We are proud that our residential provision has been judged to be Outstanding by Ofsted (March 2024)

Accommodation

The accommodation here at Valence School is arranged into small Home Living Areas to ensure a more homely atmosphere is maintained.

Each Home Living Area has its own Manager and team of dedicated staff who are specifically trained to meet the needs of the young people they support.

Each young person has their own living space, either in an individual room or sharing with one other young person. Young people are encouraged to personalise their space with posters and soft furnishings. Support is provided to enable them to do as much of the home living tasks as possible. Regular meetings take place so that they can plan their menus and activities. Young people will then organise their cooking schedule, go and buy their weekly shopping and be involved in preparation and cooking.

Activities

The young people who stay at Valence have the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities. They are encouraged to organise their own activities with staff support where required. Activities that have taken place include:

• concerts,
• sports fixtures,
• days out in London,
• shopping,
• museums
• as well as entertainment such as cinema and bowling.

Each summer the Year 14 students will go on an activity residential.

Outcomes

The important thing about staying at Valence is the opportunity to develop the life and social skills needed for the next steps in life. The staff work closely with the educational targets to look at the skills needed for an individuals next step. Targets are then developed with the young person, that will enhance the opportunities for that young person.

Keyworker

Every young person who comes to Valence will have a Keyworker. We believe this is an important feature of the support we provide within the school.

The Keyworker will:

• Develop a close working relationship with their key student.
• Together work on the areas the student would like to develop.
• Ensure the young person has someone to talk to when they need to.
• Offer moral support.
• Coordinate with other colleagues to ensure a consistent approach to the young person's support.
• Maintain communication with families and carers.

Please refer to our Statement of Purpose for further detail: