Aurora Meldreth Manor School has achieved the Inclusive School Award with Centre of Excellence Status.
Total Communication School
Aurora Meldreth Manor School is an independent Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision for children with profound physical needs and learning difficulties aged 6-19 years of age. The school has 38 mixed gender students and caters for students from the Aurora Meldreth Manor Children’s Home (61%) and day students (39%). Disabilities range from Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), global development delay, visual impairments, epilepsy and students with severe physical needs requiring specialist support from physiotherapy and nursing input.
Several of the students are English as an Additional Language (EAL), nonverbal and developing communication and language skills. As a result, the school is a total communication school.
There is an emphasis on preparing children and students for life after school where they are expected to become as independent as possible with the desire to contribute fully to the wider community in which they live.
Students are offered a wide range of educational experiences both within and beyond the classroom. The school’s aim is to provide a fully inclusive curriculum that gives learners the opportunity to achieve their full potential by engineering a curriculum that best meets each learner’s diverse needs. Students access a broad and balanced education, based on the realities of modern life and delivered in a personalised learning environment.
Outdoor Learning is Essential
Outdoor learning is essential to the success of the school as many of the learners can focus and self-regulate outdoors. The school continues to develop outdoor areas including sensory planting, a musical garden, disability friendly play equipment and Forest School.
The school currently has 9 classes with the maximum of 6 students in a class. Due to the profound needs of the students they all have either 1-to-1 or 2-to-1 support from an adult, TA or care worker throughout the day.
Other school facilities include a hydrotherapy pool, rebound facilities, two sensory rooms, vehicles for community access weekly, integrated therapy rooms and spaces, food technology and a spiritual room. There are many specialist staff including physiotherapists, occupational and music therapists, and onsite nurses.
The class leaders and teaching assistants come from varied career backgrounds enabling the school to provide a varied curriculum including secondary, early years, speech therapy, higher education, and nursery. The IQM Lead and SENDCo play an important part in ensuring every effort is made to cater for the needs of every child and they go out of their way to ensure all agencies, teachers and support staff have the child’s needs uppermost in their minds. Consequently, the progress of the students is monitored closely. This rapport between staff was witnessed at the briefing meeting of staff at the beginning of the day when a brief roundup of residential students’ weekend wellbeing was approached in a very caring and positive way.
Robust Programme of Referral
Students are referred to the school for placements from several different counties and staff work with schools and families where children need specialist facilities or where students have been out of education for long periods of time. There is a robust programme of referral and assessment to ensure the school can provide a bespoke education and programme of care to every student.
All of the students have Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP), many have Looked After Children (LAC) needs and social worker support. Most pupils have had a poor educational experience, often disjointed and sometimes traumatic and/or very isolating. Some pupils have not attended school regularly for a number of years before they join. As a result, staff need to understand the barriers both academically and emotionally to accessing education and find the levers to make progress. Decisions are made about a pupil’s academic programme according to their ability, needs and mental health.
The school has a ‘person centred approach’ recognising that all students are different. Strategies for support and learning are developed around putting students’ needs first and learning from incidents and events with no exclusions where possible. Staff are encouraged to take calculated and planned risks to enable all students to have new experiences and access to the community. Every moment is considered a learning moment with the provision of opportunities to experience learning in different ways preferred to the individual.
In November 2021 the school was graded ‘Good’ by Ofsted. Ofsted reported that the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management and 6th-form provision were all graded good. The school also meets the independent school standards.
Purposeful Learning Environment
The behaviour and attitude of the children in both formal and informal settings is calm, a purposeful learning environment encourages that level of behaviour by the children. The indoor and outdoor learning environments are spacious, offering children opportunities to develop aspects of sport, sustainability and learning through play. Music in some rooms adds to the calm atmosphere. These environments are important and supplement the focus on the mental health and wellbeing of staff and pupils and the understanding that high quality learning experiences support pupil development. Staff and pupil wellbeing is regularly addressed.
Support staff feel totally included in the life of the school. The Teaching Assistants say, “It is like making a suit for the students to ensure it fits”. They also talk of a “collective consciousness” which gives everyone added support in their work. “We are like a family,” added one Teaching Assistant. “There is a bridge of trust between us.” The assemblies on Feel Good Friday celebrate WOW moments for staff and students alike.
They spoke of an IN–Service Training (INSET) day which was “group building” and addressed wellbeing issues and collective support. Another Teaching Assistant said, “This is the most supportive place I’ve ever worked!” The friendly face at the school reception provides parents with the confidence to approach the school with their concerns either face to face or by phone. She is an important first line of contact for parents who may have an issue they need to discuss. Parents understand the expectations of behaviour and the inclusive ethos of the school and recognise the improvements made over the recent years. They understand the high expectations of all staff to ensure children have a positive learning experience.
Aurora Meldreth Manor School is a particularly outstanding example of a school committed to meet the needs of its pupils and is outstanding in its commitment to and implementation of inclusive practice. All staff have an enthusiasm and passion for their part in the learning and lives of the pupils at the school. They provide an outstanding, caring environment for pupils where high expectations have a huge impact on their progress and wellbeing.
Find out more about the IQM Inclusive School Award
If your school is interested in obtaining the IQM Inclusive School Award or you wish to talk to a member of the IQM team please telephone:
028 7127 7857 (9.00 am to 5.00 pm)
or email: [email protected] for further details.
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