The Integrated Learning Space (ILS) is a unique Specialist School in Islington designed to meet the educational, social, and emotional needs of young people with autism, severe learning difficulties, and challenging behaviors. Our pupils are girls and boys aged from 7 to 19.
The ILS is committed to a philosophy of multi-agency and integrated working. We believe that by utilizing the specialist skills of the team around each young person we can achieve the very best potential outcomes for each student at the school. To deliver this we draw on a range of proven educational and therapeutic programs to teach and enrich the lives of the pupils and their families.
We work closely with our in-house clinical psychologist to deliver comprehensive parental support and staff wellbeing interventions and invest in researching and sharing our practices wherever possible.
Our Vision:
- To support parents to feel confident, understand and manage their children at home and develop their resilience to continue to do so through periods of difficulty
- To continue to support and work with the families of children and young people who are in the residential provision
- To enable young people to return to living at home
- To provide a tailored education appropriate to each building on their strengths, interests, and learning profiles
- To overcome the barriers that pupils face when learning and providing evidence of progress in all areas of the curriculum
Our Mission: "To improve children and young people’s lives through innovative teaching and integrated approaches".
Our core values:
- An understanding of how citizens can influence decision-making through the democratic process
- An understanding that the freedom to hold other faiths and beliefs is protected in law
- An acceptance that people having different faiths or beliefs to oneself (or having none) should be accepted and tolerated, and should not be the cause of prejudicial or discriminatory behavior
- An understanding of the importance of identifying and combating discrimination
The ILS has now moved into its permanent home of Dowrey Street, Islington. This building has been specifically designed for our students and opened in June 2017. For many of our pupil's participation and presence in their local community is a crucial part of their curriculum offer and therefore the learning environment is both in school and outside of it for a significant proportion of our students’ time with us.
The Integrated Learning Space is a unique and exciting provision for pupils with autism and/or severe learning difficulties who may find a special school setting too big and too overwhelming. The smaller groups on offer at the Integrated Learning Space, along with an individualized approach to all learning opportunities, will support the pupils to achieve and evidence progress. Learning will be supported by a high staff number.
The Integrated Learning Space has a broad and balanced curriculum designed to meet the very specific and individual needs of the pupils. The curriculum is designed around a strand-based model with core subject areas. Activities and interventions are broadly grouped by subject area for ease of understanding.
Each pupil has an individualized learning plan addressing the six strands and the modular program, delivered using strategies that are matched to their learning requirements.
Each pupil has an individualized learning plan addressing the six strands and the modular program, delivered using strategies that are matched to their learning requirements.
For some of the pupils attending the ILS, English is an additional language. The curriculum is planned for each individual and where appropriate this is taken into account when determining the educational program to be delivered.
