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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 residential special school focussing on
meeting the needs of autistic children and young people with moderate to
severe learning disabilities and complex needs, aged 5 to 20. 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 uses it's own Prior's Court
Learning Framework, a levelling system of academic progress that 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.
How will I know if my child/young person needs extra help or has special
educational needs?
As Prior's Court is an
autism-specific
school, all young
people will have a
diagnosis of autism
(or may be awaiting
a diagnosis) and an
Education Health
and Care (EHC) Plan.
To identify if the
school could meet a
young person's
needs, the
Practitioner Panel
first looks at reports
(such as Education
Health and Care
Plan, Annual Review documents, and reports from specialists). Following this, an
assessment of the young person is arranged with parents/carers and the local
authority. The assessment usually takes place at Prior's Court School and is
undertaken by senior lead practitioners with significant experience and members
of the multi-disciplinary team where appropriate.