Please e-mail office@oakley.kent.sch.uk if you would like any of the information on our website in a different format.
Our children and young people are at the heart of everything we do.
A very warm welcome to Oakley School. We are the district Special School for children and young people from 3 to 19 years with a wide range of special educational needs located in our Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge (post-16) sites
Our Mission: Children and Young People at the heart of all we do.
Our Ethos: Work Hard, Be Kind, Have Fun & Stay Safe
Our Vision: To give all our children and young people opportunities to engage, explore, discover and develop their independence – to become confident, resilient, happy and well prepared for a positive and meaningful future.
At Oakley School we are ambitious for our pupils and offer a rich Creative Curriculum that is personalised and offers learning in school as well as in the community. Our skilled and dedicated staff team work very hard to make learning motivating, interactive, challenging and fun, whilst ensuring that all our children and young people feel safe, valued and self-confident. We promote “Skills for Life and Independence” so that when pupil leave Oakley School they are prepared for the next phase in their lives and have the best opportunities.
Pupils' wellbeing and engagement is central to all our decision making and how we structure our school and the interventions we use.
Our Wider Curriculum offers excellent enrichment activities including: lunch and after school clubs, curriculum trips and residential experiences in the United Kingdom and abroad. These opportunities provide pupils time and experiences to develop their life skills in new places and with different people in preparation for their next steps.
We work collaboratively across our school community with our Families, Therapists, NHS Colleagues and other professionals and external organisations to support and meet the needs of our pupils.
We hope that you enjoy your visit to our website, and that you find the information you are looking for. Please feel free to contact the school directly with any queries you may have. If you would like a paper copy of any of the information on our website, we would be happy to provide it, free of charge. Email office@oakley.kent.sch.uk
or call us on 01892 823096.
It is my privilege to be the Headteacher at Oakley School and we welcome you to visit the school so you can meet pupils and staff to experience our very special school.
Sam Perryman
Headteacher
Oakley School works collaboratively with the Local Authority within the district to meet the needs of children and young people who have an Education, Health & Care Plan (EHCP). However, it is the Local Authority who has the statutory responsibility for arranging provision for children and young people with Education, Health & Care Plans (EHCPs). For more information about the KCC Local Offer, please click here.
An explanation of the process of applying for a school place is available through the local authority and details are on their website: www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/school-places
There are admissions criteria for each special school that are applied in order to determine if a particular special school would be a suitable placement. A link to the admissions criteria for Kent special schools is as follows but our buildings present accessibility issues which means that unfortunately we cannot admit pupils with profound learning difficulties.
The named officer in the relevant Area Education Office explains the arrangements for admission to parents and carers as part of the statutory assessment process or as part of any school transition process but further advice is available directly from the Area Offices:
Area | Telephone No. | |
East Kent (Swale, Canterbury, Thanet) | 03000 421160 | |
West Kent (Maidstone, Tonbridge & Malling, Tunbridge Wells) | 03000 420997 | |
North Kent (Dartford, Gravesend, Sevenoaks) | 03000 419345 |
Most of our pupils move through the school on our Tunbridge Wells site and transfer to our Tonbridge site at the end of Year 10 to join Phase 4. Some children and young people may also join us from mainstream or other special schools at Year 7 and some young people join Oakley for just Phase 4. Our classes are organised by children and young people's learning needs within our Phases. All pupils must have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) to join Oakley School.