Type of service: Assessment, Day schools, Nursery and pre-schools, Outreach - education, Schools

Website: http://www.dorothygoodman.co.uk

Dorothy Goodman is an area special school for pupils with a range of learning difficulties including profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD), severe learning disabilities (SLD) and moderate learning disabilities (MLD), including pupils with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Increasingly we also work with children who have a variety of complex needs that cannot be met in mainstream education. Our classes are organised on the basis of age, but within that the role of the class teacher is to provide an education that is appropriate to each individual child. This means that we do work in groups or one-to-one sessions for part of the week, and to this end a strong feature of our ethos is to equip each class with high levels of well-trained staff. Also as part of our provision we have ensured that we have small distraction-free rooms attached to each classroom, for use by students with ASD. In addition to these we have a separate distraction-free unit, which pupils access on a needs-led basis. Dorothy Goodman operates on two sites. On the Lower Site (for 3-14 year olds) there is a hydrotherapy pool, a sensory room and a soft play room. The Upper Site (14-19 year olds) also has sensory rooms and a sensory garden, but its curriculum is based around accredited work, which is much more appropriate for the needs of this older age group. Volunteers may be accepted to work with the pupils.

Aimed at: Adolescent , Child

Gender: All genders

Specialisms: Generic

Other specialisms: Challenging behaviour, Learning disability