School Prospectus

School Registration number:334/6010

Contents

1-Introduction

2-School Aims

3-School Ethos

4-Admissions Policy

5-Spiritual,Moral,Social and Cultural Development

6-Discipline and Exclusion Policy

7-Education and Welfare Provision

8-Language and Communication

9-Education Policy

Access to Information

Policy Documents

1.Introduction

The Island Project School has been established as a specialist independent school designed to provide an appropriate education for children diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and associated communication deficits. It is founded on the principles of Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) with the pupils needs at the center of all planning.

2.School Aims

The school aims to teach children the knowledge and skills to give confidence that will enable them to reach their full potential and lead a more independent life.

The school aims to provide a safe learning environment and a learning experience that is communication focused andoffers stimulation and challenge.

The school aims to provide a breadth of curriculum opportunities to develop the individual child’s capabilities to the full.

The school aims to foster the ability to make relationships, to better communicate with a wide range of people and to encourage the ability to make personal choices.

The school aims to maintain and improve each child’s physical abilities and to develop their understanding and awareness of the world around them.

3.School Ethos

The Island Project School believes that:

Children diagnosed with autism can learn effectively if they are given appropriate structured programs, which address their deficits and build upon their strengths.

All children have the right to aspire to the highest standards attainable and that their achievements should be recognised and praised.

All children should be helped to take responsibility for their own lives and be enabled to live as independently as possible.

All children should be encouraged to make decisions and speak for themselves through any means of communication available to them.

All children, irrespective of their disabilities, have the right to participate in the community in which they live.

School should be a rewarding place of fun and learning where building good relationships and a sense of community is fostered. School should be a place where everyone is valued and has equal worth and where everyone is treated with respect and dignity. The team at The Island Project School do not discriminate on the basis of sex, age, race, ethnic origin or religion.

4.Admissions Policy

To be eligible for admission to The Island Project School pupils must have

· A primary diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder

· A Statement of Special Educational Needs

· An agreement from their LEA or other source to fund the placement

· Be of the appropriate age with the appropriate skills and behaviour profile to fill the available place.

Prospective parents will be given a child application and information sheet to complete. Pupils will receive a comprehensive assessment from the education team. If a child meets all the criteria and a place is available they can be admitted at any point during the academic year. An individual education plan (IEP) will be drawn up during the first four weeks of attendance.

5.Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Development

The Island Project School does not have any religious affiliations and will welcome children of all faiths and all ethnic groups. The entry criteria reflect the school’s focus and area of expertise and therefore only refer to a prospective pupil’s special education needs in relation to Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

The school willcreate an environment where pupils understand right and wrong and differentiate between acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. The school will promote an understanding of responsibilities to others and to society.  Careful preparation, communication focus and constant appropriate reinforcement to convey these concepts are fundamental as it can be difficult for some children to comprehend these areas of development. The education team will make use of a variety of media and means of communication to develop awareness of social and cultural practices; this will include visits to, libraries, cinemas, concerts, places of worship and historical sites.

Visits to any venue will be arranged with careful preparation and detailed consultation to ensure thatthe children can access the visit in a safe and appropriate manner. It is hoped these excursions will engender a sense of pleasure for the children and their families in accessing community activities safely and happily. There will be a ongoing effort to bring other appropriate groups and organisations into the school and to arrange joint activities wherever possible.

6.Discipline and Exclusion Policy

The Island Project School is a small school based on the principles of Applied Behaviour Analysis. The school curriculum is designed to address any challenging behaviours, which, often is a key element of Autistic Spectrum Disorder.

The emphasis will be to achieve good behaviour amongst all the pupils and develop their own ability to focus on learning. Encouraging and assisting pupils to communicate with tutors and their peers is a key element in the school’s program of education. The high ratio of staff to pupils and consistent approach to behavior is designed to ensure all members of the school are safe. A comprehensive behavior plan for each pupil will form a working document for staff and be updated daily as appropriate with information available to parents.

In the event of a pupil exhibiting behaviour which falls outside the behaviour plan or where there is an escalation of unusual challenging behaviour, the parents will be contacted to discuss any issues. This would be where the actions of the pupil disrupts the school, effects their education or that of the other children or where the staff and pupils are placed at risk of harm. The Senior ABA coordinator and manager will discuss the issues with the parents. The objective will be to identify any cause for challenging behaviour to establish unidentified problem areas. As part of this review process, if only all the strategies for addressing the difficulties have been exhausted and have not led to any positive change, parents will be asked to remove the pupil. Advice and possible outreach work will be offered to parents and referral to other professionals may be recommended.

7.Educational and Welfare Provision

All staff members will be qualified and trained in a wide range of areas and issues, which arise from the diagnosis of ASD. There will be continual staff development and ongoing training. The school intends to be at the forefront of knowledge in all topics, which have a bearing on improving the education and well being of pupils with autism. This will involve attendance at conferences, holding Seminars, using the Internet to access worldwide information and sharing our knowledge and expertise with other organisations.

Supervision and assessment in the school, together with the high pupil/staff ratio, will ensure that the development and progress of pupils will be under constant scrutiny. Consistent daily monitoring will allow any areas of concern or problems to be picked up immediately.

Parents will have access to appropriate staff members and to information about their child. Parents will be asked to contribute to regular discussions concerning their child. ABA methods require a high degree of consistency between school and home to ensure that skills are generalised. It is essential that parents are closely involved in their child’s programme and they contribute information from home to assist in target setting.

Staff will be first aid trained and there is a designated medical/sick room. Parents must provide contact details for emergencies and will be alerted immediately if a member of staff has any concerns about a pupil’s health. Parents will be asked to provide the school with a medical history for each child and keep the school informed of any concerns they have about their child’s health or well being.

8.Language and Communication

The school’s pupil group will be those children with a diagnosis of autism and  significant language and communication difficulties. All staff will be required to undertake Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) training and attend regular monitoring sessions. Improving language and communication will be a major focus of the school. It is recognised that the children within the school will have a very different level of language and communication ability. In accordance with the individual education plans there will be careful assessment and the development of communication strategies for each individual child.

High staff ratios mean that in 1:1 sessions new communication strategies can be implemented and new vocabulary can be introduced. In group work the differentiation of topics will include the pupils communication on an individual basis.

 

9.Education Policy

The Island Project School aims to address the key areas of the National Curriculum incorporating the Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills (ABLLS) and B squared assessment tools.

The school will employ a range of teaching strategies, ABA, PECS and as necessary speech and language therapy, sensory diets, occupational therapy etc.. Full use will be made of any appropriate interventions or techniques, to help individual children to communicate effectively, acquire knowledge, develop skills and access the curriculum. The stages the children can encompass may not necessarily correlate with the pupil’s age and they may have differing levels of ability within their profile across different subjects. Their individual curriculum planning will reflect this. Each curriculum plan and IEP will be defined by the school team with opportunities for input from the parents.

The staffing ratio of one to one and the space provided by the school building allows for the construction of highly specific programs of work to be tailored to the needs of each child. The aim is to build on the strengths of each individual child and address their deficits in the most effective manner. This continual monitoring will enable parents to receive regular feedback on the child’s progress and receive advice on maintaining consistency between school and home.

The core teaching method on a one to one ratio is designed ensure that pupils are working effectively and retaining the knowledge they acquire. It will in addition increase the opportunities for working in pairs and small groups. There will be whole school activities appropriately differentiated and specifically aimed at developing social interaction and the ability to cooperate with peers. There will be an emphasis in activities which develop each pupil’s ability to acquire information in a group situation and respond accordingly. These opportunities will be used to deliver aspects of the curriculum such as spiritual, moral, social and cultural development alongside general topic work in a way that is meaningful to children with social and communication disorders.

Every effort will be made to extend the pupil’s knowledge and understanding of the world in a way that is comprehensible to them. This is to be achieved by modifying the subject matter embodied in the National Curriculum and applying the various teaching strategies, which are proven to motivate and stimulate children with autism. All strategies will be supported by a full range of visual aids and prompts specifically designed to enable the pupil to structure their learning and perceive their own progress.

Full use is to be made of ICT to assist teaching and learning. The majority of teaching materials are to be made ‘in house’ discriminated to the specific needs of individual pupils. A full range of creative subjects will be available.

The school has building has been chosen to provide good space and facilities for physical activities both indoors and outside. The location in the heart of England is central to the geographical area, with excellent communication links. The convenient access to the local facilities and countryside, offers scope for outdoor work as well as access to a local and supportive community.

Access to information

Copies of all the school’s policy documents and supporting information will be available to parents on request. A list of policies is given below. Parents will be invited to view all information held on their child at any time. Arrangements should be made with the School Business Manager to access this information.