Kisimul Group News
Kisimul Schools exhibiting at the Autism Show on 24 and 25 June 2011
Another opportunity has come up for Kisimul Schools (including Cruckton Hall School) to attend an event as an exhibitor. We are very excited to announce that we will have a stand at the Autism Show at the ExCel in London on 24 and 25 June this year.
We would love to meet you and have a chat with you on our stand number D12! If you would like to receive a visitor direct mail piece with a discount provided, please contact us on 01522 866017 and we will be happy to send you the relevant information. We look forward to meeting you!
Kisimul exhibiting at the Education Show in March 2011
Kisimul Summer Holiday 2009
The pupils had a fun packed week where they spent time doing various activities during the days which included trips to Bridlington, Whitby, the Sea life sanctuary and many more. The evenings were spent in the house with an evening meal, including a barbecue followed by trips to the Arcades of nice walks around the Peasholme Park. I am pleased to say that all the pupils had a great time and I am sure they will all have their own memories and favourite parts of the week. The staff is already thinking about next year's holiday.
Woodstock House - Phase 2 Opens in August 2009
Woodstock House is set in 8 acres of beautiful and tranquil Surrey countryside and we plan to make the most of these wonderful gardens. A Woodland Eco Walk has been designed and landscaped around the perimeter of the site with walkways and paths linking up all the facilities on the site. The site is complying with the DCSF guidelines to be sustainable by 2020 and we are working hard to be as ecologically friendly as we can.
The first sixteen pupils are now happily living and learning in this excellent facility which has been refurbished to a very high standard. The school will be run in the same child-orientated manner in which the schools in Lincolnshire are, with the same philosophies, therapies and teaching standards.
Our first Ofsted inspection reports for both the Education facility and the Care Home have been received and they reflect the excellent service that has been provided in the last eighteen months.
Several of our very experienced staff relocated to Woodstock or took secondments there to ensure that we provide the very same high standards of care and education. These staff work alongside our dedicated employees who have joined us from local communities.
The school's Ofsted report contains the following quotes:
"This is a good school which has quickly established itself as a centre for pupils with profound learning difficulties and disabilities."
"Pupils are making good and significant progress since being at the school."
Progress is good because teachers are clear about what small steps the pupils need to make in their learning to become confident individuals who can relate to others around them in a positive way.
Phase 2 was completed and registered in August 2009 and has added a further 14 residential places in a small unit called Bryn House. There are two very spacious lounges and a lovely dining room which overlooks the gardens. The dining room is served by a newly refurbished kitchen. There is a new soft play and family room in this area. This smaller area will be home to our younger pupils.
A second school area has also been developed, registered and opened, adding in an additional three classrooms, training kitchen, soft play and therapy rooms.
These facilities will form our upper school for our post-16 curriculum pupils."
Phase 3 will be underway shortly and this final stage will complete the site and bring into operation a gymnasium and indoor swimming pool.
Read more about Kisimul School - Woodstock House.
Read the Woodstock House Ofsted Report 2009.
Read more about Kisimul School - Woodstock House.
Purpose-built gymnasium
Exciting news! We have now been given planning permission by our local council to build a new gymnasium. Work will start on the existing land where our old school classrooms used to be.
Currently children do games and activities at the local village hall, but it will be a great asset to the school to have this facility in house. Our children will gain an indoor recreation area for when the weather prevents outside activities, and a great sporting and games facility.
As part of the new gymnasium project the swimming pool will get a face lift. The new gym will link to the pool area, and a new changing area and toilets are planned. The pool itself will receive an upgrade and we plan to install underwater lighting to make our swimming sessions a multi-sensory experience.
Transition Challenge
The Year 10 and 11 curriculum is made up of key subject areas including English, Mathematics, Science, Design and Technology, ICT, Religious Education, Citizenship, Community, Expressive Arts, Sports and Leisure and Work Related Learning.
These subjects are then broken down into five modules, Knowing How, Making Choices, Feeling Good, Moving Forward and Taking the Lead. Over the course of a year KS4 pupils will cover activities for each subject and each module at least once (more in some cases), which means that on completion of the course they will be awarded an externally accredited, nationally recognised Certificate of Achievement.
The criteria for passing the course is based upon the level of support each pupil requires to undertake each task, for example spoken help, physical help, gestural help or whether they can complete an activity independently or through sensory experiences.
The certificate awarded to our pupils will be graded according to the level of support most used by them throughout his course.
This course was undertaken at Kisimul for the first time in 2008-9, and so far the feedback and the response from the pupils has been very encouraging. They appear to be responding well to the different structure of the lessons and have been completing tasks competently with a variety of levels of support being used depending on the task in hand..