Our school offer
Our aim is to provide pupils with a range of opportunities so that they can reach their full potential.
Redefining education
We redefine education by seamlessly integrating three essential pillars: education, therapy and futures. We don't just educate; we nurture support and propel our pupils towards a future where their potential knows no bounds. Join us on a transformative journey, where education extends beyond textbooks, therapy and nurtures resilience, and futures are shaped with purpose and promise.
Education
We foster an excitement and a love of learning in our pupils by following the national curriculum. Our curriculum and tasks set are challenging yet achievable, enabling children and young people to grow in confidence and prepare for life beyond the classroom. We also provide enrichment activities through educational visits and field trips to support and enhance learning experiences.
With a backdrop of our small class sizes, with no more than nine pupils per class, each child and young person receives a bespoke curriculum tailored to their needs, which is fully integrated with our social development programme.
Our commitment to a well-rounded education includes a focus on social development. Through activities that promote collaboration, friendship, social interaction, and teamwork, pupils build essential interpersonal skills. These experiences help them develop communication, empathy, and the ability to work well with others. By developing friendships and a sense of community, children and young people learn to value diverse perspectives and support one another, creating a positive and inclusive learning environment that strengthens their social growth.
The results speak for themselves as young people leave us with nationally recognised outcomes at a level that is right for them, ranging from entry-level certificates to functional skills, BTECs and GCSEs. This equips them to confidently take their next steps into further education, apprenticeships or employment.
Our outstanding offer
We provide unique learning opportunities for our pupils to help them engage with learning so that they can develop skills and grow in confidence to become proud members of our school community.
For some young people with special educational needs a residential boarding placement can offer the right balance of education, support and stability that will then allow them to make rapid academic progress and develop socially.
The young person will attend the school as a day pupil, benefiting from the expertise and support we offer whilst the residential offer provides a warm and welcoming environment that allows for the development of positive relationships with peers and adults. The dedicated staff team create a family atmosphere where shared experiences provide opportunities for personal development and a sense of belonging.
Our young people live in our boarding houses and return to their home setting on a weekly, fortnightly or termly basis.
Our strong ethos and co-ordinated approach sees school and boarding staff work closely with parents and carers to enable each child or young person to develop into confident, independent and ambitious young adults.
The approach has a strong focus on enriching each young person’s social and communication skills which enables them to make friends, engage in new activities and experiences, and move forward with an ambition to discover and learn. The school and boarding staff teams both support and positively challenge each young person to widen their scope of life experiences and encourage them to experiment and undertake fresh challenge, which ultimately results in them improving their knowledge, skills and ability. Every pupil is guided by experienced and empathetic professionals who will be able to plan and adapt to ensure pupils achieve and succeed.
We aim to provide pupils with opportunities so that they can reach milestones in education and make progress with their emotional wellbeing and social development. The teaching, support and clinical staff team at Cedar House are an integral part of reaching this aim, as the expertise and drive of our professionals ensure pupils access a range of programmes so that they can flourish and enjoy learning in our inspiring environment.
We have officially partnered with the Johan Cruyff Foundation, which was set up by one of the world’s greatest sporting icons. The aim of the organisation is to support and develop sports activities for children and young people all over the world.
The school’s state of the art Cruyff Court, is an all-weather pitch which supports small group sports, including football, basketball, volleyball and netball, and an additional grassed field area. The aim of the space is where pupils can grow, make friends and improve their mental health.
Pupils who are identified as needing additional emotional and social support have the opportunity to attend the school’s Nurture Group.
The dedicated classroom is managed by the school’s specialist teacher in autism and supported by highly trained teaching assistants who work collaboratively with the SEN Co-ordinator, Speech & Language Therapist and Occupational Therapist.
The team of experts provide combined input, ensuring that the needs and sensory diets of pupils are catered for so that they can self-regulate, resulting in pupils making progress socially and emotionally.
The carefully structured setting steadily helps our pupils to transition back into their class and the time spent in the nurture group allows them to rejoin their peers with confidence.
The strong sense of community of our Lower School helps with the development of positive relationships with peers, teaching and support staff that subsequently allows pupils to grow in confidence in a safe space where they feel accepted.
The Lower School is staffed by an established and highly experienced team, enabling each child to fully access the curriculum and benefit from opportunities for enrichment. The close relationship between the school’s therapy team and teaching staff, where they work in partnership within a classroom environment, sees the delivery of occupational therapy and speech and language therapy becoming far more individualised and focused on each pupil’s needs.
The Lower School offer includes:
Specialist Teacher and Teaching Assistant in each class
Communication development programmes
High consideration of sensory needs and appropriate equipment and support
Emphasis on developing resilience and self confidence in all areas
Ethos to ensure each pupil develops enthusiasm and a passion for learning
Engaging, vibrant classrooms
Highly resourced ICT provision and interactive learning resources
The school’s vocational offer enhances the teaching and learning experience of our pupils studying at Key Stage 4, by providing opportunities that equips them with vocational skills for life. A wide range of courses and accreditations present experiences and opportunities that will assist them in life beyond school and in future employment.
The highly equipped areas are taught by teachers who have industry experience, allowing our pupils to gain real insights and resulting in them having high levels of confidence, independence and enthusiasm to succeed in their chosen next steps. The offer also allows for increased levels of positive engagement between pupils and staff, thus resulting in raised aspirations and career goals.
The vocational offer includes the following subjects:
Hair and Beauty – the onsite working salon offer appointments for nails, hair and facials
Child Development
Health and Social Care
Construction
Horticulture
Land Based Studies
Catering and Hospitality
Pupils at Key Stage 3 can enjoy taster sessions so that they too can start planning for their future careers.
In addition, our rural location enables easy access to areas for outdoor pursuits, environmental studies and conservation work. We also have a Small Animal Care area that supports land based studies programme and a polytunnel for pupils to cultivate produce.
Therapy
Our on-site Clinical Team provide pupils with unrivalled levels of therapeutic support, in terms of the level of expertise, the ratio of qualified therapists and clinicians to children and young people, and the range of therapies offered. Pupils have the support of our Psychiatrists, Psychologists, Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists and other specialists as required.
We believe that unless a child or young person is able to feel emotionally safe and secure, they are less likely to fulfil their personal, social and educational potential. Our unique approach to supporting young people through our Wave Model enables them to go on to realise a future filled with aspiration and achievement.
Cedar House School's Clinical Team complete thorough and skilled assessments that support a shared understanding of the complex needs we see in our children and young people. This enables us to put purposeful and appropriate interventions in place and assess our effectiveness through the tracking of outcomes and impact.
Futures
At Cedar House School we are dedicated to raising the aspirations of our pupils, while also equipping them with the skills and confidence to realise outstanding outcomes.
The Futures programme inspires and connects pupils with their next steps beyond education, utilising a growing network of over 350 employer partnerships, including the likes of Microsoft, Mercedes and John Lewis, to provide outstanding experiences of the workplace and ongoing opportunities and support.
Our Futures sessions provide practical guidance on job applications, confidence-building, networking, and workplace expectations, giving children and young people the tools to navigate their career paths with clarity. Complementing this, our Futures curriculum enriches academic growth while developing personal development and career readiness, ensuring they are prepared for their chosen paths. With no upper age limit on support, the programme boasts a 100% success rate in transitioning students into education, employment, or training.