Our School Offer
Our aim is to provide pupils with a range of opportunities so that they can reach their full potential.
Redefining education
We redefine education by seamlessly integrating three essential pillars: education therapy on 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.
Education
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 nine 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.
The results speak for themselves as young people leave us with nationally recognised outcomes at a level that is right for them, ranging from entry-level certificates to functional skills, BTECs and GCSEs. This equips them to confidently take their next steps into further education, apprenticeships or employment.
Our outstanding offer
We provide unique learning opportunities for our pupils to help them engage with learning so that they can develop skills and grow in confidence to become proud members of our school community.
Our commitment to understanding our pupils, their needs, and their emotional well-being is unwavering. Whether it's through home visits, personalised plans, or spending time with them during breaks, we ensure they feel safe and supported. This approach is not just a part of our practice, it's a part of our identity. For example, a new pupil who had struggled for years with school avoidance, after just two days, expressed, "I feel like I can actually learn here." This student, for the first time in years, felt understood and safe, a testament to the power of our approach.
We believe that behaviour is a form of communication, and when our pupils feel emotionally dysregulated, we support them without punishment or blame. We encourage accountability and growth, but most importantly, we give them the space to trust again, knowing that their feelings are valid and that each day is a fresh start. This approach helps them to engage with the curriculum in a meaningful way and regain confidence in themselves and in education.
We nurture a love of reading. Daily, we create opportunities for pupils to dive into stories to expand their vocabulary, boost creativity, and develop critical thinking skills. The books we choose feature main characters who are neurodivergent, taking on the role of superheroes, enabling our pupils to raise their aspirations and recognise they, too, have superpowers.
After breakfast time, pupils and the team step into the first session of the day, Class Reader, where the class teacher reads to children and young people, presenting stories in entertaining ways by using puppets and props to bring characters and stories to life.
Drop Everything And Read, better known as DEAR time, happens at random moments of the day, where pupils and the team stop everything to read. They choose comfortable spots and dive into their books, and then go on to discuss what they've read, recalling moments and even asking questions to friends and teachers to seek out their next novel.
The reading culture we have embedded within our school extends to our local community, where pupils are all signed up to the local library and are proud owners of membership cards to visit the space weekly and access and borrow hundreds of books.
As part of our concerted efforts to raise aspirations, we also carve out opportunities for pupils to become more articulate through Tier 2 (formal language) and Tier 3 (subject-specific) vocabulary. We introduce a "focus word" that is linked to a particular topic and is taught over the course of a week. During this time, we explain the meaning of the word, its root or origin, and provide examples of how it can be used. We also discuss incorrect uses and have the pupils draw pictures related to the word to reinforce their understanding. They can earn merits for using the word correctly throughout the week.
We are proud to offer a comprehensive curriculum that fosters academic success. In addition, we focus on personal development to help pupils grow with confidence, resilience, and ambition. Our outdoor learning, life skills, and PSHE (Personal, Social, Health, and Economic education) programmes are designed to enrich their overall experience and prepare them for the future.
Embedded into timetables, the sessions teach life skills such as personal hygiene, cooking, and even making simple things like toast or a cup of tea. Our curriculum extends to enriching activities like bike riding, forest skills such as camping, mini golf, and theatre visits. These experiences build individual capabilities and also enhance cultural capital by providing pupils with new and exciting opportunities. For example, after learning to make tea in class, one of our pupils proudly shared his intention to prepare one for his mum at home. Another, initially fearful of a steep cycling hill, developed the confidence to conquer it after two weeks of persistence, earning certificates and the pride of overcoming his fears.
We recognise that break times can be challenging for many of our pupils, especially when it comes to free play. To address this, we've introduced a variety of clubs during break and lunchtime, where the staff team are actively involved, facilitating activities like football and basketball to ensure structure and support; this approach helps build relationships and develop important social skills.
We guide pupils to clubs that align with their specific development goals. If a pupil struggles with turn-taking, they might attend the board games or basketball club, where they can practise these skills in a fun and supportive environment. The activities may feel like free play to the pupils, but they're carefully designed to support their needs while ensuring they have a great time.
We offer six enrichment classes throughout the year, with one running each half term. These classes are carefully selected based on the needs and development opportunities of our pupils, ranging from:
- Art club
- Board games
- Drama club
- Dungeon and Dragons
- Eco-schools club
- Engineering club.
Each pupil picks one enrichment activity to participate in per half term, and they switch to a different one for the next term, ensuring they experience all the options throughout the year.
What's unique about our enrichment programme is that pupils’ specific targets are linked to their Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP). While pupils think they're enjoying a fun afternoon, they're actually working on key skills to aid their development. For example, a pupil might be building social skills through turn-taking in board games or learning teamwork and communication in engineering club.
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.
Hilden Park 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 Hilden Park 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.