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many years of experience of autism best practice and, among other qualifications,
are proud to be Advanced Level Consultant Trainers in the TEACCH methodology,
which is at the heart of the school's autism approach and best practice.
Because Prior's Court uses a Waking Day curriculum, learning taking place
in the education day as well as during first thing in the morning, evenings and
weekends. There is a strong commitment to ensuring that Wellbeing and
Learning teams work closely together with shared goals and careful planning to
make learning consistent for the young people.
The Learning and Wellbeing departments are supported throughout 52
weeks of the year by an experienced operational leadership team and on-site
multi-disciplinary and therapeutic professionals including Speech & Language
Therapists; Occupational Therapists; a Positive Behaviour Support team; Nurses;
and specialist teachers focussing on Numeracy, Literacy, IT, outdoor learning and
physical exercise as well as vocational instructors to develop skills in areas such as;
Horticulture; Animal Husbandry; Catering & Hospitality; Digital Skills; and
Business Studies, and in an industry-standard commercial bakery. A Music
Therapist is employed, and additional therapists are contracted in to provide
sessions when identified as a need.
There is a strong focus on training to ensure that all staff are appropriately trained
to create a consistent team to support the young people.
As structured teaching is a core element of our approach, a strong emphasis is
placed on training staff in this area, to ensure consistency and best practice. Staff
also attend regular TEACCH training sessions run by the University of North
Carolina at Prior's Court. See section 7 of this document for further details.
Governance:
Prior's Court School is managed by Prior's Court Foundation, a registered nonprofit
making charity dedicated to building a future for people with autism
through its three services: the School, a Young Adult Provision and a Learning
and Development Centre (for spreading autism best practice). The school and the
charity are governed by a board of trustees who meet quarterly as a full board
with a series of sub-committees. The board includes parent and staff appointed
advisors/ representatives.
How does the school know how effective its provision is:
The School is inspected and monitored by Ofsted. Inspection reports are
available from the website or from the school's reception. We received a "Good"
rating in our most recent full Ofsted Care Inspection (2022) and an "Outstanding"
rating in the most recent Education Ofsted inspection (2022).