About us
Baskerville School is a day and residential school for 180 secondary-age students between 11 and 19 with autism and additional disability. We admit about 12 students each year into the main school. Admission into the resource base for students with autism and severe developmental delay varies from year to year depending on the number of places available.
We offer a specialist service for children on the autistic spectrum with additional learning and communication difficulties, who require an individualised, highly structured and integrated educational and therapeutic provision delivered within a Total Communication approach. Our pupils require a bespoke package, typically in a small class group with at least 1:3 support.
Teachers, therapists and support staff work fully integrated, ensuring that a child-centred holistic approach is core to practice. We recognise that all children with ASD experience three main areas of difficulty known as ‘The Triad of Impairments’. Our curriculum and how we plan, teach and communicate with our pupils has the triad at its centre.
Our lively, engaging and innovative curriculum is thematic. It is reviewed every three years, enabling us to adapt to pupil cohorts and consider pupil interests. Each pupil will be encouraged to develop knowledge, skills, attitudes, confidence and self-esteem to overcome their barriers and meet the challenges of adult life. Within each termly topic theme, we aim to cover all areas of the National Curriculum, at a level appropriate to each pupil.
The 14-19 curriculum is planned around the Preparation for Adulthood key areas; Good Health and Wellbeing, Independent Living Skills and Relationships and Community. Students are offered a range of external accreditation including Entry Level, Unit Awards, City & Guilds, Duke of Edinburgh, ASDAN Life Skills Challenge and ASDAN Towards Independence courses.
The students at our resource base at Bournville College are grouped into two groups and taught by Baskerville School staff. Some join mainstream classes while others follow a life skills curriculum. Most students remain at school until the age of 19.
We provide a low arousal, flexible teaching environment, with pupils following individual programmes, which are based on our detailed knowledge of each child and thoroughly embedded with the principles of Positive Behaviour Support. Pupils may also have access to social communication groups, rebound therapy, sensory circuits, yoga, outdoor and adventurous activities in the local community, work placements, theatre trips and many more activities tailored to support individual learning needs. An emphasis on functional and independence skills, communication and our integrated approach to planning, delivery and assessment is at the heart of our curriculum.
We have a very large site that offers our students an exceptional environment in which to learn. We have a Forest School area, a horticulture area, an ancient orchard, a nature trail, a large playing field, a wild meadow, an outdoor cycle track, three play areas with climbing equipment and an outdoor gym
