School Organisation

The school is organised into four departments, located across four buildings which pupils move through largely by age. Each department provides a curriculum designed to meet the needs of the pupils at that phase of their journey and to prepare them for the next:

EYFS – Lower School – Middle School – Upper School

In addition to these four departments, we have 3 Resource Base classes located in Wyndham Park Infants’ School and St. Mark’s Junior School. Students in our Upper School attend the Vocational Centre, apart from some students in the PMLD or Autistic Spectrum classes. Teachers work closely with the Upper School team to ensure access to the ASDAN Awards.

Early Years

In Early Years we aim to ensure that every pupil has an outstanding start to their education at Exeter House School, ensuring that each child’s learning is personalised to their abilities, needs and stage of development. In the Early Years the majority of learning takes place through play and a key focus of the curriculum is developing early skills and behaviours for learning, communication and independence. It is important that the children have opportunities to interpret their environment, to learn to make choices for themselves and to grow in confidence, understanding their value within the school community.

Lower School

In Lower School we prepare the children for a life of learning, whatever their specific needs may be. We build on their Early Years’ experience and provide a broad and balanced curriculum designed to meet the individual needs of the pupils 3 at this phase of their journey, and to prepare them for the next. We aim to equip our children with the ability to communicate effectively and have an awareness of themselves and others. We develop their social, attention and engagement skills through a play-based curriculum which allows the children to explore and experience their environment at their level. We celebrate achievements, however small they may seem; we know that they are in fact significant and meaningful. Our children leave the department confident in their own abilities and ready for the next challenges that they are offered.

Middle School

The Middle School Department fundamentally believes in enhancing the skills our students have already obtained and preparing them for their next stage of education which could be our Vocational Centre or the more bespoke 10 – 19 Complex Needs class base that cater to the very individual needs of some of our students. Across all the classes within the Middle school department there are common themes which we all aspire to. We are developing skills which promote communication, problem solving and independence. We are providing the opportunity for students to become confident in their own decision making and supporting them as they transition not only through school but life itself.

Upper School

In Upper School we prepare the students for life beyond school, whatever their specific needs may be. The curriculum in the Upper School changes from the Middle School to reflect the change in emphasis in preparing our young people for life beyond school. We want them to be confident, independent and responsible individuals who feel equipped to make informed choices about their futures. We 4 consolidate students’ prior study and aim to broaden and develop previous skills and develop the students’ ability to interpret and understand a variety of forms of communication in a social context.

There is particular emphasis on developing communication, independence and life skills in preparation for adult life. In the Upper school we provide the skills and knowledge needed to manage everyday routines and procedures. We celebrate success and achievement and all our students leave with accreditation based on their personal learning pathway. Our students leave the department confident and prepared for the next challenges and opportunities ahead of them.

Alongside our departmental structure we also provide specialist pathways for those pupils who have more complex learning and support needs. These pathways whilst offering a more specialist educational experience are intertwined within our departmental structure offering pupils a personalised programme which combines a specialist curriculum and elements of the departmental curriculums.