About Us
Beechcliffe School is a co-educational, generic community special school catering for pupils aged 11 to 19 years who have a wide range of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). In 2020 the school grew in size and location and we have a second site in Thackley for 80 pupils with SEMH needs. The majority of our learners have an Education Heath Care Plan (EHCP) or are on an assessment place awaiting an EHCP.
Beechcliffe Keighley Site moved into a new purpose built building in May 2011. As a purpose built special school we are very proud of the facilities we can offer including the sensory rooms, hydrotherapy pool and the rebound room to name a few.
In order to have a place at Beechcliffe Keighley site a child must have a SLD (Severe learning difficulty) Cognition and Learning need and be functioning well below the attainment levels of their mainstream peers. In addition, some of our pupils have:
- communication and interaction needs. This includes autism.
- Sensory and physical needs including physical difficulties, complex health and medical needs and sensory needs such as visual or hearing impairment.
We have pupils who will spend all of their school life and beyond dependent upon some form of support and help, and others who may progress onto further education and independent living.
Alongside a range of different outdoor facilities, we also have two school allotments which pupils visit and work in on a regular basis. We encourage the pupils to grow different vegetables and when harvested these are used in food technology sessions or sold to parents.
The Keighley site is co-located with The University Academy Keighley (UAK).
In order to be allocated a place on our Thackley site pupils must have a Social Emotional Mental Health need, pupils may have age related cognition and learning requirements or an additional cognition learning need. We have a dedicated team of staff who are skilled, hardworking and committed to developing each individual as a whole child. In addition to our dedicated team, we also have close links with services that support children and families across the city.
We follow a relevant and balanced curriculum that helps children develop emotional resilience, improve their social skills, better understand the world and live confident happy lives.
Although we are a school for KS3 and KS4 pupils, our children belong to a single class group. Our skilled teachers and teaching assistants apply the values and principles of a nurturing culture, positive regard, warmth and understanding alongside structure, high expectations and as focus on achievement and attainment.
Beechcliffe School
Vision, Ethos and Aims.
Our Vision is: 'Safe, Joyful learning' for all.
The school ethos is 'To provide opportunities within a broad and balanced, therapeutic curriculum so that each child can achieve success. We have high aspirations and support individual's to overcome their personal challenges to become rounded individuals socially, emotionally, spiritually, physically and creatively.
Beechcliffe School Values
At our school review April 2021 we identified the following values that were key to our school. These were:
Equality Independence Responsibility Tolerance
Thoughtfulness Friendship Courage Honesty
Empathy Cooperation Positivity Happiness
Patience Care Determination Trust
Freedom to make choices
By having these values at the heart of everything we do then we believe we can achieve our vision of safe Joyful learning for all.
Beechcliffe School Aims and Mission Statement
At Beechcliffe School, our aim is to provide a safe and joyful learning environment that empowers our pupils to reach their intellectual, physical and personal potential, whilst nurturing their self-confidence and self-esteem.
We recognise that:
Each of our pupils is an individual and that all have equal value, irrespective of ability, race, gender, or age.
School Aims
- To give Equal Consideration of Interest to each member of the school community, recognising that all have equal value, but different needs and future paths.
- To ensure safe practice that meets the needs of children’s health, therapy and personal care and SEMH needs.
- To provide an environment that is safe, caring, trusting, friendly, exciting, stimulating, challenging and conducive to learning.
- To pursue innovative approaches to teaching, learning and assessment.
- To provide a broad and balanced, stimulating, enjoyable and diverse curriculum which meets the needs of all our pupils.
- To use Information Communication Technology innovatively to support pupils’ learning and to break down barriers to communication.
- To raise standards of attainment.
- To listen to pupils and enable them to make choices.
- To equip pupils with the skills and necessary knowledge to live as independent a life as possible.
- To encourage our pupils to have respect for themselves and others.
- To encourage pupils to be self-motivated and as far as possible to develop a responsibility for their own learning.
- To encourage a partnership between home and school which respects the central role that parents, carers, and families play in the lives of pupils with SEN and disabilities.
- To work in an open and collaborative manner with all outside agencies.
- To work in an open and collaborative manner with the community, to break down barriers where possible and champion tolerance, inclusion and equality
The School’s Resources
The school has two sites the Keighley site has classrooms to accommodate 144 pupils plus specialist facilities for Food Technology, Music and ICT. It has 2 Sensory rooms and a Therapy Suite for visiting professionals which includes a Pool and Rebound Room. We also have a forest school area on the Keighley site and trained forest school practioners.
Our Thackley site has had two additional classrooms built to enable us to accommodate pupils and offer a broader range of curriculum subjects. This site now has classrooms rooms for 80 pupils, a Nurture room, school gym, MUGA and a dedicated Food Technology room.
We have 5 school mini-buses( currently 3 based on the Keighley site and 2 on the Thackley site) , a range of Outdoor Education equipment, and an extensive range of Information and Communication Technology equipment. The school rents two allotments which are used by all the pupils throughout the year.
The Staff
The staff of the school is made up of a team of an Interim Headteacher, a Head of School on each site, 4 assistant heads 2 based on each site, Teachers, Special Needs Teaching Assistants, Behaviour Support workers and Administrative Staff.
There is also regular input from a Music therapist, Speech and Language Therapist and a Physiotherapist, both of whom work with staff as well as pupils, and who will also give advice to parents and carers.
We have regular contact with the school nursing team and a nurse is on most days for part of the day.
We have a good working relationship with other agencies such as Social Services and Transition Team Workers.