Type of service: Education

Website: http://maeshyfryd.co.uk/

Maes Hyfryd Specialist High School in North Wales caters for a wide range of learners from the age of eleven through to nineteen years, from youngsters with autism, both verbal and non-verbal, those with complex sensory needs, those with profound and multiple learning difficulties and those with severe learning difficulties.

The school caters for a wide catchment area including its own local authority of Flintshire and also surrounding areas including Wrexham, Denbighshire and also Cheshire. Ysgol Maes Hyfryd is the only specialist high
school across Flintshire Authority. The school does not cater for residential provision. The school is collocated on a mainstream high school campus in Flint and currently has just over 120 pupils and 90 staff.

The school acknowledges and meets the diverse needs of the pupils through its various curriculum offers, however it provides a structured setting to support all communication and sensory needs within its school grounds, environment and ethos.

Due to the diverse needs in the school, one curriculum approach would not be appropriate. Subsequently, the curriculum pathways and approaches allow for varying staffing ratios to reflect the needs of the learners in the different departments.

The departments include Sensory (PMLD, SLD, complex communication and behaviour), Autism approaches – classes that follow autism focused targets such as communication and flexibility of thought, classes are low arousal and provide a highly structured environment (for autistic learners that can’t cope in a multi diagnosed class and environment). Key Stage 3 (SLD), 14-19 SLD/MLD including an independent and vocational pathways sixth form group based at an off-site provision where some sixth formers can focus on promoting their independent living skills and where community engagement is key to their learning in preparation for adult life.

The school also provides a range of therapeutic interventions and support systems across the whole school to pupils in the varying departments such as ELSA, drawing and talking therapy, Minecraft based therapy, Lego based therapy, ‘Zones of Regulation’ and the ‘Alert’ programme communication support using a wide range of intervention approaches according to the pupil need, drawing and talking and behaviour support.

Aimed at: Adolescent

Gender: All genders

Level: NAS Autism Accreditation - Accredited

Year: 2022