Portfield's personalised autism curriculum praised by OFSTED
In an OFSTED report this month, Portfield School has been praised for its outstanding approach to addressing the very special educational and care needs of its students on the autism spectrum.
Portfield School, in Parley Lane, Christchurch, achieved the ‘outstanding’ rating in a range of outcomes and was praised for making “exceptionally good progress” since it was last inspected in 2006.
The school caters for around 60 students aged from 4 to 19, all of whom have autism as well as a range of learning difficulties. It operates a personalised curriculum which was praised by OFSTED as being “underpinned by a good curriculum policy and detailed, effective planning from the early years to young adulthood.”
The report went on to say “Teachers have an extensive knowledge and experience of working with autistic students, supplemented effectively by expert professional development and appropriate outside agencies.” In particular the report notes that Early Years students are provided with “firm foundations for their social and educational development and make good progress” and that an outstanding feature of the learning activities for students across the school is “the very strong focus on addressing individual students’ social and emotional needs.”
It is a result Head Teacher Janis Rogers was particularly pleased with. She commented; “Children on the autism spectrum find social and emotional understanding and development a particular challenge, yet it is so important to their future happiness and successful cohesion within society. It is an area which, for our students, deserves special attention and I am extremely proud that Portfield has been recognised as outstanding in this area.”
The report goes on to praise the school for its ‘exemplary’ or outstanding practice in a number of other areas including; liaising with other schools in order to provide inclusion opportunities for students and the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of students, especially the moral guidance given to older students.
Head Teacher, Janis Rogers was also pleased that the report recognised the highly skilled staff team at the school when it states; “Staff demonstrate exemplary practice in engaging students in their learning and are endlessly flexible in adapting to the sensory, social and emotional requirements and challenges of each individual.” She said “I am delighted that the hard work and dedication of the staff has been acknowledged in such a positive way, the whole team has worked so hard over the last 3 years to move the school forward and it is this hard work that has resulted in such a positive OFSTED report.”
Portfield offers a purpose built residential boarding facility to some of its students and was praised by OFSTED for its “remarkably integrated approach across the care and education settings”, with several of the national minimum care standards not just being met but ‘exceeded’. The report notes that “Residential students receive an exceptionally high standard of individualised care from a skilled, committed and inspiring group of staff.”
The school benefits from a newly built, state of the art leisure and therapy pool, as well as purpose built sensory rooms and play equipment which facilitate the complex sensory needs of children with autism.
