See below some questions, and responses in italics, that have been raised about the new special school for Croydon.
Q1. Will there be a swimming pool? Unfortunately, the new building project does not include a swimming pool.
Q2. Will children from out of the Croydon borough attend the new school? The school is being built to meet the demand in Croydon. However, it may be possible for out of borough children to attend.
Q3. Will there be breakfast clubs and after school clubs? The Principal will engage with the families and young people to determine the clubs that will be offered.
Q4. Is the new school just for children and young people with Autism? The school will also provide for complex learning difficulties.
Q5. Is the planned curriculum at the School geared towards high or low functioning learners? The planned curriculum would be for low functioning learners in core subjects (literacy/numeracy) who have difficulty accessing a mainstream curriculum. This does not mean students wouldn’t have talents in other areas; for example, we would anticipate students may have higher ability in the arts, sport or IT etc.
Q6. What qualification pathways will you be proposing, i.e. functional skills or GCSEs? Qualifications would depend on the profile of each student and would be personalised to their curriculum pathway. This would include entry level qualifications, functional skills, life skills, ASDAN and GCSEs in certain subjects. We would ensure students were engaged, inspired and challenged to be aspirational in their outcomes. The young people attending are more likely to be following a functional skills curriculum.
Q7. Where is the school located? In the first year of operation the school will be located at Canterbury Road Recreation Ground, Croydon, CR0 3HH. From September 2021 the school will be located at our newly constructed site at Field Way, New Addington.
Q8. What time does the school day start and finish? Students should arrive between 8.40 and 8.50am and leave between 2.55 and 3pm. Full details of the school day can be found on the website https://addingtonvalley.org/parents/school-day-2/
Q9. What are the term dates? Term dates can be found on the website https://addingtonvalley.org/parents/term-dates/
Q10. Is there a uniform for pupils? The school uniform is a white polo shirt, black or grey trousers or skirt and a green pullover with the schools logo on it. The polo shirt and trousers/skirt can be purchased for any of the major supermarkets or school uniform providers. The school pullover must be purchased from (details to be made available shortly)
Q11. How will the school support pupils to move on from their primary school? In the spring term the Principal will hold 1:1 meetings with parents to understand how parents think that this transition can be as successful and happy as possible for their child. Also in the spring term, staff will visit pupils at their primary school and meet with their current teachers. A welcome pack will be sent to parents in the summer term containing essential information for all new pupils and parents. There will be an induction day for all parents and children to attend the day before the first full day of school, so that pupils can begin to get to know their classmates and teachers and the layout of the school building.
