About our School

Kingsdown is a special school for children who have social, emotional and behavioural difficulties. The school is independent and the students are admitted between the ages of eleven and sixteen. All pupils who attend Kingsdown have previously been in mainstream primary or secondary schools, but their needs could not be met there.

Their learning has usually been interrupted because of their difficulties. Young people “act out” these difficulties in different ways. Frequently these young people display a lack of trust and high anxiety levels which are often expressed through aggressive, defensive and defiant attitudes. They may also exhibit low self-esteem, poor concentration, and acute fear of failure which inhibits learning. Often these young people experience a corrosive envy of others, explosive anger, or an inability to separate the internal world of drives, impulses, feelings and fantasies from the external world of relations with other people. Young people with these issues need a school that is tolerant and understanding of their difficulties while providing the security of firm boundaries and facilitating a stimulating environment for learning.

We see a multi-professional approach as vital, with parents as partners in the education of their children, and we value their contribution to school life. We believe that children thrive in an environment in which they feel safe, valued and respected, and where they are set challenging and stimulating work.

The school has recently been inspected and Her Majesty’s Inspectors stated that:

·   The school establishes trusting and respectful relationships between staff and pupils;

·   It raises pupils’ expectations and encourages them to succeed in public examinations;

·   It provides a high level of staffing which enables pupils to receive individual support and to be taught

    in small groups; and

·   It establishes good relationships with parents and carers, who hold positive views of the school

Children Learn What They Live

If a child lives with criticism,

She learns to condemn.

If a child lives with hostility,

He learns to fight.

If a child lives with ridicule,

She learns to be shy.

If a child lives with shame,

He learns to feel guilty.

If a child lives with tolerance,

She learns to be patient.

If a child lives with encouragement,

He learns confidence.

If a child lives with fairness,

He learns to have faith.

If a child lives with approval,

She learns to like herself.

If a child lives with acceptance and friendship,

S/he learns to find love in the world.