A community day special school for 110 pupils aged 7-16 years with moderate learning difficulties and additional needs.
This school subscribes to the beliefs set out in ‘Every Child Matters’ that children and young people have a right to:
Our plans and actions seek to contribute to securing these things.
The School is temporarily located at Rossington until its new building is ready to occupy in January 2009. The permanent location of the new school shares a site with a local secondary school, Ridgewood School, Specialists in Engineering and Related Technologies (1300 pupils aged 11 to 16 years), in the centre of a popular residential development, approximately 4 miles to the north of Doncaster town centre and 1 mile from the A1(M). The School is a brand new purpose built, mostly single storey, development.
The Location Plan is available to download below:
The new school is built in a ‘T’ shape with separate wings for primary and secondary and with halls and kitchen facilities taking up the other wing.
The school will provide 11/12 class bases with numerous small withdrawal/teaching rooms and specialist curriculum facilities for technology, food technology, science, art and ICT. The design benefits from two inter-connecting halls providing a smaller space for music or similar activity and dining and a larger hall for assembly and games. A kitchen will be attached for the production of the school’s own meals.
The staff and meeting room facilities are located on a second storey over the generous entrance and will be accessible by stairs and a person lift. The facilities include a separate staff room, toilets and staff work room, administration, mentor room, outreach base and meeting room. Space is provided within the entrance for a Headteacher’s office, reception, medical/therapy room and a parents’ room.
The primary and secondary wings have their own secure outside hard and soft play space with appropriate shading and play equipment. Each outside area will have an outside classroom space and an area for the development of a wildlife/environmental/kitchen garden.
The Proposed Floor Plan is available to download below:
Stone Hill is a school for 110 pupils aged between 7+ years (NC Year 3) and 15+years(NC Year 11). There are expected to be more secondary than primary pupils on roll.
The range of special educational needs at Stone Hill will be wide. Pupils amongst the younger age group, may demonstrate performance below level one of the national curriculum (usually above P6 in most curriculum areas) while there is an expectation that, for the most able students, outcomes of the equivalent of five GCSE passes will be attained.
Some will be independent learners who require a well-pitched curriculum provided at an appropriate pace in an environment where support is easily available. Some will require very carefully prepared and rigorously supervised programme's so that they can make good progress in their learning.
Some pupils will have medically diagnosed conditions that have an effect on their learning, including autism or related communication difficulties. There will also be pupils who, because of a complexity of needs, require support that is additional to and different from that which can be provided in everyday mainstream settings so that they can make good progress with learning.
In these respects the school is of similar constitution to its partner school in Conisbrough, Pennine View School.
Pupils will have a combination of some or all of:
The National Curriculum is adapted through programmes of study and the organisation of groups so that it can be taught throughout the school with full account taken of the flexibility available in The Orders and an emphasis on progress.
So that different levels and learning needs can be accommodated, the school works in partnership with a range of other professionals and promote a strong internal continuing Professional Learning Programme for its own staff.
A very high value is placed on Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education (PSHCE). Wherever possible, teachers form alliances with other schools to keep formal and informal links with colleagues who are engaged in curriculum development work.
For older students, the school works extensively with parents and carers, careers officers (Connexions), colleges and workplace providers to develop and deliver courses appropriate to the needs of an individual and support the transition into a working or further education environment. Wherever possible, achievement is accredited both to celebrate the progress of the pupils and to provide concrete evidence of that progress for the student’s future.
The development of expertise makes the school a suitable resource for the whole Borough. Staff from other schools and services are able to draw on knowledge and understanding of practical techniques to improve communication and social skills, and to overcome specific learning difficulties with pupils.
The programmes provided by the school are designed to promote independence in life and in learning and so be similar to those of mainstream schools, anticipating partnership and exchange with those schools.
The work of the school overlaps and links with the provision made in other special schools, pupil referral units, mainstream schools and by other educational providers such as colleges and training organisations so that appropriate sharing and transition planning is effective.
The school works with the Additional Resourced Centre in a local mainstream school. It will share skills in providing programmes for those with communication and Autistic Spectrum difficulties with Coppice School and act as a focus for training and development in this area alongside the service provided for mainstream pupils by Children’s Services. It also acts as a source of support for mainstream schools in responding to pupils with reading and numeracy difficulties associated with specific learning needs.
The school uses ICT effectively for pupils with this level of needs. It has good computer equipment, and teachers use Information and Communication Technology to prepare and deliver teaching programmes in all areas of the curriculum. There is a distinct ICT curriculum structure that promotes skills in using information technology. This will be extended to include familiarity with on-line assessment procedures where appropriate.
In meeting the aim of developing the independence of pupils, the school works through its curriculum and links so that at the earliest possible opportunity pupils are provided with the chance to understand and take part in experience of work.
Enterprise activities are encouraged and each pupil provided with experience of work towards the end of their school life. In some cases this will be extended, and in others it will be subject to high levels of supervision and structure.
The school holds a range of resources, both conventional and digital and available for loan that can support parents and families as they contribute to the learning of their children. Resources will also be available for other schools to borrow and evaluate in their own settings.
The school acts as a resource for other schools. The nature of support will normally be through outreach work and consultation. For example, where the school has staff skilled in the development of language, speaking and listening, this will be offered as a resource for training and the generation of solutions to teaching and learning needs in neighbouring mainstream schools.
The outreach function(s) of the school will be operated on a Partnership Agreement between the Local Authority and the school on behalf of other Doncaster schools. The Agreement will establish clear referral routes, detail delivery expectations and establish robust success criteria.
