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 Speech and Language Therapists have a holistic approach to working with our pupil’s speech, language and/or communication needs and focus on the functional impact of their difficulties.
Our team work collaboratively with teaching staff, other professionals and families so that direct and indirect intervention is meeting the pupil’s primary need and will have the most functional impact.
Our team work hard to ensure that a total communication approach is consistently used across the school so that pupils are provided with the best possible communication environment to utilise and develop their functional communication skills.
The Speech and Language Team set up and oversee a range of targeted interventions, one of which is Attention Oakley. For more information please see the document below.
Our team ensure that information is shared with class teams and families to enable pupils to be supported throughout the school day and to promote generalisation of skills.
For more information please see our Speech, Language & Communication Policy below.
Some useful websites:
The Communication Trust – Parent Resources:
https://www.thecommunicationtrust.org.uk/resources/resources/resources-for-parents/
I CAN:
Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists:
National Autistic Society – Communication Page:
http://www.autism.org.uk/about/communication.aspx
Down’s Syndrome Association – Speech, Language and Communication pages for parents and carers:
https://www.downs-syndrome.org.uk/for-families-and-carers/growing-up/speech-and-language/
Talking Point:
http://www.talkingpoint.org.uk/
Makaton:
Association of Speech and Language Therapists in Independent Practice:
https://beta.helpwithtalking.com/
Mencap – How to communicate with people with a learning disability:
https://www.mencap.org.uk/learning-disability-explained/communicating-people-learning-disability