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1. Prior's Court School
The kinds of special educational needs that are provided for:
Prior's Court School is an independent special school focussing on meeting the
needs of children and young people from 5 to 20 with complex autism and
moderate to severe learning difficulties. Based in Berkshire, students come from
Local Authorities across the UK.
Prior's Court was set up in 1999 by Dame Stephanie Shirley, an IT entrepreneur
and mother of an autistic son who wanted to create the school she wished had
been available when her son was young.
Some young people at Prior's Court may have other medical conditions or
additional needs such as epilepsy or ADHD. Some young people may exhibit
challenging behaviours. Many students are non-verbal, pre-verbal or have limited
functional language. Academically, the majority of students are working below
national curriculum levels. Prior's Court School has a levelling system that
replaces 'P levels' and focuses on 'I Can statements'.
The school is largely residential with weekly and termly placements over 38, 44
or 52 weeks of the year; there are also a limited number of day places.