APTCOO Independent Special School

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Introduction

APTCOO offers an inclusive, safe and nurturing environment supporting learners with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) who have struggled to make progress in mainstream or special school settings. Our learners range in age from 5 through to 19 years old. Learners attending APTCOO will typically be experiencing significant barriers to learning because of their social and emotional needs. We have created an all-encompassing curriculum that reflects the SEND Code of Practice 2015 placing a high priority in building social and emotional aspects of learning (SEAL). The SEAL initiative aims to support children and young people to develop the personal and social skills of: 

 

• self-awareness 

• managing their feelings 

• motivation 

• empathy 

• social skills 

 

These interpersonal and intrapersonal skills have been shown to improve learning and promote emotional health and wellbeing, alongside a range of other benefits to pupils, families and schools. 

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Prior to coming to APTCOO it has been identified that learners have not been able to make progress in either mainstream or special schools and need the specialised nurturing environment that APTCOO provides. These are often children and young people at the highest level of need, who will have, or be in the process of an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP), statement of education need (or equivalent) and the involvement of a number of professions. 

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We offer a flexible and innovative curriculum into which all functional skills and essential elements of the National Curriculum are embedded.  This will be carefully differentiated with special consideration to age appropriateness, personal dignity and development level. Character education is at the heart of our education programme, we feel that acquiring positive character traits is associated with a range of positive life outcomes. The curriculum has a heavy focus on nurture and developing social and emotional aspects of learning (SEAL), developing learners’ confidence and communication skills and improving challenging behaviour. 

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Click here to read our February 2019 Ofsted Report 

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Click here to read our July 2023 Ofsted Report

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Click here to read our February 2024 Ofsted Report