St Catherine
Special needs catered for
St Catherine’s is a residential and day special school that combines education and care with speech and language therapy and occupational therapy for learners with speech, language and communication needs, as well as those with associated conditions such as autistic spectrum conditions, dyslexia and dyspraxia aged between 7 and 19.
The curriculum
At St Catherine’s we believe the integration of speech and language therapy in the curriculum offers the best learning environment for our children and young people. Education is based on the modified National Curriculum and the individual needs of each learner as detailed in their Statement of Special Educational Needs/Education Health and Care Plans. Our classes are small and taught within Key Stages suited to the needs of the learners. Each class is assigned a trained and experienced teacher and a speech and language therapist. In addition to this expertise, classes have learning support assistants and occupational therapists as appropriate.
From age 14 we offer a range of work-related experiences including accredited courses at our dedicated vocational training unit, work experience placements and taster courses at the Isle of Wight College to prepare our students for life beyond special school.
Post 16 provision
The aim of our Sixth Form Centre is to prepare and support young people aged 16 to 19 years for the next phase in life. The Centre offers an integrated educational programme which blends vocational and academic courses, speech and language therapy and independent living skills within a residential setting.
A flexible combination of nationally-accredited courses provides the framework for the delivery of a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum which is individually tailored to meet each learner’s specific needs. Courses that young people can follow include GCSEs, ASDAN, BTECs, Functional Skills English and Mathematics (Level 1 and 2).
Support services provided
Speech, language and communication needs encompass a spectrum of challenges and impact individuals in different ways. Moreover, our children and young people may have difficulties that extend beyond primary speech, language and communication needs. No two children and young people are the same and our comprehensive medical and support services reflect this. The therapy team is an integral part of life at St Catherine’s. The team includes speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants.Our medical team work very closely with the care, teaching and therapy teams. We have a nurse within the St Catherine’s centre and our medical officer is a local GP. The services of a local dentist, optician, physiotherapist, Child and Adult psychotherapist and CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service) are available. Out of school hours are supported by a skilled and dedicated care team. We aim to provide a home from home experience for our residential students, with each student having their own individual bedroom and being supported to keep in touch with home and to work on independence and personal self confidence. Each learner has a Keyworker to help develop these skills.
Our Island location supports the development of students in a number of ways. We offer a range of activities that are in easy reach of our site; we are actively involved in the local community; and the Isle of Wight provides a ‘real life’ setting for practising essential life skills such as independent travel on various forms of transport. We also offer a comprehensive escorted travel service.
Aims and philosophy
We aim to provide very high quality education, therapy and care that enables each young person to make a meaningful contribution to society. We believe that this can only be achieved through a truly multi-professional approach which caters for the individual needs of each learner. Our recent Ofsted report reflects this: "Staff work closely and collaboratively with other professionals - internally and externally. There is a holistic approach with students at the centre of practice". Ofsted 2015.
At St Catherine’s we strongly believe that, ‘All children and young people with communication needs can - and will - fulfil their potential in life.’
View the 2018/2019 prospectus
Brochure downloads
 |
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|