I love it, I like the staff and I like hard work. I like the food and the puddings. I like everything. The care staff look after you.
Elsa aged 11

At St Mary's the Care and Nursing Department provides a distinct and comprehensive programme of learning a nd care within the Waking Curriculum.

The Residential Experience - Learning for Life

The emotional and social development of the individual is considered a vital element of care work working towards maximising individual levels of independence within a safe, structured and nurturing environment. At the same time the philosophy of interdependence is embraced, enabling pupils to contribute towards the well being of the group by recognising their skills and self-worth and developing their sense of citizenship. Both individual and group programmes enhance the holistic provision for each pupil in collaboration with other disciplines at the school.

Although the emphasis of the school is upon learning throughout their waking day, the opportunity for fun and pleasure is not forgotten. There are numerous opportunities for pupils to integrate with the local community and enjoy the local facilities of the beach, parks, country walks, youth clubs, and other leisure and sports facilities.

Pupils live in small Living Area groups in a stimulating but calm and managed environment. Each Living Area has a sitting room and kitchenette with full TV, DVD, video, computer and internet facilities; bedrooms are shared between small groups of pupils, which encourages both socialisation and community living skills. The areas are upgraded regularly and there is an emphasis on a homely and comfortable environment.

Experienced and trained Care Staff provide a caring and professional service under the immediate direction of the qualified Team Leader. All staff are trained up to and beyond National Standards with specific training for the complex needs of St. Mary's children.

The Care Curriculum

St Mary's is unique in developing a Care Curriculum, which offers pupils structured and planned opportunities to learn within the residential setting. Each Living Area group has a Termly Curriculum Plan, which focuses on the various aspects of informal learning in a community setting. Learning for life is planned and individual progress monitored, enabling each pupil to participate in the activities and programmes most appropriate for their needs. Although planned and structured, activities are presented in such a manner that pupils often do not realise the full extent of their learning and just enjoy the experience

Emotional and Social Development

Emotional and social growth is developed through specific activities as well as by the overall philosophy of St Mary's. Nurture Groups focus on developing self-esteem through self-awareness and social skills such as eye contact, turn taking and listening are practised. There are also opportunities to develop leadership skills through planning and leading activities. Friendship skills, sexual issues, bullying and anger management are also discussed and practised within these groups.

Play is an essential part of learning and is an integral aspect of the Care provision at St Mary's. As well as opportunities for spontaneous play there are also planned opportunities for children to develop their imagination and creativity in a range of age-appropriate groups.

Children are supported by trained staff in developing skills such as listening, following instructions, sharing, turn taking, early friendships skills and teamwork. Most importantly the children enjoy playing within a safe environment and with an appropriate peer group.

Regular Children's Meetings within the Living Areas encourage pupils to consider the impact their behaviour has upon others and how they can best contribute to the well-being of the group.

Each Living Area group chooses a pupil to represent the group's views and raise issues at the School Council, which introduces the children to the concepts of debate and democracy.

Independence Skills

Skills for independent living are developed with specific support from Occupational Therapists where appropriate. In addition, some of the activities within the Living Area Curriculum Plans focus on personal care skills, practical living skills and community living skills. These range from the basics of dressing and personal care through to budgeting, shopping, cooking and road safety.

Each child has a Personal Care plan, which is agreed collectively by parents and all of the professional disciplines at St Mary's. This details agreed levels of intimate and personal care needed by the child to ensure safe and consistent support for each child, whilst encouraging the child to develop their independence skills to their full potential.

There is an Independent Travel Scheme, which operates throughout the school, enabling pupils to develop their skills for independent travel. This begins with finding their way around the safe and secure environment of the school and the taking of simple messages, through to road safety, Stranger Danger Awareness, use of public transport, problem solving and planning individual trips.

The ‘Keep Safe' project, which was developed at St Mary's, is used creatively with individuals and groups of children to help them to maintain their personal safety in a range of situations.

The Weekend Programme

Weekend stays are available either on a regular basis or as an occasional option. For pupils who remain at school for weekends there is a distinct programme of activities encompassing visits to animal parks, museums, trips to London and other towns, theatres, cinemas and other recreational activities. Again, the emphasis is on holistic learning through social and communal experiences.

Spiritual and Moral Growth

As a Christian Foundation, the spiritual development and growth of the pupils is an intrinsic part of the work at St Mary's and this is encouraged through the general promotion of moral beliefs, consideration for others and an understanding of the world and environment.

Specifically, pupils who are resident at the weekends attend local churches and are encouraged to play an active part in services.

An understanding and tolerance of all cultures and spiritual beliefs is strongly promoted throughout the school with special Culture Days and Days of Wonder offering an opportunity for pupils and staff to learn about specific countries and cultures.

Collaborative Work

Although there is a clearly identified Care Curriculum, there is a strong foundation of multidisciplinary work at St Mary's with programmes of care and learning dovetailing across the Waking Curriculum.

Joint planning of Occupational Therapy groups and Social Skills groups provide ongoing support for pupils' independence skills and social development, whilst a range of sports, relaxation and other leisure activities offer an holistic approach to combining physical activity with recreational pursuits and an understanding of healthy living.

Partnerships with Parents

Communication and working partnerships with parents are considered to be a vital aspect of the Care work and there are regular formal termly contacts to share information about progress and targeted work programmes. In addition to this informal contact, discussion and shared decision making are encouraged on an ongoing basis.

Care Staff, and particularly Team Leaders, work closely with the Trust's Social Worker and other staff in maintaining close contact and a sharing of information between home and school.

Regular contact between pupils and families are encouraged through the use of e-mails, letter-writing and telephone calls. There are several pay phones throughout the school and many pupils use mobile phones and texting as additional means of communication. All staff are trained in the use of the pupils' communication aids to support this process.

Medical Care

A full range of medical and nursing services is delivered across the Trust by a team of qualified, registered nurses and a health care assistant led by the lead Nurse. St Mary's has a well-equipped medical suite, a shared administration office with therapy and sick bay with close circuit monitoring equipment.

The young person's medical needs are met within the integrated waking and proactive curriculum. Nurses, therapists and Care Staff work in close collaboration to plan an holistic programme of medical and personal care.

Health promotion is an important aspect of the overall education of the young person and the nurses play a key role in this. They work with other disciplines to develop the young person's understanding of healthy living skills whilst enabling them to understand and, where possible, manage their own specific health care issues. There is a strong collaborative approach from all staff aiming for optimum health targets for all young people.

The nurses work closely with the Catering Team to provide a varied and healthy diet as well as comprehensive individualised dietary plans accommodating a wide range of special diets. There is a specific dysphagic eating programme for pupils with swallowing difficulties which offers a safe but broad range of foods adapted for these particular needs.

Medical care continues into the College with the emphasis being placed upon self-care where appropriate and accessing local health services independently.

Many of the young people at St Mary's have complex medical conditions and the nursing team have a unique and broad knowledge base, liaising directly with specialist organisations and consultants across the country.

The school Medical Officer holds two clinics a week at St Mary's and the local surgery offers the usual 24 hour support services. The lead Nurse and Medical Officer work in partnership with parents and other health care professionals to ensure that appropriate treatment and care is offered to each individual pupil.

A local consultant paediatrician also holds regular clinics at St Mary's for young people who are under his care. Dental services are available to all residential pupils on request from parents as are optical services to off site college students.