Admissions

Stone Lodge Therapeutic School admits pupils aged 11-17 with Education Health and Care Plans (EHCPs) and who have main presenting needs in the area of Social, Emotional and Mental Health or Autism Spectrum Conditions. This may include social anxiety.
Placements are carefully considered by an admissions panel to ensure that the school can meet the needs of the child in question, alongside whether they would have an appropriate peer group amongst current pupils. All placements are funded by the Local Authority in which a pupil resides, and upon admittance the school will be named in Section I of the pupil’s EHCP.

The school has recently had its first Ofsted inspection since opening. The school was rated “outstanding” in two categories and “good” in two. The report can be read here:

10322527 – Stone Lodge Therapeutic School – 149665 – Final PDF

The school welcomes communication from parents/carers who are exploring potential placements for their child. Please contact the school and submit a copy or draft of your child’s EHCP  alongside any other relevant documentation and information. In the first instance, the admissions panel will consider whether your child’s needs could potentially be met at Stone Lodge Therapeutic School and if so, you will be invited for a tour of the school. Subsequently, if you wish to continue with the admissions process a robust assessment will take place which involves meeting the child and conducting a full assessment to determine whether a placement can be offered. Should it transpire that Stone Lodge Therapeutic School is unable to admit your child, the team will endeavour to use its specialist local knowledge to sign post you to alternative
schools to explore.

Formal consultations to secure a placement must be conducted by the Local Authority in which any perspective pupil lives. This can either be requested by a parent or carer or undertaken by a Local Authority exploring placements for a child. Local Authority consultations must be sent directly to the Principal and include the child’s EHCP and appendices.

Once a placement has been agreed, a bespoke transition plan will be made by the school in conjunction with the child, their family and any involved professionals.

Our brochure can be found here: brochure updated

Term dates are here: Term Dates 2024-25 Final

 The Principal can be contacted at ollie.sharp@stonelodgeschool.org

The Proprietor is Rockingham Education and their representative is Mohammed Damani – available on mohammed.damani@stonelodgeschool.org 07852191209. Rockingham Education can be contacted at the school address or 276a, Lincoln Road, Peterborough, England, PE1 2ND

The Chair Of Governors and Safeguarding Governor is Jessie Walker – available on head@maplefields.northants-ecl.gov.uk .She can be contacted at Maplefields Academy,  Tower Hill Rd, Corby NN18 0TH

Advice to parent/carers:
The process of finding a new school can be challenging and at times confusing. We hope this will help.

• The system can be slow – please be patient with your SEN officers – it is a difficult job and it
  can be a lengthy process.
• Look at a range of schools – it will help you identify what you want.
• Think about the priorities you have for your child and find a school that best meets these
  priorities.
• Trust your gut – you know what is best for your child. Look at the interactions between staff and pupils and try to pick up on the underlying ethos and culture of a school.

Frequently asked questions

What is a therapeutic school?

A therapeutic school is one which draws upon the expertise of a range of therapists across disciplines, operates according to therapeutic principles and is informed by therapeutic practices.

The purpose of a therapeutic education is to support a child’s emotional and academic progress symbiotically, chunked into bespoke stages appropriate to the whole child. Stone Lodge Therapeutic School draw upon the expertise of its therapy team, whilst delivering a consistent therapeutic approach delivered using evidence-based programmes. In addition to our embedded approach, all pupils will receive therapeutically informed interventions some pupils will receive direct therapy interventions. The specific interventions and therapy input is determined by individual assessed need and will be set out in a child’s EHCP.
One of the biggest strengths of Stone Lodge Therapeutic School is in our outlook – we do not look at the surface behaviour but look at why it is happening – we deal with the cause as well as the symptoms to help the child be ready for adult life.

What will my child learn?
The curriculum is flexible, and tailored to children as individuals, but we expect all pupils to complete GCSE or Functional Skills qualifications (GCSE equivalent) in English, maths and science plus additional qualifications in chosen subjects including humanities, catering, computer science, PHSE,
art and PE.
Some pupils also study vocational subjects according to their interests and aspirations– this can include a wide range of bespoke qualifications including motor vehicle, horse riding and construction.
All pupils also complete outdoor education sessions, tailored to delivering incidental and direct learning to pupils who can struggle in traditional and formal learning situations. Our outdoor learning programmes are designed to teach life skills whilst developing character, resilience and
increasing the confidence of our pupils.

What if my child has missed a lot of school and is behind their peers?
Many children start at Stone Lodge Therapeutic School with an inconsistent education history. Upon entry their learning levels will be assessed through a mixture of teacher assessment and standardised assessments where appropriate and a bespoke learning plan will be created to plug any gaps the child may have and enable them to catch up.

Why does the school not have an Ofsted report?
The school has a registration inspection which can be found here: Stone Lodge Ofsted Report

What are the school hours?
The school hours are 8.50am to 3pm.

How will my child get to the school?
Transport assistance can be applied for from the Local Authority in which the child resides. Typically, children are transported via taxi. We recognise that some children have difficulties with travelling or with separating from their safe adults at home. In these situations, the school can provide a bespoke travel training programme which can include school staff travelling with the child in the first instance.

Do the pupils wear uniform?
We do not have a school uniform. We recognise that for some children school uniforms can trigger memories of previous negative experiences and can be a barrier to school attendance, additionally many of our children have sensory challenges which makes wearing certain materials prohibitive. It is important to us that our pupils feel comfortable in the school community. We do ask that parents ensure that pupils come to school with clothing which is appropriate for weather conditions.

Does the school have post 16 pupils?
The school does not offer a post-16 curriculum, its goal is to prepare pupils to confidently move on to the next phase of education or training at the end of Year 11. We recognise that due to previously missed education opportunities, it might be challenging for some pupils to catch up and achieve this, thus the school is registered to 17 to allow pupils to stay for an additional year to achieve their qualifications.

Term Dates

The terms dates can be found below:

Term Dates 2023-24

If you have any other queries, please contact the school – we will be happy to help. Rcokingham Education and