Satellite School - The Bridge Trust

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Safeguarding

Welcome

The Satellite School is a special needs school for children and young people with autism as their primary area of need. We are based in Islington, North London and we have a primary and a secondary school located on two separate sites. Students attending the school all have an Education, Health and Care Plan and can access a modified National Curriculum. Our students require support with social communication and interaction, problem solving, anxiety, functional skills, and other areas related to their diagnosis.

At the Satellite School we nurture active minds; our students are encouraged to achieve their full academic potential and their wellbeing is at the heart of all we do. They will develop confidence in their personal, social and emotional skills equipping them to make a positive contribution in society. Students and their families are central to our school community and we encourage positive partnerships between the two.

Rosie Whur, Headteacher

Satellite Primary

The Satellite Primary School will be renovated in 2023. Whilst the Satellite Primary School is being renovated, we can currently offer a Key Stage 2 provision (Year 3, 4, 5 & 6). We will re-open our Key Stage 1 (Year 1 & 2) provision on completion of our renovation. Once renovations are completed the school will have spacious classrooms, smaller group rooms, a therapy room and a sensory room. The Satellite Primary School is co-located with Hungerford School and The Bridge Primary site. We have separately timetabled access to their indoor halls, computer suite, hydrotherapy pool for swimming lessons, library and playgrounds.

Satellite Secondary

The Satellite Secondary School renovation has been completed. Our secondary school currently offers a Key Stage 3 provision (Year 7, 8 & 9). In September 2023 we will open Key Stage 4 (Year 10 & 11) and in September 2024 will open Sixth Form. The secondary school has modern spacious classrooms, smaller group rooms, a therapy room, a relaxation room, and a multipurpose space. Our school is co-located with City of London Academy, Highgate Hill and we have separately timetabled access to their PE halls, food technology room, science laboratory and dining hall.

Our Approach

At The Satellite School we use autism friendly best practice and a school wide Positive Behaviour Support approach. This is linked to our school values where students are learning to keep themselves and others safe, to build their independence and resilience. We use a three-tiered framework to support our students to overcome challenges and to learn well.

All students benefit from our Tier 1 support:

Autism-specific strategies including visual supports used consistently across the school; clear and consistent routines, work systems, schedules.
Small group learning and keyworkers to support students’ academic and social and emotional wellbeing.
Programmes which focus on developing social communication skills, friendships, emotional wellbeing, self-regulation, and understanding autism.
Restorative practice to support students to both reflect and sustain friendships and relationships.
A structured positive reward system that recognises and reinforces all their efforts and achievements, academically and socially/emotionally.

Tier 2 support for some students:

Individualised positive behaviour support guidelines.
1:1 or small-group interventions academic and/or to develop social communication or support emotional needs.
Support from additional services where needed.

Tier 3 Support for some students:

Individualised positive behaviour support plan.
Individualised reward or positive reinforcement system.
1:1 support to develop emotional regulation skills.
Support from the school’s family support worker.
Support from additional services where needed.

Our Curriculum

We aim for all our students to become safe, independent and resilient learners. Our key driver has been firmly rooted in the cohort of our school, who require a carefully planned curriculum with a holistic approach. We recognise that our students need to develop their personal and social skills, to value themselves, and to develop aspirations for their future and for their community.

The curriculum at The Satellite School reflects the vision and values of our school. It is a flexible, knowledge led and skills engaged framework designed to accommodate the varying learning needs of our students. It provides our students with opportunities for enjoyment and achievement through a broad and rich curriculum matched to ability, interest and individual needs. We believe that at all stages of development learning should be structured and stimulating, enjoyable, and a worthwhile experience in its own right.

We recognise that adjustments to the National Curriculum are often needed to suit the learning of our students. As such we deliver a modified National Curriculum that is underpinned by the Core Satellite Curriculum (CSC). Our curriculum has been developed and is supported by a multi-disciplinary team of teachers, speech and language therapists, and occupational therapists with the aim of promoting generalisation of skills.

The CSC comprises of the following four strands:

Communication and interaction.
Social understanding and relationships.
Emotional understanding and self-awareness.
Independence and community participation.

The CSC Strands evolved from an understanding of the key areas of support that students with social communication differences require that are not sufficiently addressed in the National Curriculum.

We recognise that differences in these areas are the most significant barriers to learning for our students. Therefore, whilst National Curriculum subjects are taught discretely, the CSC strand targets will be addressed both discretely through specific timetabled interventions, as well as integrated into all aspects of the school day. Our curriculum prepares our students to make a successful transition into adulthood with the confidence and the necessary skills to live as independently as possible and participate in their local community.