Pastoral

“There is good management of the boarding provision and care of pupils who board at the school. Boarding is run in the best interests of the pupils who live at the school and provides them with good and excellent outcomes” – Ofsted Inspection report for Residential Special School 2010

The 24-hour nature of school life means that members of staff are always on hand to offer support and advice, whether in academic or other areas. A system of mentoring and guidance is provided by staff being assigned to each boy, this is to help and encourage boys to express their feelings in a positive and successful manner.

There are 14 members on the care team both full and part time. Each member of the team has been appointed for their individual skills and areas of expertise. The boys work with different members of our care team dependent on their needs at that time. In principal, the care team are responsible for the boys outside lessons but we are also available to support the teaching team should we be required. Our primary role is to support the boys individual and group needs.

When a new boy arrives at Breckenbrough he is allocated a keyworker. It is the responsibility of this keyworker to complete an Individual Care Plan catering for particular requirements. This Care Plan will implement suitable targets for the boy to achieve each half term. Due to the specific needs of our boys, these targets cover a range of areas from keeping high standards of personal hygiene to improving self-esteem. Keyworkers meet with the boys on a regular basis and monitor their progress in order to move the boys social and emotional development forward.

Accommodation

The school has four residential units at present:

Our new Upper 6th form is housed in an annexe adjacent to the main building. Our recently refurbished Lower 6th form is situated on the top floor of the main building. Also in the main building are two further units, middle and flat. There are mixed age groups on these units from year seven through to year eleven.

All the boys have their own bedrooms which they are encouraged to personalise as they want. The school has a continuous improvement programme to ensure that the fabric of the boys rooms improves year on year. We are fortunate to have a large variety of bedrooms, varying in size. This often enables new boys to choose a size to suit their needs or preference.

Activities

On-site we have a dedicated pool and snooker room that can be used at break, lunch and during the evening. We have a gym where various sports are played. Our boys can play table tennis, badminton, football and other sporting activities. Our Information Technology and Language programmes are also popular with our boys. Cooking activities are also offered on a nightly basis in our purpose built kitchens to complement our Independent Living Skills Assessment programme. If we receive a request for an activity that is not on offer, we will always endeavour to provide the opportunity to achieve this.

“There are good opportunities to learn life skills and develop independence, preparing pupils for life when they leave the school.” – Ofsted Inspection report for Residential Special School 2010

Popular with many boys is our successful motor bike scheme. A range of off-road motorcycles are available for the boys to use. The boys learn how to ride safely using our on-site motor cross circuit and specially trained staff. Boys also learn how to maintain and look after bikes in the correct way.

Off-site the school runs regular visits to the cinema and our bus trips to the local towns are extremely popular. We have an excellent outdoor education team that provide opportunities for our boys to try climbing, canoeing, abseiling and many other outdoor pursuits linked with the Duke of Edinburgh Award. The school also runs an annual ski trip to Courmayeur, Italy. This trip is tremendously popular with our students.

The school is also very fortunate to have a qualified pilot on our team that provides opportunities to fly in his light aircraft as part of our options afternoons and weekend provision. Horse riding activities are currently being organised, with a possible weekend overnight camping experience during the summer term.