Head of Department for a Special School in Croydon

Mission Statement

At St. Giles we are passionate about learning. Our school community includes and values everyone, working together to achieve in a supportive, caring and professional way. Our enthusiasm and positive energy makes St Giles a truly happy and vibrant place to be.

About St Giles School

St. Giles is a community special school, providing education for nursery children and young people with physical disabilities and complex medical needs aged 2-16 across the ability range and for pupils aged 16-19 with profound and multiple learning difficulties.

All pupils have a statement of SEN which includes a degree of learning difficulty and they are admitted at any point in their school career. If appropriate pupils are helped to transfer to mainstream. Almost all leavers at 16 and PMLD pupils at 19 go onto further education. The catchment area includes the whole of Croydon and adjoining boroughs.

St Giles Nursery is part of the Croydon Local Offer for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and has places for 12-part time or 6 full time nursery children aged over two with identified needs under the Croydon commissioning arrangements.

Pupils with PMLD aged 16-19 can remain at St Giles in the Further Education Unit for pupils.

History

The first St. Giles’ School opened in 1925 and was sited in Thornton Heath. In 1933 the school moved to Featherbed Lane, Addington. Since 1977 it has been housed in its current purpose-built accommodation in Pampisford Road.

Accommodation

St Giles is a single-storey, accessible building. The main building is divided into two main sections on different levels linked by a ramped corridor. The upper level contains the reception area, administration offices, staff room, sensory rooms and 3 classrooms. From here you come to the hall and school kitchen, swimming pool and bases for the Physiotherapists, Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists and Nursing Team.

The lower level contains Early Years, Primary and Secondary classroom areas. There is also a library and specialist rooms for Music and DT.

In the grounds there is a single storey modular build which contains the nursery class and an additional Lower Department class. Both have large classrooms and smaller rooms for individual or small group work. The building has a hygiene room with changing beds and additional toilets.

Welfare facilities such as toilets and staffrooms can be found throughout the building. Please speak to your class teacher to confirm the allocated toilets and staffrooms for your class.

The school is set in its own grounds with a variety of recreation areas available for different learners and different needs.

Specialist facilities include:

❖ Hygiene rooms with hoists and changing beds ❖ Hydrotherapy pool ❖ Trampoline for Rebound therapy ❖ Dark sensory room ❖ Light sensory room ❖ Hall ❖ A creative resource and learning space ❖ Creative therapy room

Staffing

The school staff includes teachers, teaching assistants, pupil care and support assistants supported by administration, catering, premises management, swimming, technical and cleaning staff.

All school staff are specially trained to become experts in working with pupils with a wide range of learning difficulties, physical disabilities, complex medical needs, complex speech and language difficulties, visual and hearing impairments and sensory issues.

Pupils are grouped in small classes of 6-10 pupils. Class size is dependent on pupils’ ages and learning needs with a very high level of staffing to support their learning and access needs.

There are three departments: Lower school – Nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 Middle school – Years 3-6 Upper school – Years 7-14