Clarendon and Strathmore Free School Applications Submitted
On 27 September 2016 the Chair of the Auriga Academy Trust submitted two free school applications, on behalf of Clarendon School and Strathmore School respectively, to the Department for Education. The purpose of the two free schools is to extend the range of pupil needs that the Trust can support. Both proposed free schools will be closely linked to and modelled on the existing provision at Strathmore and Clarendon. United under Auriga, for each pair of schools the ethos, school schedules and curricula will be closely aligned, but bespoke to the different needs of the learners in each school. Our staff will collaborate to share learning, expertise, and skills so that we can provide the most effective support and relevant and exciting opportunities for our pupils and communities.
The proposed Clarendon Free School will be for children aged four to 19 with an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or Statement of Special Educational Needs, as a result of speech, language and communication or social, emotional and mental health issues, including autism. When full, the school will have 28 pupils at the primary level, 35 at the secondary level and nine pupils aged between 16-19.
The proposed Strathmore Free School will be for children aged seven to 19 with complex behaviours associated with severe learning difficulties including autism and sensory processing difficulties. Most of our learners will have a dual diagnosis of a disorder on the autism spectrum and severe learning difficulties. At full capacity, the school will offer 26 places for primary school aged children and 52 for secondary and 22 places in our 16 to 19 provision. There will be 11 classes when the school is at capacity. For children and young people with the most severe needs and most challenging behaviours, whose families may be struggling to meet their care needs at home, the school will have an attached residential provision of 15 beds, based on local authority forecasted need. We would expect approximately 12 of these places to be for secondary aged pupils and three to be for primary aged pupils when the school is at full capacity.
Interviews with the Department of Education, to progress the application, with taken place in the early part of the Spring term.