Paddock School

Paddock School is an environment that is dedicated to ensuring that pupils have the opportunity to thrive in a setting where they feel calm, secure and happy. We are proud to be a Level 2 UNICEF Rights Respecting School. We place the Rights of the Child at the heart of our school, along with our school vision 'To Nurture, Inspire and Transform Lives.' Our teachers have expert knowledge, and are committed to putting pupils first in everything they do.

Paddock School is a Wandsworth maintained special school for pupils aged 4 - 19 years old (Nursery to Year 14) with autistic spectrum disorders and moderate to severe learning difficulties and children with severe or complex learning difficulties at Little Paddock and Primary and severe learning difficulties and children with severe or complex learning difficulties at Secondary. Placements at this school are made by the Council's Special Needs Assessment Section, in consultation with the headteacher and parent(s) or carer(s).

Pupils are taught in classes of up to 9 pupils with a specialist teacher with usually 4 special school support assistants. The children follow a topic based curriculum which is modified to take account of their individual learning needs. Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders are taught in ASD specific classes, and the school is an ASD friendly environment. We used a structured teaching approach (TEACCH) (Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication handicapped Children) throughout the school.

The staff team includes a certified TEACCH practitioner, a qualified PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) implementer, a regional Makaton tutor, an Intensive Interaction specialist and trained PODD (Pragmatic Organisation Dynamic Display) teachers. All staff have regular training including training in ASD strategies. Speech and Language therapy is central to our teaching, and communication targets are set and monitored termly in conjunction with our Speech and Language Therapists who work regularly in the classrooms. The Post-16 Department at the secondary school, has a focus on functional Maths and English, with on and off site work experience. Paddock pupils work towards ASDAN accreditation.

The Occupational Therapist works alongside teachers to develop, implement and monitor programmes for children including Sensory Integration programmes and sensory diets.

Our school values came about as a result of consultation with pupils, staff and governors. The values sit perfectly alongside our Rights Respecting values and our school and class charters, based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Always Innovative

• Encourage creative thinking and new ideas.
• Reflect on our practice.
• Embrace change.
• Encourage better ways to achieve our goals.

Respect and Show Fairness To All

• Listen to others point of view.
• Affirm cultural diversity within the school community.
• Value all members of the school community.
• Acknowledge that all members of the community have rights and should show respect to one another.

The pupils are grouped according to age wherever possible, but other groupings can also be taken into consideration, depending on the needs of the children. Pupils with ASD are taught in autism specific classes. Each class has up to 9 pupils with one teacher and at least 4 support staff.
Pupils have access to secure outside areas for play, trampoline areas, cookery room, gardening area, an interactive sensory room, a soft play- room, an ICT suite and a hall.

Off-site provision includes: Lady Allen Adventure Playground, Putney swimming pool, visits to the local area (e.g. shops) and trips on the Fun Bus. Pupils may also take part in themed based outings and visits to use the facilities at the Secondary School site in Roehampton. When involving pupils in offsite trips the learning and sensory needs and level of enjoyment for each pupil is considered.

Children are taught National Curriculum subjects through a topic based approach, based on a rolling three year programme. Pupils have individual termly curriculum goals and they are also set targets on their IEPs which address their barriers to learning.

The Secondary School consists of 9 classes and each class has a class teacher and a support staff team. The classes are named after tube lines to reflect our location in London and our pupils' love of the transport system.

In the Key Stage 3 and 4 Departments, the students continue to work from individual programmes of identified learning targets, devised to meet their specific educational needs. Our Curriculum is topic based and taught through the six areas of the National Curriculum. Examples of our exciting topics are: Shopping, Around the World, The 20th Century, My Home Life and Let me Entertain You!

A modern foreign language (currently French) is introduced at Key Stage 3, for pupils for whom it is appropriate. Although the structure of the classes and organisation of the day is very different at Secondary level, strategies and teaching methods, which have been used successfully in the Primary Department, for example, PECS and TEACCH, will continue throughout the school.

Separate subject teaching is introduced for some of the classes in the Secondary Department. The students will stay in their classes for some sessions, including English and Maths sessions, Science and Personal, Social, Health Education and Citizenship (P.S.H.E.C.) For other subjects; Art & Design, Music, Drama and Physical Education (P.E.) the students are ability grouped. Some subjects will be taught weekly (P.E., Music and R.E.) and the others will be taught termly which will be explained in greater detail by individual timetables. Information and Communication Technology (I.C.T.) is taught as an integral part of all subjects and as a separate subject in ability Groups.