Educational approach

Our approach

Our unique approach puts your child at the heart of everything we do. At Pace School, personal development is as vital as academic learning.

How does it work?

How does it work?

At Pace School, your child is at the heart of everything we do. The Pace approach, developed over 30 years of working with children with neurodisabilities, focuses on what your child can do (not what they can’t).

Transdisciplinary teams

At Pace School, we work in transdisciplinary teams. It means all our teachers, conductors, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists and classroom assistant work collaboratively. Every member of the team has a skill set which extends beyond their own specialism.

What does ‘transdisciplinary’ working mean for your child?

Your child is at the heart of a cluster of experts

Therapists collaborate and cooperate to provide bespoke care

Staff step outside normal parameters of their specialism to support and teach each other

The care your child receives will be completely focussed on their needs

Your child will achieve their unique potential

Your child’s whole development

We have high expectations and ambitions for every child, and we focus on their rounded development. At Pace School, we consider all aspects of your child.

Our school follows the Pace Approach, looking at nine aspects of your child’s development.

Access to curriculum and learning

Our broad, rich subject coverage will broaden your child’s horizons. We foster curiosity and enjoyment of learning. Your child will explore opinions and identity, as well as acquire knowledge.

Activities of daily life

Your child will go on a journey to reduce reliance on others, and take care of their own daily needs. Students are facilitated to be as independent as possible with skills like personal hygiene, dressing and eating.

Attention and regulation

Your child will learn strategies to help them control their energy, emotion, behaviour and attention. We plan learning objectives and goals carefully to ensure a ‘just right’ level of challenge.

Communication

Your child’s communication, language, speech and ability to interact will be maximised at Pace School. We aim to help students express emotions and ideas, have meaningful relationships and develop control over their lives.

Emotional wellbeing

We aspire for Pace students to develop assertiveness, voice an opinion and feel proud of who they are and what they can do. Your child’s self-esteem, confidence and sense of identity matters.

Play and recreation

Your child will develop play skills through structured activity, and will have time for self-directed play. So many skills grow through play, and it’s a critical part of the Pace School curriculum.

Posture and movement

Your child will learn how to use their body. They will be encouraged to try new things and persevere. Repetition is key, and your child’s motor control will be developed and refined through engaging tasks.

Relationships

Your child will learn about friendships and relationships, both for social confidence and to help them stay safe. Pace students grow their ability to empathise and connect with people around them.

Sensory processing and loss

Your child will develop skills to manage sensory information so they can interact with their environment. Sensory processing is a vital element of our approach, impacting regulation and learning.

“The Pace centre is a learning community of the highest calibre. The quality of education here is first class.”
Ofsted report, November 2023

Your child’s day

During a day at Pace School, your child will experience all nine areas of the Pace curriculum with a ‘just right’ level of challenge.

A typical day might include:

  • Opportunities to work on self-care, independence, safe eating and drinking.
  • A morning lesson which focuses on movement, motor control and body awareness.
  • Engaging group lessons which combine several of the nine curriculum areas with a subject area focus such as literacy, numeracy, science, history, geography, art, music, Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education (PSHCE) and Religious Education (RE).
  • Opportunities to practice independent mobility including wheelchair skills.
  • Spontaneous and planned communication sessions using both low tech and high tech equipment.
  • Individual activities to focus on key skills, assess progress and explore and adjust equipment.
  • Activities to develop fine motor control and smaller graded movements.
  • Opportunities to play, have fun with friends, express opinions and develop confidence and identity.

Achievement and accreditation

All pupils in our secondary provision may take part in the WJEC/Eduqas qualification, which is suitable for young people with special educational needs. It offers a nationally-accredited way to record and celebrate skills and achievement. We ensure that all our pupils are able to work towards appropriate qualifications, regardless of which class or year group they are in. Pupils will be carefully matched to qualifications based on their individual academic needs. The two qualifications that we currently offer are ‘Essential Skills for work and life’ and ‘Personal progress’.

“Staff strike the right balance in nurturing pupils so that they believe in their own capabilities and confidently have a go themselves.”
Ofsted report, November 2023

Our SMART school

Smart classrooms

Our aim is to become the UK’s first genuinely smart special school, using technology to help children be as independent as possible. Our smart classrooms use the latest equipment, such as:

  • Cutting edge, AI-enabled classroom accessibility for our students
  • Fully accessible doors, cupboards and worksurfaces
  • Sensory classrooms – incorporating music, projection and lighting systems
  • Best practice hardware and software to enable children to access the curriculum and record their learning

Safeguarding your child

 

We are committed to the safety and wellbeing of every Pace student. You can read our Child Protection Policy by clicking the link below. This explains how we safeguard our students, and the processes in place to follow up where there is concern for a child’s welfare.

 

At Pace School, we are aware of the high level of support our students need – particularly in relation to personal/intimate care, physical facilitation and when transferring to equipment and positions. It’s vital that we have an environment where children and young people understand their right to say ‘no’, and have opportunity to exercise this right.

 

Staff at Pace School know students well, and use their expertise and positive relationships to closely monitor any changes in behaviour which may indicate any cause for concern.

Child Protection Policy
“They feel safe and their big smiles show how happy and settled they are. Relationships between staff and pupils are warm, trusting and highly respectful.”
Ofsted report, November 2023
Your child’s journey
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Important information

Admissions and Funding Statutory policies Latest Ofsted report

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