Description
Acorn Park School is Independent Secondary school in Not applicable for kids aged 6 to 19 (Gender - 6 to 19 )
Acorn Park is an independent, specialist day and residential service that caters for children and young people aged 5 – 19 years who have Autism and the communication and learning challenges associated with the condition. They are a fully integrated community made up of a range of professionals from different backgrounds, employed to meet the diverse needs of the young people and families that we support. They have a growing school that can currently accommodate up to 98 students. They recognise that our students have a vast range of academic and cognitive abilities along with very individual communication and learning styles and so they offer two distinct pathways within the school to meet those diverse needs.The Formal pathway offers a traditional learning route, based on the National Curriculum and leading to a range of formal qualifications. In the year 2020-21, for the fourth year running, we achieved a 100% pass rate for those students who took GCSE qualifications at Acorn Park with our highest student grade being a Grade 7 in Art. Students on this pathway are generally those who are assessed as operating within two years of age-related expectation. They offer a range of optional subjects to our Year 10 and 11 cohorts, which reflect the interests and talents of those particular cohorts which enables them to follow interests and gain qualifications to prepare them for the world of work.
Facilities
Curriculum
Acorn Park provides a broad, balanced, relevant and enhanced curriculum that is based on the requirements of the National Curriculum but modified where necessary and appropriate to meet the needs of individual students. To enable creativity and individuality to be promoted and celebrated classes are small and staffing levels are high.Within the school setting, we have two pathways. The Formal Pathway for students whose ability and attainment is average and above-average follows the National Curriculum from Key Stage 1 through to Key Stage 4. Students on this pathway are entered for GCSE examinations where this is appropriate. They also offer ASDAN, functional skills, foundation level, employability, work experience and community projects to support all the young people into adult life and progression into further education. The Semi-Formal pathway is based on the principles of the EQUALS curriculum which is outlined below. This is a highly personalised curriculum approach for the more complex students or those who may have significant developmental gaps to fill. It is broadly experiential in its nature as research into the way they learn is clear that we learn best by ‘doing’ as they train the bodies and minds to master skills and make sense of experiences. These students will also leave Acorn Park with appropriate qualifications and certifications.
Features
Things to note
Play
Play is a key part of learning for the students and provides an opportunity to build reciprocal play skills such as turn-taking, as well as supporting the development of motor skills and core strength. They are fortunate to have an indoor heated Sports Hall that is used all year round for games, sports and trampolining. They also have a Sensory Barn which students are particularly fond of. This comprises an enclosed large soft play area with interactive sound and music equipment and a large ball pool. Above all, the students enjoy having fun together.The students have access to an outdoor gym and a range of outdoor play equipment. The younger students have access to their own garden spaces and The exciting HMS Acorn ship-themed play area.
Therapeutic Support
They integrate the support offered by our therapy team into children’s classrooms, their homes and their communities to enable their communication and learning across every setting. Communication is fundamental to learning both in and out of the classroom and they place a high priority on developing the students’ communication skills.The Speech and Language therapists work alongside teaching and care staff, selecting activities that engage, motivate and focus the young person’s attention; a necessary skill for learning. They work in partnership with the teacher to develop programmes that are embedded in everything the student does and to monitor progress, refining the programmes as the student advances.
Extra Curricular
Please check the school website link for details.
4.77 miles
