Paddock School is an environment that is dedicated to ensuring that pupils have the opportunity to thrive in a setting where they feel calm, secure, and happy. We are proud to be a Level 2 UNICEF Rights Respecting School. We place the Rights of the Child at the heart of our school, along with our school vision 'To Nurture, Inspire and Transform Lives.' Our teachers have expert knowledge and are committed to putting pupils first in everything they do.
Paddock School is a Wandsworth maintained special school for pupils aged 4 - 19 years old (Nursery to Year 14) with autistic spectrum disorders and moderate to severe learning difficulties and children with severe or complex learning difficulties at Little Paddock and Primary and severe learning difficulties and children with severe or complex learning difficulties at Secondary. Placements at this school are made by the Council's Special Needs Assessment Section, in consultation with the headteacher and parent(s) or carer(s).
Pupils are taught in classes of up to 9 pupils with a specialist teacher with usually 4 special school support assistants. The children follow a topic-based curriculum which is modified to take account of their individual learning needs. Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders are taught in ASD-specific classes, and the school is an ASD-friendly environment. We used a structured teaching approach (TEACCH) (Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication handicapped Children) throughout the school.
The staff team includes a certified TEACCH practitioner, a qualified PECS (Picture Exchange Communication System) implementer, a regional Makaton tutor, an Intensive Interaction specialist, and trained PODD (Pragmatic Organisation Dynamic Display) teachers. All staff has regular training including training in ASD strategies. Speech and Language therapy are central to our teaching, and communication targets are set and monitored termly in conjunction with our Speech and Language Therapists who work regularly in the classrooms. The Post-16 Department at the secondary school, has a focus on functional Maths and English, with on and off-site work experience. Paddock pupils work towards ASDAN accreditation.
The Occupational Therapist works alongside teachers to develop, implement and monitor programs for children including Sensory Integration programs and sensory diets.
Our school values came about as a result of consultation with pupils, staff, and governors. The values sit perfectly alongside our Rights Respecting values and our school and class charters, based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Always Innovative:
- Encourage creative thinking and new ideas.
- Reflect on our practice.
- Embrace change.
- Encourage better ways to achieve our goals.
Respect and Show Fairness To All:
- Listen to others' points of view.
- Affirm cultural diversity within the school community.
- Value all members of the school community.
- Acknowledge that all members of the community have rights and should show respect to one another.
The pupils are grouped according to age wherever possible, but other groupings can also be taken into consideration, depending on the needs of the children. Pupils with ASD are taught in autism-specific classes. Each class has up to 9 pupils with one teacher and at least 4 support staff. Pupils have access to secure outside areas for play, trampoline areas, cookery room, gardening area, an interactive sensory room, a soft play- room, an ICT suite, and a hall.
The off-site provision includes Lady Allen Adventure Playground, Putney swimming pool, visits to the local area (e.g. shops), and trips on the Fun Bus. Pupils have individual termly curriculum goals and they are also set targets on their IEPs which address their barriers to learning.
The Secondary School consists of 9 classes and each class has a class teacher and a support staff team. The classes are named after tube lines to reflect our location in London and our pupils' love of the transport system.
In the Key Stage 3 and 4 Departments, the students continue to work from individual programs of identified learning targets, devised to meet their specific educational needs.
A modern foreign language (currently French) is introduced at Key Stage 3, for pupils for whom it is appropriate. Although the structure of the classes and organization of the day is very different at the Secondary level, strategies and teaching methods, which have been used successfully in the Primary Department, for example, PECS and TEACCH, will continue throughout the school.
Separate subject teaching is introduced for some of the classes in the Secondary Department. The students will stay in their classes for some sessions, including English and Maths sessions, Science and Personal, Social, Health Education and Citizenship (P.S.H.E.C.) For other subjects Art & Design, Music, Drama, and Physical Education (P.E.) the students are ability grouped. Some subjects will be taught weekly (P.E., Music, and R.E.), and the others will be taught termly which will be explained in greater detail by individual timetables. Information and Communication Technology (I.C.T.) is taught as an integral part of all subjects and as a separate subject inability Groups.
Paddock Primary School St Margaret's Crescent Putney London SW15 6HL Tel: +44 20 87885648
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