Ysgol Pen Coch

[EduCativ]

Ysgol Pen Coch we are a maintained special school in the county of Flintshire. Our school provision meets the needs of learners with complex layered needs. This includes learners with Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulties, Severe Learning Difficulties, Moderate Learning Difficulties, Autistic Spectrum Disorders, Communication Disorders, Sensory Needs, Physical Needs, and/or Social, Emotional Mental Health Needs.

Personalized learning is at the core of our approach. Our success lies in our understanding of how a diagnosis of autism, complex need, or social & emotional plus health needs across the spectrum of learning disabilities affects a child in all aspects of their learning. We recognize our pupils for their strengths and work with them to grow their ambitions, achieve their aspirations, and develop positive attitudes towards others.

We specialize in Therapeutic Intervention, we are a Curriculum pioneer school, a New Deal pioneer school, a leading Creative Arts school, and a Co-leading school working collaboratively to promote innovation and research in a range of areas including pedagogy, technology, and continuous professional development. We strive to be:

• A leader in our field recognized across the UK and beyond as a Centre of Excellence
• Innovative and forward-thinking – a real learning organization for all its people
• A place with a highly developed positive culture, which supports excellence for all
• Inclusive, so that every person’s needs are met- adult and child
• Well resourced, so that provision and outcomes are not compromised
• Regularly involved in self-evaluation, to further improve our performance
• Research-based, with learning and development at our core

This website has been prepared to give you a flavor of what goes on in Ysgol Pen Coch. Whilst there is a lot of valuable information it cannot convey the full picture. For example, everyone who visits the school comments on the really friendly atmosphere and the excellent relationships that exist between the staff and pupils. Firstly, the school was opened in September 2009 by Rhodri Morgan. It is a magnificent facility that is packed with specialized equipment and resources.

Ysgol Pen Coch is a local authority day special school located in Flint. We cater for children and young people aged 2 – 11 years who have profound and multiple learning difficulties/ severe learning difficulties/are on the autistic spectrum /have complex learning difficulties or with severe challenging behavior. Our catchment area is Flintshire. Currently, we cater for 94 pupils.

We have an Assessment Nursery at the top end of the school, four foundation classes in the middle section of the building, and six Key stages 2 classes spread out at the furthest end of the school.

All pupils have a Statement of Special Educational Needs or are in the process of having their needs assessed. Our adult/pupil ratios are very high to ensure that individual care and educational needs can be. The class-based staff are supported by our nursing and therapy staff teams

We have a long-standing commitment to providing children with unrivaled levels of integrated therapeutic support, both in terms of the expertise and experience of our in-house therapy staff and the wide range of therapies and support offered. We also benefit from input from the LEA’s sensory impairment team and advice from local authority educational psychologists.

We share data from assessments that members of our senior management team conduct, for research purposes to help determine how best our provision can be adapted to meet the needs of each child, and research papers are published for an international readership. Individuals cannot be identified from the data provided and the benefits of this approach positively influence how we further develop our therapeutic support across our school. The commitment to providing the very best therapeutic support is evident in all aspects of our work and a major factor in the successes we continually achieve with all of our pupils.

The building has first-class information & communication technology, ICT, facilities. All classrooms have internet access and either interactive whiteboards or large plasma touchscreen units. Every pupil has an individualized iPad that is aligned to their individual needs and abilities so that they can continue working towards their set targets and improve ICT skills. Eye-gaze technology is used by pupils who find it easier to communicate with that the usual routes.+

Most classrooms have a wet area room and every classroom has direct access to our outdoor play areas, outdoor sensory garden, and Eco garden area. Some classes have TEACCH stations. Some classes have ceiling hoists.

Our hydrotherapy pool is magnificent and serves all pupils in Flintshire schools who have a physiotherapist or doctor recommendation for hydrotherapy. it is also used in the evenings by adults with learning disabilities(please see our After School Provision section on this website for more information).

Other whole school facilities include sensory & therapy rooms, a soft play room, a hall used for Rebound Therapy, Sherborne Therapy -and as well as for PE it doubles up as a dining room We also have specialist rooms for food technology, reflexology, speech therapy, Wii therapy, Virtual Reality, Play therapy, therapeutic music and a therapy room that caters for all the other therapies on offer ( please refer to the therapeutic section of the website to find out more).

Ysgol Pen Coch follows the Welsh National Curriculum just the same as mainstream schools. Ysgol pen Coch uses the B Squared Assessment tool to assess our pupils from a pre-intentional level (P1) right through to National Curriculum level 5. We also use CASPA to compare our pupil's assessment data with other schools throughout the UK.

Ysgol Pen Coch uses the Wrap reading assessment. We use POPAT to deliver phonics and reading support. We use Oxford Reading Tree as our reading scheme and all of our interactive whiteboards have access to these books as well. All classes have 3 computers and all pupils have the opportunity to have and use their own Ipad. All parents/carers can access up-to-date confidential information and photos of their child on the parent section of this website. Ysgol Pen Coch uses RMaths, BooZoo, and Numicon to aid and develop maths skills.

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