Autism Wessex Portfield School Prospectus

Prospectus Empower | Develop | Achieve

www.portfieldschool.org.uk

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“ While our initial view of the school was very positive, we totally underestimated the ability of the staff to transform our child’s life.” (Parent)

Contents Welcome

Introducing Portfield

Resources

Facilities at Portfield Staff at Portfield

Learning at Portfield The Curriculum Beyond the Curriculum

Living at Portfield Flexible Boarding

Parents and Carers Communication

Joining Us

Referral / Admissions Process

4–5 6–7 8–9 10 – 11 12 – 13 14 – 15 16 – 17 18 – 19

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Our mission is to support the education and personal development of each of our students and ensure that they can be active citizens enjoying maximum independence and a good quality of life

Welcome

Introducing Portfield School Welcome to Portfield School – a happy, innovative and calm educational environment for children aged between 3 and 19 who have a diagnosis of autism and associated learning and developmental difficulties. Supporting up to 70 pupils, Portfield offers daily education and flexible boarding for up to 52 weeks per year. We are committed to providing a personalised, caring approach alongside the highest standards of learning and development.

Portfield School was founded in 1971 and is a non-maintained special school located near Christchurch in Dorset. It is administered by the charity, Autism Wessex, formerly The Wessex Autistic Society.

With a focus on developing skills and strategies for life and using recognised and effective approaches, the school provides education and care specifically tailored to suit each individual student’s strengths and needs.

We work best when there is trust, honesty and openness between all staff, pupils, parents and professionals. By working in such close partnership,

we can offer parents and carers emotional and practical support where required and achieve the best possible outcomes for all of our students.

This prospectus offers an insight into the specialist care and education that we offer at Portfield School. You are welcome to contact us regarding any further information that you require and we are always happy to answer any questions or address any queries that you may have. We also encourage you to book a visit to Portfield School to gain an understanding of how the school operates, tour our facilities and meet some of our many talented faculty staff and team members.

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Portfield boasts an expert support team and a wide array of specially tailored resources and facilities

Resources

Facilities at Portfield School Colourful, airy, calm and very well resourced, Portfield School’s purpose-built design enables students to feel safe and comfortable.

Specialist learning aids and equipment help regulate sensory needs, while education is aided through communication books, devices, computers and interactive whiteboards. Within the main school, the curriculum is delivered in a variety of settings and specialist rooms.

On site, there are four purpose-built residential homes for our boarders, while the school grounds include gardens tended by the students, an adventure play area and a tarmac road for bikes and scooters complete with a working pedestrian crossing. There is a fenced grassed area for football and other games.

The school’s Life Skills department, which caters for up to sixteen students aged 16 –19, is located in Christchurch approximately five miles away from the main school. Four of these students live in our fifth residential house, which is situated in the town, while others may live in one of our growing number of adult homes in the area.

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Sensory room Food technology room Therapy pool Communication therapy room Library Information technology suite Science lab

In recent inspections Ofsted described Portfield as a caring, nurturing and, most notably, a ‘happy school’

Resources

Staff at Portfield School Our staff members are our greatest asset. With professional support and guidance their skills and effectiveness are continually enhanced. Highly trained and experts in their areas, all staff members also complete a specialist induction programme of recognised national standard.

Each classroom has a core team comprising of a teacher and three teaching assistants who, if the staffing needs require it, are supported by teams of residential support staff in the classroom.

The Specialist Support Team provides multi-disciplinary planning and support for students and staff. The team – made up of Speech and Language Therapists, Behaviour Specialists, Nurses and an Occupational Therapist – work in holistic and collaborative ways in order to promote the health, well-being and personal development of each of the young people at the school.

Good working links have been formed between the school and external organisations and services, for example, there is regular input from psychologists, psychiatrists, paediatricians, community nurses, dieticians, as well as proactive planning with social workers and special education officers.

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Literacy Numeracy ICT Learning skills Personal skills Vocational skills Leisure Citizenship Personal development Social development Functional skills

Learning at Portfield The Curriculum

Our curriculum is designed to ensure the learning that takes place at Portfield School is relevant, engaging and fun. It is shaped to provide a learning journey to best prepare pupils for the opportunities, experiences and responsibilities of adult life.

We place a strong emphasis on addressing each individual’s social and emotional needs. As a result, our staff members demonstrate exemplary practice in engaging students in their learning and can easily adapt to the sensory, social and emotional requirements and challenges of each individual student.

Primary Curriculum

The Primary Curriculum provides access to the National Curriculum through a thematic approach.

This allows for learning experiences to be more relevant and provides clear opportunities for students to generalise their learning. It also allows teachers to provide more active and exciting learning experiences beyond the walls of the classrooms. The Primary Curriculum has an emphasis on the development of the key skills of literacy, numeracy and ICT as well as a focus on personal and learning skills.

Secondary Curriculum

The Secondary Curriculum allows for greater personalisation. It provides a range of opportunities and experiences in areas of vocation, leisure and citizenship to allow the learners to make informed choices about their future. Schemes of work provide coverage of the National Curriculum but focus on the areas of foundation learning, including vocational and subject learning; personal and social development; and functional skills. Attainment is nationally accredited and certificated by AQA, ASDAN and Equals.

Life Skills

Life Skills is a full time post-16 curriculum, it allows for extensive tailoring with a planned focus on best equipping each individual for the opportunities, experiences and responsibilities of their adult life.

The Study Programmes allow for tailoring each individual’s curriculum around their aspirations and learning needs, focusing on the areas of continued education, vocation, personal health, leisure, relationships, recreation and active community inclusion. Learning takes place at the centre, in the community and in local colleges, as appropriate to each individual’s learning objective.

Assessment & Progression

Students’ progress is carefully assessed and tracked using P Levels, National Curriculum Levels and Milestones processes. We use these results to celebrate achievements and plan for the future, using ‘B Squared’ and we benchmark progress using the comparison and analysis software, ‘CASPA’.

We are committed to ensuring pupils are engaged in the assessment and planning processes – this then influences the way we both plan and teach, encouraging students to reflect on and identify achievements.

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“ Our daughter’s enrolment at Portfield School was the start of a new life for us.”

(Parent)

Learning at Portfield Beyond the Curriculum Enabling Learning

Our students have their own interests, strengths and learning styles, so we tailor our approach to suit each individual, supporting and equipping them with the tools, motivation and environment most appropriate to them.

Every student has an ‘Individual Learning Passport’ to describe the support and systems that promote their learning. This is created by both the student and their community of support – information, ideas and skills are collated by discussion, observation and planning with parents, key stakeholders, teachers and teaching assistants and our own specialist support team. Residential students also have the input of their care support team added to this process.

The ‘passport’ provides each individual with enabling strategies and systems across settings and different times of the day. We provide the staff with training to ensure these passports are a success for each student. This training includes: ‘total communication environments’; augmentative communication approaches such as PECS and Signalong; TEACCH; ABA approaches; positive behavioural support; intensive interaction; the Alert programme; sensory integration; alternative therapy; visual learning; social stories; and many more.

Opportunities and Experiences

We provide an exciting range of opportunities and experiences for students such as involvement in the school council, celebration days, talent shows, performances and plays. There is also a planned timetable of visitors to the school, such as the weekly visit from Smudge, a border cross collie who is loved by everyone who chooses to meet him. These help to promote greater community inclusion, provide an opportunity for students’ voices to be heard and allow them to help shape the school’s development.

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Residential students at Portfield are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms

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Living at Portfield School Flexible Boarding

There are four purpose-built boarding houses adjacent to the main school building and an additional residential boarding house for those attending our Life Skills department.

These houses provide safe, homely environments with a caring and supportive atmosphere and can accommodate up to 36 of our students in single bedrooms. Our flexible boarding options range from weekly through to between 38 and 52 weeks and we are able to arrange many other boarding combinations depending on the individual’s and family’s needs.

Outside of school hours, the welfare and continuing education of our students is organised by a team of residential support workers under the supervision of the residential services manager.

Support workers work with students in the classroom during the school day, thus ensuring the residential team and educational teams work closely together while employing a consistent approach across the whole curriculum. A team of waking night staff and sleep-in staff make sure our boarders are closely supported and actively cared for 24 hours a day.

Every student has an individual care plan and their own key worker, who liaises closely with parents and carers. Students may also have risk assessments and other individual plans, focusing on issues such as intimate care, behaviour, restrictive physical intervention, health, continence, sensory integration, and communication.

Parents are always very welcome to come and visit and share in the care of their child, and students are encouraged to keep in close touch by phone, letter, email, and in some cases, Skype.

Busy and Fun

Outside school hours, the focus is on self-help skills and independence. Life as a boarder is busy and fun, with regular leisure activities such as visits to the cinema, bowling alleys and theme parks. There are also more active pursuits arranged such as bike rides, walks in local country parks and visits to the beach and the New Forest among many others.

The Residential Environment

The boarding houses provide a caring and supportive atmosphere.

Each house has a shared living room, dining room, kitchen and spacious playroom. The bedrooms are single and private so that each student has their own space that they can personalise if they wish.

Bath, shower and toilet facilities are located near to the bedrooms.

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Phone calls School newsletter Social events Home / school book Face to face Parents’ evenings Home visits

Regular communication and close partnerships with parents and carers is essential

Parents and Carers Communication

Communication between home and school is regular, clear and informative and we always aim to respond as quickly as possible. We will communicate with you via: • P hone calls Parents and carers are encouraged to phone the school at any time to discuss issues or concerns.

• S chool newsletter Our termly newsletter provides all the latest news and updates about Portfield School.

• R egular informal social events These events enable parents and carers to meet both school staff and each other.

• H ome / school book Each pupil has their own home/school book for daily and weekly correspondence

• Face to face Parents and carers are welcome to make an appointment to visit the school and talk to staff about their child.

• Parents’ evenings We hold regular parents’ evenings each term to keep you up to date. There is also the Annual Review and residential meetings.

• Home visits We can visit the homes of students to provide support and guidance on issues such as difficult behaviour and communication systems.

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Is Portfield School right for your child? Contact us on 01202 573808 to arrange a guided tour of the school grounds and facilities

Joining Us

Referrals / Admissions Process We welcome all enquiries regarding prospective students and are happy to answer any queries you may have and to show you around our school so that you can ensure it meets your requirements.

Most Portfield School students have a statement of special educational needs and the majority are diagnosed as having autism. They may also have additional complex medical or mental health needs.

If you feel that Portfield School might be right for your child, you will need to discuss your preference for a place at the school with your local authority. If they then make a formal referral to us, we will promptly carry out a comprehensive assessment.

Our admissions panel will then consider the assessment’s findings carefully and decide on our ability to meet your child’s needs. We will also take into careful account the residential settings, the age of the student, any additional needs and whether we have an appropriate peer group at the time. If an offer of a placement is made, we will need agreement from the local authority that they are willing to supply funding.

If the place is accepted, we will then work with everyone involved to ensure a thorough and robust transition plan is implemented. This could include us writing social stories, visiting the student, sharing photographs, and arranging visits to the school.

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A31

Ferndown

48

Wimborne Minster

1

B3

07

3

A338

Merley

A3

A3

A31

A3

41

Parley A341

3

A3049

8 A

Burton

A35

A304

9

A3

47

5

A3

Branksome

A35

0

3

49

Moordown

07

A3

47

06

B3

A3

33

A349

47

A30 5

Hurn

B307

A3

Broadstone

A3

Bournemouth Airport

Christchurch

Southbourne

Bournemouth

Poole Canford Cliffs

Get in touch

Our services

Portfield School (part of Autism Wessex)

Autism Wessex (Information, Advice and Support Services)

T 01202 573808 E enquiries@portfieldschool.org.uk W www.portfieldschool.org.uk

Community Wessex (Social Care Services)

Parley Lane, Christchurch, Dorset BH23 6BP Registered Charity No. 1000792

Portfield School (Education, Respite and Residential Services) For further information on our services please visit www.autismwessex.org.uk