Garston Manor is a Flagship School

June 30, 2026

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Garston Manor School is a special school for autism, learning difficulties and additional speech and language needs in Watford. The headteacher’s declaration “I am here to make life better for those who have been marginalised” encapsulates the sense of service and the dedication to inclusion in the school. Garston Manor has an ongoing commitment to making a lasting and positive impact on students’ lives.

Access for all equally

Garston Manor School has introduced a policy to give students identified as underserved learners full funding to participate in residential experiences. The school is committed to giving each student an experience of spending time away from home and out of the school environment regardless of the complexity of the child’s needs. This is a highly inclusive practice, with the school overcoming barriers such as additional staff responsibilities, training, and financial concerns to accomplish this goal. Staff meticulously prepare themselves (through planning and safeguarding) and the children, to maximise the benefit of the trips.

The Headteacher has accompanied staff to help with difficult circumstances such as monitoring children with epilepsy, which increased confidence and positivity. The staff have a strong commitment to enriching students’ cultural capital and life experiences and this is to be highly commended. It is greatly appreciated by children and parents.

The school has been invited to speak to other schools in the Hertfordshire area on eliminating economic exclusion. The success of these residential trips is credited to staff having such thorough knowledge of individual children’s needs. Staff and leaders will research and seek professional advice on rare conditions and work to make activities accessible even when this is dismissed as impossible. Some pupils have had particularly life changing experiences during these residential trips, such as seeing the sea for the first time. Students at Garston Manor report feeling listened to, known personally and supported, with feedback from teachers feeling helpful and never rude. Children describe feeling “changed” while attending Garston Manor rather than a mainstream school, and parents praise how the school recognises their child and consistently goes above and beyond to say yes to all needs and wishes.

Effective and inclusive behaviour policy

Garston Manor School admits pupils who have not thrived in previous school settings and believes that school is something all pupils are entitled to. Staff set consistent boundaries around behaviour and work to ultimately develop self-regulation. The school takes a holistic approach, considering gender, background, age, primary needs, and external times and factors which impact behaviour. The school has achieved zero permanent exclusions, an example of their good work and inclusive ethos.

Garston Manor is effective in managing complex behaviour because of an excellent transition programme, a close working relationship with the Local Authority and a practice of establishing the core reason for behaviour issues. Interventions are always informed by and involve parents, with the school aiming to achieve the best for the pupil. Child voice is placed at the centre of any investigation and often the child’s own thoughts are a key piece of information gathered and essential to constructing effective care and support systems.

Ongoing improvement

The school conducted an audit of their CPD provision using the CPD Audit from The Teacher Development Trust. They considered seven key areas in the context of CPD: culture, focus, needs analysis, internal support, expert knowledge, processes, and use of research and evidence. The outcome highlighted possible routes for continuing development in building culture and training in recent research, which was enthusiastically embraced. The senior leadership team has a passion for continuous learning and continually improving the school.

Garston Manor is dedicated to inclusion and we are proud to award Flagship status.