Gloucester House

We are an independent special school with a fully integrated specialist clinical team  providing treatment and education for up to 21 children aged 5-14 years who have complex social, emotional and mental health difficulties; often alongside other learning difficulties such as specific language or literacy difficulties and sometimes more general learning difficulties. Baseline records show that all children are underachieving when they start at Gloucester House. Many of the children who attend are from socially disadvantaged backgrounds, some of whom have experienced severe deprivation or trauma/abuse in their early lives with the result for some that have needed to be taken into Local Authority care. The children come from both inner and outer London boroughs.

Children at Gloucester House have full time education together with a package of clinical treatment, which may include intensive psychoanalytic psychotherapy, parent work, and family work – including family therapy, psychiatric input and work with the wider professional network in the community.

Placements vary in length depending on the needs of the child and can be short or longer term.  Gloucester House works with the referring authority and the network to recommend the most suitable next placement to best meet the child’s needs. We begin this process at the point of entry to Gloucester House though sometimes the plans for next placement will change as the child’s circumstances and development changes. We provide a service that supports change and development in children and families and are a proactive intervention even though we do provide longer term schooling where need is indicated.

Gloucester House is a department of the Tavistock Clinic and is managed by the Tavistock and Portman NHS trust through the COO (Clinical Operating Officer).

Gloucester House is unique in providing a joined up health and education service within a single setting.  Staff include, teachers, progress support workers, psychosocial nurses, child psychotherapists, speech and language, occupational therapy, art therapy, family therapy, a child psychiatrist and a social worker. We have access to educational psychology through the Tavistock clinic.  Gloucester House is led by the head of service/clinical lead supported by a multi-disciplinary Senior Leadership Team including educationalists led by the head teacher

Children who attend Gloucester House have complex andlong-standing health and educational needs that cannot be met by their local community services.  In addition to difficulties with their education (they may have been out of school for long periods of time, receiving only part-time education, or have attended a local learning support or pupil referral unit) they may also be carrying other specific vulnerabilities.  In many cases local child and adolescent mental health services or social services are also involved. There has often been a history of non-engagement with services of these children and their families.

At Gloucester House we provide a specialist curriculum to meet the needs of this population. This incorporates a broad and balanced curriculum and includes individualised planning to meet specific needs within the context of National Curriculum requirements. We aim for pupils and their families to be able to make use of services that they may have previously not been able to engage with. We also aim to support smooth transitions for pupils into their next placements whether these are reintegration into the community or transfer to another special provision.

Information re pupil needs:

All children at Gloucester House have EHC Plans. All of our children have EHC Plans for SEMH. Some pupils have additional needs. These may include:

Pupils Impairment	Areas we have training, experience & which are often present in a proportion of our pupils
Attention Deficit Disorder	√
Asperger’s syndrome
Autistic spectrum disorder	√
Social, emotional and mental health difficulties	All
Facial Disfiguration
Hearing Impaired
Learning Difficulties	√
Medical Needs
Speech, Language and Communication Difficulties	√
Visual Impairment

We work with Local authority Specialists to support with needs with which we do not have internal expertise.

The Self Evaluation Framework and the Gloucester House Development Plan provide detail of audit and subsequent planning dovetailing this Access Plan and incorporating future aims, curriculum development, attendance, and exclusions. Development planning has been done in consultation with all staff. Individual Integrated Care Plans address needs identified in the EHCPs.

Through our Gloucester House School Council, community meeting, committees, and regular questionnaires we have gathered views from all our pupils on improvements that would benefit Gloucester House in terms of disability access. We have also gathered advice from carers/parents, local authorities and our own multi-disciplinary team to write this development plan.

Our staff training programme regularly considers the requirements of the Equality Act and our Disability Access Plan. Issues of equality and making reasonable adjustments through child centred planning, to meet the children’s individual needs, are central tenets of our work.

We have a staff training programme to support staff’s ability to meet individual pupils’ needs but also for the complex mental health needs of our pupils which present an ongoing challenge for staff in our service.

These are addressed through this plan and our other development documents.

We work with our pupils to broaden their horizons in terms of definitions of disability. This is done through PHSCE Schemes of Work, other curriculum activities and other informal and formal structures.

Focus: To improve the physical environment of Gloucester House to increase access to education and associated services for disabled pupils, parents/carers and visitors.

	Target	Action	Lead	Timescale	Estimated Cost	Goals Achieved
Short term	To ensure display is clear, reflects the achievements of children in the community and uses a range visual representations and words to support understanding.	Training and time in curriculum meeting For display to stimulate learning and celebrate children’s achievements. Checklist provided to teachers for classroom display To observe and monitor display checklist To involve children in display work To include PSWs in display training Allocated PSW oversees displays and is trained in Widget symbol making software Dates set for displays to be changed	HT & DHT                             DHT	Ongoing                             End of Spring term 23	Time	Display is varied as evidenced by evaluation against policy and checklist.   Monitored in terms of frequency changed and quality by class teams
	To improve access to areas of the school currently inaccessible to those pupils with a physical disability.	Audit to be carried out with estates and immediate changes identified,	HT & DHT	End of Spring term 23
Medium term	To continue to build on partnerships between health and education within Gloucester House and between different elements of the multi-disciplinary team.	Continue to work on roles and responsibilities of the different members of the team.Continue with structures to support understanding from different perspectives.Staff CDP slots for support staff, sometimes teachers, sometimes all staff.Concentration and focus on INSET training.	HOS, SLT and wider team	ongoing		Staff express clarity about roles Good team work/collaboration in evidence in classrooms/meetings and as evidenced by reports.
	Develop school library to support pupils of all abilities to access books and improve reading skills	Building committee to be involved in ordering shelving for library.New shelving to be at a height accessible to all.Library configured for accessibility.	DHT/English Lead/Librarian & Buildings Committee	End of Spring term 23		English team/library lead have reviewed and have identified shelving to order.
	To improve access to areas of the school currently inaccessible to those pupils with a physical disability.	SLT to think about how we can provide Therapy and food Tech to pupils with a physical disability who cannot access these rooms.	SLT	End of Summer term 23
Long Term	To develop Gloucester House external environment.	To continue with plans for relocation in line with Trust objectives. To continue with cycle of repairs and redecoration. For children’s reps to stay involved in the cleaning and maintenance of the building. Ongoing utilisation and upkeep of garden area by pupils and staff so that all pupils can access. Create opportunities for young people to undertake ‘work experience’ maintaining grounds	HOS, HT/Steering Group & estates	ongoing	Time	To review the TRUST status in relation to any relocation plans which are currently on hold.Reps identified and working party in place
	To improve access to areas of the school currently inaccessible to those pupils with a physical disability.	Long-term solution to access the second floor – such as a lift – for pupils with an physical disability.	SLT	Summer 2024

Focus: Curriculum – To develop increased access to (participation in) the curriculum for children with disabilities and SEN.

Short/medium Term	To develop children’s experiences of outdoor learning and develop life skills	Post COVID restart off-site trips within curriculum including residential trip to Avon Tyrell, life skills lessons and off-site PE as appropriate.	Whole team New Unqualified PE Lead Teacher Visiting Gardening teacher	22-23		Planning and evaluation including children’s feedback
Medium Term	To continue to develop children’s language and communication skills and ability to self-regulate.	To continue with Lego therapy.To continue using visual aids to support children’s access to written timetables etc.Staff training and support through SALT.SPOT Leads identified and effectively deployed.	SENDCo, SPOT leads, Clinicians	22-23		Visual strategies being well used and supporting children’s progress in independence. Zones of Regulation used for children to self-regulate and adults continuing to use the language to support this Children have and know own strategies.
Medium Term	Maintain focus and emphasis on developing children’s understanding of and commitment to developing a healthy lifestyle	Continue with focus through curriculum and school council including cooking sessions and PE.Continue with well -being sessions including health related fitness.Staff training around ACES and impact on physical wellbeing.Develop curriculum for RSE & drug educationNew PSHCE Curriculum	DHT/HT/OT/lead nurse                   HT & DHT	Ongoing                     22-23		Curriculum reflects holistic aims Well-being sessions in place             Interim curriculum in place by DHT until reviewed.

Focus: To improve the provision of information for disabled pupils where it is provided in writing for pupils who are not disabled.

	Target	Action	Lead	Timescale	Estimated Cost	Goals Achieved
Medium Term	To provide information about the schools timetable for non readers.	Visual timetables to be displayed in class.Where there are non readers timetables to have symbols indicating sessionsUse of IT/computing to provide information in a more visual formatCalendars with clear indication of class/school events in pictorial and word.   Subscribe to Widget online symbol generator resource	DHT/ Class Teachers/SALT/lead nurse/PSW                           DHT	Ongoing                               Aut 2022		Access to daily routines available to all children and parent/carers.Information about the term available to all pupils and parent/carers.
Medium Term	To provide information to parent/ carers and children about procedures at Gloucester House	Produce brochures for parent/carers, children in a variety of form, including enlarged print as necessaryTo provide a space as part of admission process to go through parent/carers brochure orally with parent.	SLT	Ongoing		Induction for parent/carers and pupils clear and accessible. Parent/carers and pupils feel clear of major systems and procedures in place.