Stanstead Abbotts, England, United Kingdom
As the Headteacher of Amwell View School and Specialist Sports College, I am passionate about providing an environment where pupils with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities (PMLD) and Severe Learning Disabilities (SLD) can thrive. With a strong commitment to personalised learning, I lead a dedicated team focused on providing a wide range of educational experiences to support every child to make progress developing their confidence and self esteem to enable every child to achieve their full potential.
Amwell View School and Specialist Sports College was established in 1963. Over the years it has developed and flourished to provide ‘Outstanding Education’ (Ofsted, 2007, 2010 and 2014) for 129 children with Severe Learning Difficulties aged 2-19 years. All the children who attend the school have a statement of Special Educational Needs and are subject to the 2001 Education Act under the responsibility of Hertfordshire Education Authority. The vast majority of the children live in the local area of East Hertfordshire. All the children have reduced mental cognitive ability, which is life-long. Many have a recognised medical diagnosis or congenital condition such as Down’s syndrome or other lesser known specific diagnoses, whilst others have a non-specific diagnosis of Global Developmental Delay. There is a growing population of pupils with a diagnosis of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). There are also many children who have a sensory impairment, either singularly or dually affected. Children may have a visual difficulty and/or a hearing difficulty. An added complication for some children can be when their brain damage impacts on the cortical pathways of the brain, resulting in cortical visual impairment. Many children have reduced mobility and are dependent on a wheelchair for any opportunity to move around the school. The school uses all the National Curriculum subjects to provide high quality education for the children. The curriculum is designed and delivered using practical experiences and emphasises these experiences through kinaesthetic learning. This has been a growing feature and outcome of the school’s expertise and success, which in turn has proved to be a very positive curriculum model resulting in greater pupil enjoyment and achievement.