs of every child that is accepted at the school and therefore every lesson and activity within the school has to be accessible for that student.  We are a specialist provision that caters for students with social, emotional and communication difficulties, and therefore we make sure that we have the high staffing level to ensure all of the pupils needs can be met.  If a student needs 1:1 support in a particular subject or an individualised timetable to better suit their needs, then we are able to put this in place for them.

We use a variety of ways to communicate with out parents; though phone calls, letters, emails and parent mail.  For a parent who has reading difficulties, we will ring them to discuss things over the phone or in person. We send out letters in large print for parents who are visually impaired and can support parents during meetings, as and when needed.

For those parents whose first language is not English, we can arrange for letters to be translated into their native language and they are always welcome to bring along someone to support them with translating what is being said in meetings. 

Before a child starts at Chilworth House Upper School we will have received all of their referral papers.  You and your child will also be offered a school visit where they will be given a tour of the school and have the opportunity to ask any questions, and to meet with the Head Teacher. After this the Family Liaison Officer will come and visit you at home where they will go over any paperwork with you.  This is also an opportunity for you to ask any questions and for you to let us know about anything you think would help us to further understand and support your child.  A transition timetable can be developed to gradually introduce your child to the school if this is thought to be more beneficial for them, enabling them to get used to the place and not feel overwhelmed.

We always try our hardest to keep at least one of the Teaching Assistants from the previous year with the class to help this transition.  This enables them to move up a year but have some consistency and be with someone who knows them well and they trust.  The Teaching Assistants also spends all day with their class and therefore move from lesson to lesson, helping this transition.

When your child has their annual review in Year 10 we start work on a transition plan which will help them make plans about whether they want to go on to college or a work based apprenticeship. We work closely with the local authority and new college placement to make this transition as smooth as possible through supporting the students to attend taster days at College and through completing work experience placements and ‘preparation for working life’ lessons. We work in close partnership with the relevant individuals within the new settings to ensure that the college/workplace is fully aware of the support your child needs to achieve a positive outcome to their new placement. 

We also offer a Post 16 provision for a select few Young People who need further support to enable them to be emotionally, socially or mentally ready to take that next step to Further Education or an Apprenticeship.  For these few that stay they are each gievn a bespoke, individualised timetable specifically to suit their needs to support them to get to where they want to be.

Your child’s transition to the school will be supported by the home/school liaison officer, who will initially be your first point of contact. She works closely with the SENCO and pastoral care team to make sure we can provide for your child’s educational and social needs. Necessary information will then be passed on to the teaching and support staff. You will be able to visit the school with your child before they start and we will come and visit you at home.

Following admission to Chilworth there is excellent pastoral support offered to pupils who may be struggling to express their anxieties or emotions, in the form of our Pastoral Care Team, who are based outside of the classroom and are dedicated to ensuring that our pupils feel safe, settled, calm and ready to learn.

We support pupils who are moving on to A new school and/or College settings by providing transition opportunities in their new settings, ranging from open days, to taster afternoons to graduated transition programmes over a period of 6 weeks, building up length and frequency of visits. The level of transition is always dependant on the pupil’s individual needs and how much/little support is required for their move to be successful. The transition plan is drawn up in partnership with you, your child, the new setting and the specialist staff working with your child, to ensure that they enjoy a smooth transition.

Before your child starts at the school, referral papers will have been sent through which will include their Statement or EHCP, Annual Review, CAMHS and Educational Psychologist reports, etc.  Then following a successful school visit the Family Liaison Officer will come and do a home visit where they will be able to answer any questions you may have.  This is also an excellent time for them to gain more information about your child, their likes and dislikes, their triggers and things that help them in times of crisis or distress.  The Family Liaison Officer will then compile a brief report for all staff involved with your child so that they have some understanding of them and how to help them before they even walk through the door.

We will start your child thinking about work with their key work sessions and will help them to plan where they want to go and how they will get there, concentrating on the subjects that will help them to achieve their goal. In Year 10 and 11 they will have the chance to take part in work experience which will give them more of an idea what they want to focus on.

All of school life at Chilworth is preparing them for their future in work; expectations on uniform, behaviour and work are all aiming to get them ready for work. Our reward system, earning Vivo points for behaviour and learning also prepares them for work and life after school.

You can contact your child’s form tutor or teaching assistant to discuss your child. Alternatively you can contact the Family Liaison Officer at any time to discuss any concerns you may have.  They will be able to address any concerns you may have and also pass things on to the relevant staff.

You can always talk to your child’s key worker or a member of the Pastoral Care Team to address any concerns you may have about your child’s interactions with their peers.

The Family Liaison Officer is there to provide support to families. She will support families who may be having behavioural difficulties at home, problems around attendance or any other concerns.  If she cannot provide the necessary support herself, then she will refer you to the appropriate service for someone who can.

The Family Liaison Officer is there to signpost parents to other agencies for support. She develops great relationships with other agencies across all local authorities so knows what is available in your area.  She may meet with you to discuss what help you would like and may complete a CAF with you to ensure that this is then referred to the appropriate services.

We have a clear complaints procedure where parent and carers can contact the Family Liaison Officer, Head Teacher or even the Witherslack Group if they are unhappy with something that has happened.  Complaints will always be taken seriously and addressed accordingly.

Positive feedback can again be shared in the same way and those informed will make sure that the appropriate staff are informed, as it is always great to hear.