What our School is like

Specialist environments

We are able to offer a range of different class sizes, peer groups and environments, which enables us to provide the right specialist surroundings to meet a very wide range of individual pupil's needs.

Small classes, strong staffing

We have very small classes, with strong staffing support. The largest class will have 5 pupils, typically supported by 2-4 staff. But some classes may be smaller than this, where this will better meet the children’s complex needs. Where a child is unable (for whatever reason) to learn when alongside other pupils, we can in principle provide a dedicated personal classroom where this is appropriate, when one is available.

National Curriculum, child-centred

We follow the National Curriculum, but it is child centred. This means that we tailor the curriculum, according to the needs of each individual pupil. Our staff teams are led by highly experienced teachers of children with complex needs.

Therapeutic atmosphere

Maypole school is naturally a therapeutic community, due to the warmth of the staff and our nurturing approach; and activities such as horse riding can also be highly therapeutic in their own right.

Therapy that is integrated into the curriculum

In addition to this naturally therapeutic environment, we will also have a strong team of professional therapists, to provide formal therapy programmes to meet individual pupil needs, where appropriate. Our therapists will also provide training for each child's staff team, wherever appropriate, which enables our therapy programmes to be fully integrated into each child’s school day.

"This is a nurturing school where the high aspirations of staff go hand-in-hand with an understanding that learning only happens when pupils are ready. Consequently pupils enjoy their time here … and become successful learners again."