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A specialist Stoke-on-Trent school is celebrating after winning a national award and receiving an outstanding Ofsted report for the second time. Inspectors said that pupils at Aurora Hanley, a specialist independent school for young people with autism, are ‘extremely well cared for’ and follow a ‘highly ambitious curriculum’.
The Bucknall school picked up the Learning award at the Children & Young People Now Awards for its Feel Good Friday initiative, which was also praised by Ofsted. This sees pupils choose from a range of leisure activities such as horse riding, raft building, a pond eco-project, film making, music and glass making to help them gain confidence and independence.
The Bucknall school has 78 pupils aging from six to 19, including eight pupils in the sixth form. Pupils – some of whom have been out of education for a significant period of time or had poor attendance at their previous school – attend from six local authorities including Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Staffordshire as well as Stoke-on -Trent.
READ: Staff and pupils celebrate as Stoke-on-Trent school no longer ‘requires improvement’
Ofsted inspectors found that pupils were ‘delighted’ to come to the school, where staff have ‘extremely high aspirations’ for them. They also praised the school’s gardening area – which recently produced an ‘enormous’ pumpkin which was used for cake and soup – and the emphasis placed on reading.
The report states: “Pupils are delighted to come to this school where they feel safe and valued. They thoroughly enjoy the calm atmosphere of the small, welcoming classrooms.
“Pupils are extremely well cared for. Staff value the uniqueness of every person in school, whether they are pupils, other members of staff or leaders. Adults are highly trained and know exactly how to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
“Pupils say that incidents of bullying are extremely rare. Staff sort things out if this occurs. Pupils are taught excellent manners and behave exceptionally well. The mutual respect between pupils and staff shines through.
“Pupils thrive during the frequent opportunities to widen their horizons with new experiences in different places. Staff have extremely high aspirations for pupils. They help them to reach their potential.”
Principal Tracy Whitehurst said: “I’m incredibly proud of our Hanley family. It’s very special to be recognised for the amazing work that goes on every day here.
“Feel Good Friday prepares pupils for long-term success by raising aspirations, confidence, resilience and promoting positive mental health. It acts to strengthen relationships and enables them to practise social skills and learn how to cope with unstructured activities, making choices about what they enjoy and how they wish to spend their time. It also makes links to further education and employment.”
Parent Joanne Rodger, who has three children at the school, said her eldest daughter Lily had benefitted from taking part in a drama project with the New Vic Theatre. She said: “Having a feel good Friday activity where she got back up on stage and acted with staff support gave her so much confidence back.
“She spoke in front of an audience she didn’t know. This was a massive achievement for her. This has been a really big milestone in improving her mental health and self confidence.”
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