Provision

With planned places for 395 students aged 5 – 19 years Stockton Borough First Federation is one of the largest special school provisions in the U.K.

We cater for both complex and behavioural needs, and as a federation meet the needs of 90% of children and young people with learning difficulties in Stockton Borough.

Each school has its own area of expertise. Abbey Hill caters for children and young people with a wide range of special, and often complex, needs. This includes students with profound and multiple learning difficulties who often have complex medical needs, developmentally young students with challenging behaviours who are often on the autistic spectrum, students with a range of syndromes such as Down Syndrome and Cerebral Palsy, students with moderate learning difficulties of whom a large majority suffer from socio-economic disadvantages, and anxious/phobic students who come to us with mental health problems such as anorexia and self-harming with some having suffered bullying and abuse.

Westlands expertise is working with students who have behavioural, emotional and social difficulties (BESD).  BESD describes pupils with low-self-esteem and confidence who have difficulties in concentration, learning and communicating which negatively affects their behaviour.  We work with these students both individually and in groups to raise their self-belief and expectations, breaking down these barriers to learning, enabling them to achieve their full potential.  We use a range of strategies both inside and outside the classroom and provide support for their families at home.

We differentiate the content and the way we deliver the content of the formally taught national curriculum subjects so they are relevant and accessible to all our students. We also differentiate the broader aspects of the curriculum such as educational visits to ensure they are meaningful for all our students.