Castlebridge School – section 10 consultation

The Special Partnership Trust is undertaking a consultation, required under Section 10 of the Academies Act 2010, to determine whether the Trust should enter into a Funding Agreement with the Department for Education in respect of the new Castlebridge School which has been approved by the Department for Education to open in Tavistock in 2025 and Ivybridge in September 2026.

The Special Partnership Trust are committed to ensuring the views of it’s stakeholders and the community are central to the new school development.  Please respond to the consultation, by the closing date of 26 November 2024, by completing this form: https://forms.office.com/e/rMf1teGpfL

Further details on the new school are below, or the full section 10 consultation document is available under ‘Consultation method’ below which also includes location maps and proposed layout designs for the new school.

Castlebridge School

Introduction

Castlebridge School will meet the needs of pupils from Year 3 – Year 11; it has been identified that the school will predominantly be for pupils who experience difficulties accessing education within the context of their autism (primary need). Most of the pupils who will be placed in the Free School will have had a challenging experience in mainstream school and may have developed strategies of school/ learning avoidance to help themselves feel safe.

In many cases this will have impacted on their educational progress and self-esteem and for some pupils, this will manifest in behaviour that is challenging to others. Their range of needs may also be multi-layered and interconnected, combining communication difficulties, anxiety, attachment, relationships, behavioural, physical, medical, sensory, and communication features.

Castlebridge Schools curriculum is a tailored, personalised learning approach that will ensure pupils are able to effectively access and engage with, and ultimately achieve meaningful skills and academic accreditation which is nationally recognised.

Castlebridge School intends;

• To provide effective specialist support to enable pupils to fully access their learning and develop transferable skills in communication, interaction and resilience strategies.
• To work in partnership with pupils, parents, schools and other agencies to identify individual development needs and implement an appropriate support plan.
• To provide high quality teaching and learning to ensure good progress and academic accreditation.
• To implement effective Assessment for and Assessment of Learning to include baselining, flightpaths and intervention strategies.
• To develop highly effective transition processes ensuring effective use of information sharing.
• To develop and implement highly effective IEPS ensuring EHCP outcomes are delivered.
• To develop and implement highly effective EHCP review process in partnership with parents to ensure preparation for adulthood is central to planning.

Curriculum offer overview

The core purpose of the Castlebridge School will be to provide accessible academic opportunities underpinned by a carefully constructed PSHE and communication and interaction provision map. This provision will be designed to equip young people with a personalised toolkit of communication, wellbeing, resilience and mental health strategies. These strategies will be implemented to support pupils in accessing their learning and developing the confidence, skills and knowledge necessary to progress through school and into adulthood.

Castlebridge will celebrate neurodiversity, recognising, accepting, respecting, and responding accordingly to developmental difference; we believe that ASC and associated needs are not a “disorder” that need correcting, but are unique to the individual who requires a unique response in the educational offer they receive.  Castlebridge School believes that pupils conditions will influence the pathway for their life, but should not determine it.

Pupils with ASC hold similar aspirations to their neurotypical peers, these include a need to communicate effectively, build relationships, develop friendships, participate in purposeful activities, be independent, self-advocate and be happy. Castlebridge School will provide fully in-formed specialist support to ensure excellent progress and attainment of all pupils. Our curriculum is designed to facilitate this.

The school will celebrate neurodiversity by accepting, respecting and recognising neurological and developmental difference. Autism evidenced-based practices, pedagogies and strategies such as SCERTS (Social Communication, Emotional Regulation and Transactional Support), SI (Sensory Integration), and Team Teach (positive behaviour management), Specific Literacy/Numeracy interventions and ICT will be fully utilised to provide a structured approach to learning and social development. Pupils will be supported and taught to be able to understand and participate in the wider world responsibly.

ASC is a spectrum of strength and difficulties; it is likely that there will be a homogeneous manifestation of characteristics with our ‘higher functioning’ cohort. Therefore, the Trust and the professionals already employed within it alongside the pre-opening team will ensure staff possess an ability to deliver.

Location

Castlebridge School will have two sites. The main School site will be located be in Ivybridge (opening September 2026) and second site, a smaller hub site, will be located in Tavistock (opening 2025). Proposed Castlebridge School at both Ivybridge and Tavistock sites will be phase/planned numbers. Please see the full consultation document, under ‘Consultation method’ for location maps. 

Castlebridge School – Ivybridge

Our intent is to provide a specialist provision for 120 pupils between Year 3 and Y11 with high functioning Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC) as their primary need, with a focus on girls.  The school will be available for pupils with an EHCP who live in Ivybridge and the surrounding areas. Pupils’ EHC Plans will guide and inform provision; pupils will benefit from smaller than average class sizes and higher than average levels of skilled adult support. The staff team will have the necessary knowledge and understanding of pupil needs to be able to skilfully deliver EHCP outcomes. Effective partnership working with parents and other professionals will be essential in ensuring all pupils benefit from an equality of opportunity in the education they receive. In this way the Castlebridge will offer a unique local provision designed to meet a clearly identified need aimed at bringing positive outcomes, opportunities and benefits for such pupils and their families. The Free School will ensure that pupils are empowered to feel valued and part of their local community.

Castlebridge School – Tavistock

The development in Tavistock Hub will facilitate access to Ivybridge provision before the opening date of September 2026. It will provide an opportunity for extended, focussed transition into Ivybridge using Tavistock as a satellite provision. And in parallel develop the offer at Tavistock as a sustained, effective specialist, quality assured offer for pupils in Devon who have been unable to access mainstream school – with a specific focus on accessible academic opportunities underpinned by carefully constructed PSHE and communication and interaction provision map.

Tavistock

Phase 1

Pupils identified for Ivybridge School attending Tavistock prior to Ivybridge site opening. Pupils identified with a primary need; ASC, SEMH, high functioning pupils, focus on girls. Capacity on site for up to 32-40 pupils plus outreach (aware that the school will be an outreach provider in phase 2 development students in and out of school learning).

Offer

Pupils who attend the school will have struggled to successfully access mainstream school. The core purpose of the school will be to provide accessible academic opportunities underpinned by a carefully constructed PSHE and communication and interaction provision map. This provision will be designed to equip young people with a personalised toolkit of wellbeing, resilience and mental health strategies. These strategies will be implemented to support pupils in accessing their learning and developing the confidence, skills and knowledge necessary to progress through school and into adulthood.  These pupils are expected to move to Castlebridge School in Year 1 (September 2026).

Tavistock 2026 and beyond that delivers;

This provision can be delivered in the following ways;

• An assessment placement– providing a safe, specialist space for pupils to engage/ re -engage with learning and therapeutically informed practice – informing LA decisions leading to a permanent placement (could be Castlebridge/ mainstream with support/ other alternative provision or an agreed longer term placement at Tavistock Hub.)
• Tavistock Hub Placement. For a small number of pupils with higher levels of anxiety (school refusal) a bespoke education package delivered in and from the hub may be deemed as the appropriate long term provision. The pupils will have EHCPs and their offer will be developed specifically to deliver to the outcomes, and ensure a clear Preparation for Adulthood programme.
• Pupil Centred Outreach/Transition support. Tavistock may continue to be used a s a space to support the gradual transition of some pupils into an agreed placement – for example to Castlebridge School – or to a mainstream provision. This transition support forms a pupil centred informed outreach model to support school receiving the pupils in meeting needs -providing the opportunity for some off site educational offer as necessary.
• Whole School Outreach Support. – the centre will be the base for an outreach team – working with mainstream schools to support the development of their ordinarily available inclusive practice.  – this would be a commercial project and would be purchased by mainstream schools.

Admissions

All admissions will be made through Devon County Council – SEND Statutory Team and will be underpinned by the Education Health Care Assessment or Review process.

Please call the Special Education Helpline 01392 380434, or email educate.specialeducation-mailbox@devon.gov.uk

Contact details for SEND – get in touch for support and advice (devon.gov.uk)

Capacity

Planned places and phased opening of both Castlebridge sites:

Please respond to the consultation by the 26 November 2024. Link to consultation questionnaire https://forms.office.com/e/rMf1teGpfL