Redefining education
We redefine education by seamlessly integrating three essential pillars: education, therapy and futures. We don't just educate; we nurture support and propel our pupils towards a future where their potential knows no bounds. Join us on a transformative journey, where education extends beyond textbooks, therapy and nurtures resilience, and futures are shaped with purpose and promise.
Love of learning
We foster an excitement and a love of learning in our pupils by following the national curriculum. Our curriculum and tasks set are challenging yet achievable, enabling children and young people to grow in confidence and prepare for life beyond the classroom. We also provide enrichment activities through educational visits and field trips to support and enhance learning experiences.
With a backdrop of our small class sizes, with no more than eight pupils per class, each child and young person receives a bespoke curriculum tailored to their needs, which is fully integrated with our social development programme.
Our commitment to a well-rounded education includes a focus on social development. Through activities that promote collaboration, friendship, social interaction, and teamwork, pupils build essential interpersonal skills. These experiences help them develop communication, empathy, and the ability to work well with others. By developing friendships and a sense of community, children and young people learn to value diverse perspectives and support one another, creating a positive and inclusive learning environment that strengthens their social growth.
Our outstanding offer
One of the many ways we empower our pupils and develop their life skills is through our Peer Mentoring Programme with our partner school, Chilworth House Upper School. As part of the programme, children are assigned a mentor from the Upper School who has been selected through an interview process and undertaken a training programme that equips them for their role. Ahead of their first meeting, the mentor is given the mentee’s specific target. For example, a pupil may need to make eye contact appropriately while playing a sport. To support this goal, the mentor and mentee meet once a week to participate in various activities, helping them build a friendship and develop the confidence and skills needed to achieve the goal together. The programme encourages positive development for both participants: the Lower School pupil feels inspired, while the Upper School pupil gains a stronger sense of responsibility and independence. Overall, our mentoring programme has a proven track record of success as it allows pupils to develop skills and qualities that contribute to their social and academic achievements.
Circle time is a unique opportunity given to our pupils so that they can reflect on their behaviours in a calm environment where they can openly discuss their thoughts and feelings with a chosen member of staff. During circle time everyone is given their chance to speak and the golden rule for the session is that only one person can speak at a time, which helps pupils to reflect. The time in the circle allows pupils to take responsibility for their actions, discuss what happened, why they think it happened and move forward, and avoid finding themselves in a similar scenario in the future. Circle time has had a positive impact as pupils learn to reflect on their behaviours and become more aware of their actions and the impact on others. Subsequently, they are able to develop and maintain friendships as well as self-regulate as a result of their reflection. Pupils grow to become independent and conscious about their actions, so that they can positively contribute to the school and the wider community.
We enrich our pupils’ education by expanding their understanding of community, personal interests and future careers. Through our partnership with the Children’s University, we emphasise life skills, social skills, career exploration and community involvement, celebrating these achievements in a school-wide graduation ceremony. Each term, children choose from a variety of enrichment activities - including martial arts, animal care, horticulture, Forest School, cooking and construction - and complete projects in these areas. As they progress, they earn credits towards a Children’s University Degree, with a graduation ceremony at Oxford Brookes University at the end of the summer term to celebrate their accomplishments.
Take a look here to listen to the graduation ceremony performance.
Additional credits are awarded for broader activities, such as homework, family outings, participation in sports teams, charity events and our A-Z of Careers assembly programme, helping pupils grow and reach their full potential.
Therapy
Our on-site Clinical Team provide pupils with unrivalled levels of therapeutic support, in terms of the level of expertise, the ratio of qualified therapists and clinicians to children and young people, and the range of therapies offered. Pupils have the support of our Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists and other specialists as required.
We believe that unless a child or young person is able to feel emotionally safe and secure, they are less likely to fulfil their personal, social and educational potential. Our unique approach to supporting young people through our Wave Model enables them to go on to realise a future filled with aspiration and achievement.
Chilworth House School's Clinical Team complete thorough and skilled assessments that support a shared understanding of the complex needs we see in our children and young people. This enables us to put purposeful and appropriate interventions in place and assess our effectiveness through the tracking of outcomes and impact.
Futures
At Chilworth House School we are dedicated to raising the aspirations of our pupils, while also equipping them with the skills and confidence to realise outstanding outcomes.
The Futures programme inspires and connects pupils with their next steps beyond education, utilising a growing network of over 350 employer partnerships, including the likes of Microsoft, Mercedes and John Lewis, to provide outstanding experiences of the workplace and ongoing opportunities and support.
Our Futures sessions provide practical guidance on job applications, confidence-building, networking, and workplace expectations, giving children and young people the tools to navigate their career paths with clarity. Complementing this, our Futures curriculum enriches academic growth while developing personal development and career readiness, ensuring they are prepared for their chosen paths. With no upper age limit on support, the programme boasts a 100% success rate in transitioning students into education, employment, or training.