Broomhayes School and Children's Centre is an independent residential and day school for children and young people with autism, offering flexible support all year round. The school was founded in 1985 and is managed by The National Autistic Society.
Our school is set in spacious, well-established grounds on the outskirts of the seaside town of Bideford in North Devon, making it easy for us to participate in community life.
We provide high quality education and care for children and young people with autism aged 12 to 23 in a specialist 24-hour, safe and secure learning environment. We also provide outreach and overnight short breaks for young people not attending the school.
We have a new post-16 college which combines the latest technology with elegant purpose-built design to create an environment perfectly tailored to the needs of young adults with autism.
The school is able to provide a consistent and structured approach throughout the day which helps students feel less anxious in order to facilitate learning. Our emphasis is on supporting young people to fulfil their potential - by developing vocation and life skills that will facilitate a successful transition into adult life - and integration into the community.
The strength of the service is a strong child-focused approach towards meeting individual needs through highly individual placement plans. Staff are very respectful of young people and are highly sensitive in the way they meet individual needs on a day to day basis. The quality of care is outstanding and young people make significant progress.
Ofsted, 2011
The school ethos has clear aims to:
- realise and maximise the potential of young people with autism and complex needs
- support young people to achieve their aspirations
- enable young people to live as independently as possible
- develop the self-esteem of young people with autism and complex needs
- ensure all young people have regular opportunities to experience success
- facilitate successful transition to adult life and the local community.