Our Universal Offer

Welcome to our School

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

Our Universal Offer

At Oakley, we are committed to embedding trauma-informed, neuro-affirming practice across our school and ensure it permeates through every aspect of school life. All pupils at Oakley School receive a differentiated curriculum tailored to their individual needs and EHCP outcomes and targets. This is delivered through our Universal Offer, which every family can expect their child(ren) to receive.

Some pupils may also require targeted or specialist support, including interventions and therapies such as: Occupational Therapy (OT), Speech and Language Therapy (SALT), Physiotherapy, Music Therapy, Play Therapy and Counselling.

A specialist learning environment, designed to meet the needs of all pupils,

is central to our universal offer

Small class sizes (approx. 10 pupils)
Highly skilled staff trained in SEND
A Creative Curriculum tailored to individual needs
Access to specialist facilities:

Life Skills Rooms, Sensory Integration Rooms, Soft play,

Multi-Use Games Area (MUGA), Magic Carpet,

Forest School and Playground spaces in each phase.

Sensory Integration & Motor Skills

We develop fine/gross motor and coordination skills using:

Clever Fingers
ACTIVATE
Handwriting and visual perception activities
Typing and assistive technology

Skills for Life & Independence

We achieve this by developing:

Self-help and independence skills
Personal care schedules and routines
Use of specialist/ adapted equipment e.g. cutlery, cups, pens, and writing slops

Sensory-based strategies:

We offer:

Calm areas in every classroom
Access to sensory resources to support regulation and engagement e.g. Weighted products, trampettes, therapy balls

Social, Emotional & Mental Health

We support emotional regulation and wellbeing through our:

PSED curriculum
Interoception curriculum
IA on the fly
Zones of Regulation
Thrive training and in-class support

Total Communication Approach

We recognise that communication is central to learning and well-being and validate all forms of communication styles by using a Total Communication approach.

This includes:

Ensuring all pupils have a functional means to communicate that is individualised to them
Acknowledging all forms of communication
Embedding multiple communication modalities across the school – Makaton, speech, gestures, symbols, objects, written/pictorial, AAC
Ensuring staff have frequent training in different communication modalities including Makaton, use of visuals and AAC, Gestalt Language Processing.
Recognising echolalia as a form of communication
Giving students time and space to communicate in their chosen modality – using Intensive Interaction and OWL (Observe, Wait and Listen)

Click here to download a copy of the Universal Offer.

Welcome to our School

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