Biology Teacher

Malden Oaks is a  specialist, and innovative SEMH provision for up to 150 Kingston and Richmond students aged 11-19 who benefit from an alternative approach to mainstream education.

We provide a safe and stimulating environment where students of all abilities are encouraged to have high aspirations and to develop self-confidence and positive relationships.  We are a specialist provision and, as such, we understand the complexities of circumstances that result in students unable to cope, or stay, within mainstream schools.

We offer a broad and balanced curriculum with a wide choice of GCSEs and A Levels taught by specialist subject teachers. This mirrors the curriculum taught in mainstream schools and colleges, in the expectation and hope that our students will be able to return to this setting, when the time is right.

We are proud of our excellent academic results, which evidence the progress that students can make when provided with appropriate and tailored support, but those results are only part of the picture of what we do.  Alongside the formal taught curriculum, we provide an inspiring outdoor and Duke of Edinburgh programme to allow students to develop in a wider sense, especially in terms of their social and commuication skills.

All aspects of our work are underpinned by our '4 As' resilience programme. Students are provided with opportunities to develop their Altruism (helping others), their Autonomy (taking control of their own learning), their Attachment (forming positive relationships) and their Achievement (doing their best). This is an evidence-based approach which draws on the growth mindset philosophy and the idea that anything we can't do, we just can't do YET.

We see all behaviour as a communication and therefore adopt a 'needs-based' response to situations. Rather than impose sanctions we will seek to identify the most appropriate provision for students, to support their needs at that moment in time. We recently received accreditation as an 'Attachment and Trauma-informed school' and we found that the principles of this approach were very much aligned with our own.

Alongside the school we run a tuition service for students who are unable to attend school due to ill health or other individual circumstances. Tuition takes place at home, in the community, or at our dedicated tuition centre staffed by qualified teachers and specialist subject teachers to ensure that students benefit from the expertise we have across the school.

Our MOOT projects are designed to support mainstream schools by providing them with an outreach service that benefits from our expertise with students who are at risk of disengaging from education.  These projects seek to re-enthuse students before they get to a point of disillusionment.  Our MOOT team also provides schools with specialist networks and training to enable them to benefit from some of the skills / techniques that we have built up and developed as specialists in SEMH education.

Malden Oaks is constantly evolving to meet the increasing demand for our provision: In September 2021, we opened a new post-16 centre. This enables post 16 students to follow GCSE and/or A Level courses, in a small setting that can meet their specific needs. These typically include one or more of: SEMH, Autism, Speech and Language and Dyslexia. The students benefit from being taught by staff who combine subject expertise with specialisms in these areas of special need.

Our website includes lots of information about our specialist offer and our outcomes, but the best testimonials are from our students and parents who tell us how Malden Oaks has transformed their lives.   Please also see our video below for a further insight into the ethos of our school.