Our residential care services at Unsted Park School and Sixth Form support young people aged 11-19 years with autism. This is term-time only and mostly weekly boarding.
We provide a safe, homely and nurturing environment where young people are empowered to develop and progress.
Improved outcomes for residential learners
The residential care staff help young people to access and engage with education, working closely with the school and sixth form staff teams to provide integrated care that gives each child the best possible chance to succeed. A consistent approach to supporting young people is taken across our residential care, school and sixth form, with staff working together as a multidisciplinary team and extending our positive impact.
The wrap-around care we offer means that the young people in our residential care typically achieve greater progress in their social and emotional learning. They also consistently attain improved outcomes in terms of building independence and life skills.
With minimal travelling time between home and school, transitions are simpler and anxiety is minimised for our learners. This can lead to improvements in educational attendance and the service has been particularly beneficial for those young people who have previously refused to attend school.
Our residential care services also offer respite care for families of current pupils, with the added reassurance that they will be supported by staff they are familiar with, and will spend time with a community of their peers. This is pre-arranged in formal agreement with the Local Authority and parents.
A wide range of activities
The children and young people are actively encouraged to follow interests and hobbies, and have access to a wide range of activities both on-site and in the community. These are positive life experiences that encourage hobbies and interests, as well as broadening horizons.
Activities are tailored to the individual interests and goals of each young person that we support. Those currently provided on-site include swimming, football, barbeques, den building and cooking. Our young people participate in a range of activities off-site including horse-riding, kayaking, dance classes, football training and cadets. There are also group activities such as bowling, meals out and visits to water parks, theme parks and the cinema.
We know that our young people need support to develop the everyday life skills that enable independence, which is why children learn in the community, building confidence and social skills in a safe and supported way. We provide activities tailored to each individual including work experience, travel training and shopping (including planning and budgeting). The young people studying for GCSEs and A Levels benefit from a Homework Club that encourages and supports study at home.
Improved outcomes
Young people in our residential care often achieve better outcomes and we are proud that most recent residential leavers have transitioned to further or higher education. To view our latest case studies, please click here