At Addington Valley Academy we specialise in providing a high quality learning environment, curriculum and specialist support for students with autism, and a range of complex needs. We recognise that children and young people with autism have a range of other needs; including social communication, cognitive, sensory and social, emotional and behavioural. Our new school and its staff, have the expertise to support these students and our curriculum enables them to reach their own, personalised goals.

Our vision for Addington Valley Academy is to provide a positive environment where children and young people access specialist support so that they can learn and achieve.

Our vision is to enable all students to develop their:

Well-being

Communication

Independence

Achievement

Our offer is divided into three pathways, reflecting the differing needs of our students. Our pathways cater for our most vulnerable and complex students as well as students who are able to access school and life a little more independently. We ensure we are flexible and able to meet our students’ needs; rather than making students fit out curriculum.

Our curriculum is based upon the Equals Curriculum www.equals.co.uk; this offers formal, semi-formal, informal and pre-formal curriculums which our teachers adapt to meet the needs of their pupils.  We ensure pupils are regularly observed and assessed for progress within the 5 Areas of Engagement, to guarantee our curriculum is meeting their needs and developing their learning skills. 

Our specialist provision and curriculum is underpinned by a communication and positive behaviour-based model and supports our learners to access the core and wider curriculum and understand their world. Our vision for Addington Valley Academy is to provide a positive environment where children and young people access specialist support so that they can learn and achieve. Personalised targets are devised from individual long term EHCP outcomes, as such, all learning is carefully planned from 6th Form to early years; ensuring that pupils make good progress and leave with the skills and independence that is required for their next steps. 

Through the joint working of well trained and experienced staff and therapists, the school is able to provide an environment that recognises the difficulties autism can present; we then support students in overcoming their barriers. The school promotes and supports the development of independence, self-esteem and confidence for each young person. 

We teach through a thematic approach with all students accessing learning through half termly topics.  More information can be found in our Key Stage pages. 

Our general approach involves: 

• A high level of structure 
• Low arousal environment with clearly defined areas for group and individual work 
• Visual strategies 
• Embedded therapeutic support and approaches from specialist SALT and OT. 
• Specific communication programmes 

• Positive behaviour support 
• Person-centred learning 
• Specialised curriculum which is delivered in a ‘pathway’ model – this means our curriculums meet the needs of our pupils, we do not expect our pupils to ‘adapt’ to access our curriculum. 
• Provide real life learning opportunities within a framework that is flexible, safe and responsive to individual needs 
• Enable and empower children and young people to identify and work towards their personal aspirations and their long term, EHCP outcomes. 

Pathways 

Our offer is divided into three pathways, reflecting the differing needs of our ASD/SLD (Severe Learning Difficulties) cohort. It caters for our most vulnerable and complex pupils to pupils who are able to access school and life a little more independently. 

Personalised curriculums are devised from individual long term EHCP outcomes, as such, all learning is carefully planned from 6th Form to early years; ensuring that pupils make good progress and leave with the skills and independence that is required for their next steps, post Addington Valley Academy. 

Therapy Input 

We embed therapy within the curriculum and learning environment; ensuring therapy provision is constant and relevant to our pupils. While pupils will receive their allocated therapy input, as per their EHCP, we believe that an embedded therapy model ensures that all staff are carrying out therapy in every interaction and teaching opportunity that they engage in. 

Therapies: 

• Speech and Language 
• Occupational Therapy 
• Drama Therapy 
• Music Therapy 
• Lego Therapy 
• Canine Assisted Therapy

More information can be found in our Teaching and Learning Policy.

If you require further information regarding our curriculum offering and the planned outcomes, please contact Anna Huzzey – Vice Principal, Head of Primary ahuzzey@addingtonvalley.org for Primary and Joe Shepherd – Vice Principal, Head of Secondary jshepherd@addingtonvalley.org for Secondary and Sixth Form