The Garden School

Service details

Who are we? 

The Garden School is an Ofsted Outstanding Special School in Hackney for children aged 4-16. A new Post 16 provision opened in 2022. All pupils at the school have a diagnosis of autism. 

The Garden School is suitable for robust and mobile children and young people with a diagnosis of Autism who have severe learning difficulties.

These pupils are able to benefit from the highly specialist nature of the provision which includes:

  • A bespoke curriculum that addresses the core challenges of students who have Autism ie difficulty with social communication, flexible thinking, and understanding and regulating emotions.
  • Specialist pedagogical and assessment strategies that address the learning and communication needs of this group of students eg TEACCH, PECS, SCERTS, Attention Autism, and Intensive Interaction.
  • A tailored learning environment that includes highly structured and low arousal classroom spaces and a total communication approach.

The attainment of both primary pupils and those on entry to secondary is in most cases assessed as being between P4 and P8 on the P scales.


Admission information for The Garden School

Admission to the school is through the statutory assessment process whereby The Garden School is named on a Child’s Education. Health and Care plan. 

The school is unlikely to be suitable for students:

  • who have a meaningful use of spoken language
  • who have profound learning difficulties and require a more sensory-based curriculum and teaching approaches to support their learning and communication needs
  • who require a language-rich setting in which there are many opportunities for social interaction with peers
  • who have other special educational needs for example; physical disability, medical needs, or sensory impairment

Where can I find more information about the school? 

The school's website provides lots of information to help those interested in applying for places understand what is on offer. 

Additionally, the 2014 SEND reforms placed a legal duty on schools and settings to publish information about support for children and young people. Parents and others can use this information to understand how pupils will access support and have their needs met by the school. 

School SEN Information Reports explain:

  • How help and support pupils operate in this setting.
  • What happens, how is it made possible, and by who

You can find The Garden School's SEN Information report here


Specialist Post 16 Provision at The Pavilion 

The Garden School has opened The Pavilion an extension of it's specialist provision for students aged 15 and over who are autistic. Eligible students with autism and learning difficulties will benefit from a curriculum that offers a range of learning experiences both on-site and in the community, including work-related learning. 

The vision for The Pavilion: 

  • To provide the learning experiences that would be building blocks to enable students who attend to live as independent and meaningful a life as possible 
  • To empower them to be able to exercise choice about decisions that affect their quality of life. 

A 'quality of life' curriculum aims to increase independence on the part of the students and provide opportunities to develop their personal interests and engage in purposeful, enjoyable activities such as supported work-related learning placements.



Who is provision at The Pavilion for? 

There is not an automatic transfer for all students from The Garden School. The Pavilion will be best suited to students who have attained a required level of independence, communication, and emotional regulation and who will be able to take full advantage of a wide range of learning and work-related opportunities both in school and safely in the wider community. By their last year at the Pavilion, students will spend over half their time out in the community rather than in the school. 


How many places are there at The Pavilion?

 It is currently open to one class of students but will increase it's intake to two classes in September 2022. Existing students from The Garden School who have been identified as eligible and suitable for placement at The Pavilion will increase capacity within primary and secondary phase provision at The Garden School. 


What and how will students learn? 

Eligible students with autism and learning difficulties will benefit from a curriculum that offers a range of learning experiences both on-site and in the community, including work-related learning. Students will be supported to try different experiences in a range of settings. Learning will take place as much as possible in real-life everyday situations to develop new skills and independence in class and beyond. 


What enrichment opportunities will there be? 

The Pavilion will have a strong focus on work-related learning in areas such as catering, events management, and horticulture. There will be a kitchen garden, training kitchen and café, and an events or meeting space where students can develop hospitality skills. The extensive grounds at the back of the new school setting will eventually provide a fantastic environment for horticultural learning. 

Development of functional skills, life skills as well as personal and social development will be included throughout all learning experiences. 

Full use of the potential facilities will develop over time for example it is hoped that the Café will be opened to the public providing valuable real-world work experiences for the students and a pleasant place for parents and others to meet, drink, and eat. 

SEND Local Offer

Local Offer Age Bands
Primary 4 -10
Secondary 11-14
Preparing for Adulthood 14-18
SEN Provision Type
  • Specialist
SEND Information
Local offer information

Who to contact

Contact Name
Ms KT Khan
Contact Position
Executive Head
Telephone
020 72548096 020 72548096
E-mail
admin@ thegarden.hackney.sch.uk
Website
www.the-garden.org.uk/
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Where to go

Address
Wordsworth Road
Hackney
London
Postcode

N16 8BZ

View N16 8BZ on a map

Time / Date Details

Time of day
  • Morning
  • Afternoon

Ofsted Information

Ofsted URN
100311

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