We have partnered with the Special Partnership Trust to open a new state-funded special school for young people with autism, social, emotional and other mental health-related needs.
It’s only been open since the beginning of September, but already it’s having a huge impact on the 12 pupils currently attending, some of whom have not been to school for up to three years due to the complexity of their needs.
Castlebridge School in Tavistock is relatively small. It will have a maximum capacity of 30 pupils when fully up and running. Meanwhile its parent school – a larger Department for Education-funded special school in Ivybridge – is currently in the planning stages and is due to open mid-2027.
Together, the two sites of the Castlebridge School will not only provide the one-to-one tailored support to help its pupils attain academic qualifications and important life skills, but it’s also supporting neighbouring mainstream schools.
Head Teacher, Bridget Williams, said:
“Our school is for young people who are finding mainstream schooling too challenging and they need something different to meet their needs.
“We have six pupils who are attending all day every day. It’s huge that they feel that they can come into school because some of them have been out of school for two to three years. For them to come in and attend full time has just been fantastic.
“We’ve got other pupils with whom we’re building relationships with by going out to them on home visits, and speaking with their families and really getting that intense understanding of what those young people need to access education in our setting.
“And we have other pupils who are attending daily but on different part-time timetables.”
The building has had various uses over its lifetime, but Devon County Council has re-purposed the building to accommodate pupils with SEND.
All attending pupils have Education, Health and Care Plans, and the school consults with the council on admissions.
The modern interior includes a number of small classrooms, some multi-use, others, such as the science lab, designated for a purpose. There’s a fully equipped kitchen that doubles as a classroom for lessons in cooking and life skills. And a large vaulted-ceiling hall, used for mealtimes as well as breakout spaces.
There’s a library, a sensory room, an IT suite, and outdoor space. Inside, the colour scheme is calming, and ceilings are heavily insulated to soften noise, which is important for pupils with sensory needs.
“It’s just a good space to be, with lots of options for breakout rooms and low sensory environments, so that our children can really focus, home-in on their learning, and learn those vital life skills as well as their academic content in order to reach their full potential into adulthood,” says Bridget.
Councillor Denise Bickley is Devon County Council’s Cabinet Member with responsibility for services that support young people with special educational needs and disabilities. She has recently visited Castlebridge School. She said:
“I have really enjoyed coming here today. It’s been so interesting to see how a school can be developed with children in mind right from the onset.
“It’s great to see that the school has been designed in ways to help pupils with their sensory overwhelm, and simple things like dulling the noise in the hall with fantastic ceiling insulation, which is going to make it so much more comfortable for children who have auditory processing issues and sensory needs.
“Small classrooms, designed with the child in mind, and warm, comfortable and inclusive provision is brilliant to see.”
But as well as the thoughtful design of the building and interior, it’s the staff that help these young pupils settle-in. Staff are trained to support and work with young people with autism, and many of them have previous experience of supporting their needs.
“Our wider strategy is about inclusion and inclusive learning being ordinarily available to all pupils including those with special educational needs in all our mainstream schools,” says Councillor Bickley. “It’s work that we’re doing with all of our schools to improve inclusion.
“But we recognise that for some pupils, mainstream school settings are not right for them. Therefore state-funded special schools like Castlebridge are vital pieces of the jigsaw that we’re trying to put together in our sufficiency strategy, working out what provision we need and where we need it.”
