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Harry Watts Academy is a Special Free School in Sunderland for children and young people between 5 and 16 years with autistic spectrum conditions.  All pupils have a Statement of Special Educational Needs/ Education Health and Care Plan or are in the assessment process.  They have a range of learning difficulties; some will require a high level of adult support to access the curriculum, whilst others achieve close to age-related expectations in some areas.   The school offers a broad and balanced curriculum across the Primary and Secondary age ranges. Pupils are supported by autism specific strategies and approaches to meet their individual needs and learning styles. At Harry Watts Academy we aim to enable each pupil to:<ul><li>communicate and interact effectively with others and the world around them</li><li>become independent learners</li><li>value themselves and their own achievements and accept and show tolerance of others</li><li>enjoy being part of the school community</li><li>participate in and contribute to the wider social community</li><li>lead a safe, happy and fulfilling lifestyle</li></ul>Core to these aims is the development of outstanding teaching and learning, an excellent partnership between home and school, positive relationships and networks within the multi-agency setting and the commitment to sharing of our expertise on autism with the wider community.Harry Watts Academy is a purpose built school and all classroom based staff have relevant teaching qualifications or other appropriate qualifications in education.  All staff participate in a continuous programme of autism specific training.  A wide range of professionals support pupils’ education and well-being at school.  The school motto ’Support &amp; Success Together’ reflects the individualised approach we adopt and our high aspirations for each pupil. Harry Watts Academy is split over two sites. Ramilies RoadRedhouseSR5 5JA Fir Tree AvenueWashingtonNE38 9BA Harry Watts Academy is a member of Prosper Learning Trust - Registered address: Linhope Road, Newcastle upon Tyne NE5 2LW. A charitable company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales (company number: 11018923).

How does a child get a place at Harry Watts Academy?New admissions to our school will have an Education Health and Care Plan, with a diagnosis of Autism and a Complex Learning Disability. Sunderland Local Authority is the Admissions Authority for Harry Watts Academy and parents/carers interested in a place for their child should consult with the SEN Office at the Civic Centre in Sunderland. Harry Watts do not commission or offer places themselves.Prior to commencing at Harry Watts Academy, we endeavour to set up a transition plan appropriate to the child/young person’s needs.  The transition plan may include: a home visit, a visit to the child’s current placement, the child visiting Harry Watts Academy and a phased admission where appropriate.How much support will my child receive?All pupils are taught in small classes with the usual class size being eight pupils.  Each class has a teacher and usually two teaching assistants.  This helps to ensure that all pupils receive a balance of whole class, small group and individual teaching.At Harry Watts, there are three pathways; Engage, Explore and Discover. Each pupil is assessed looking at their profile of strengths and needs, the way in which they learn best, and are then identified on a pathway. Each pathway has it's own classes, and pupils are grouped loosely on age, with a stronger focus on their needs, strengths and compatibility, than in 'year groups'.Engage and Explore are based at our Redhouse site; Discover is based at our Harraton site. Pupils may move between pathways and sites, dependent on their needs. The class teacher ensures that all staff that work with pupils in their class enjoy positive relationships and the staff meet regularly to ensure that they are using consistent and effective approaches for the education and care of each pupil.If a child’s needs are assessed as exceptional, even within our specialist school setting, the School Leadership Team will ensure that appropriate strategies and support is available to them.How accessible is the school?Our buildings are light and spacious with large well equipped classrooms and a number of specialist teaching rooms. The sites are safe and secure.  All external and many internal doors have ‘maglocks’ that are unlocked using a fob.Redhouse is based at Ramilies Road, in Redhouse.Harraton is based at Fir Tree Avenue, in Harraton.What resources are available to the school?All classrooms have high quality ICT facilities to support pupils’ learning including interactive whiteboards and personal computers (PCs).  Pupils also have access to laptops and I Pads.Most classroom has a small ‘quiet’ room that can be used when pupils need somewhere that is distraction free, and some have designated quiet areas.Pupils have regular access to specialised teaching rooms such as sensory, soft play, Speech and Language Therapy, food technology, music, art.Small and large outdoor spaces and play equipment is available to all pupils.How do pupils travel to school?The majority of pupils of statutory school age are eligible for free home to school transport which is provided by Sunderland Local Authority.Pupils may travel on a minibus or a taxi with other children.  In addition to a driver all home to school transport have an escort who is employed to support the children throughout their journey.At an appropriate time in the secondary department we discuss with parents/carers whether their child may benefit from Independent Travel Training.  This will depend on the individual child and can range from learning how to cross the road or experience different modes of transport to travelling from school to home independently.What specialist services are available at the school?A number of professionals work at the school to support our pupils’ health and education including; Speech and Language Therapists; School Health Advisor.Specialist musicians, artists and sports coaches visit school in order to enrich the curriculum.Our curriculum is based on the subjects of the National Curriculum and a broad and varied curriculum which offers Functional Skills (English, Maths ICT), Personal and Social Development, Creative Arts, Sport and Leisure, enterprise and work related learning.What will my child learn at school?All pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education and life.  There is a strong emphasis on giving the pupils the skills and knowledge that will allow them to contribute to society and live a good quality of life as young adults and in the future.Specialised approaches are used to support pupils’ individual learning needs:<ul><li>Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)</li><li>TEACCH (Autism specific teaching and learning environment)</li><li>Visual supports such as timetables to aid understanding of concepts in lessons.</li><li>Intensive Interaction</li><li>Makaton Signing by adults to support a pupil’s understanding of spoken language</li><li>Speech and language programmes as advised by the speech therapist</li><li>A sensory based curriculum for some pupils</li></ul>How will I know what progress my child is making at school?Teachers assess pupils’ progress three times per year, in October, March and June, using a combination of tools to ensure they are able to see progress across all areas of learning and development, not just academic targets. Teachers use programmes and methods such as BSquared, IDL, the Engagement Model to assess the progress, and monitor this through a Pupil Progress report. All targets and outcomes are directly from the individual EHCP outcomes, as this is the main driver of each pupil's curriculum.SCERTS (Social Communication, Emotional Regulation and Transactional Supports) is an autism specific approach that we use across the school. The SCERTS® Model is a research-based educational approach and multidisciplinary framework that directly addresses the core challenges faced by children with ASD, and their families. SCERTS® focuses on building competence in Social Communication, Emotional Regulation and Transactional Support as the highest priorities that must be addressed in any programme, and is applicable for individuals with a wide range of abilities and ages across home, school and community settings.  At Harry Watts Academy, SCERTS targets are set once per year, at the EHCP review.  Each target is worked on at home and school.  Progress towards the achievement of the target is monitored daily.  A multidisciplinary team set targets.These processes allow us to monitor the progress of pupils, which in turn informs the setting of new targets for pupils.A pupil’s progress is discussed with parent/carers.

Harry Watts Academy

The Children and Young People's Service (CYPS) provides Specialist Tier 3 mental health assessment and intervention.  It also provides Tier 2 targeted services to those in special circumstances (see below) in line with its CCG commissioning arrangements. The service consists of a multi-disciplinary team of mental health practitioners including psychiatrists, nurses, social workers, psychological therapists and psychologists, occupational therapists and administrative staff. The integrated team operates to meet the tier 3 specialist mental health needs of all children and young people regardless of their circumstances or other needs. They operate within a multi-agency framework and would see their role in supporting EHC plans mainly in the delivery of the specialist mental health element of the comprehensive plans to the young person. The service can  provide consultation, advice and support directly to families but also to other agencies working with children and young people presenting with mental health difficulties and will support the team around the child in relation to EHC plans where appropriate. The service provides direct consultation into the Special Schools so enabling school staff to have access to specialist mental health support in a timely way. Where young people then require an intervention from the specialist mental health service this can then be facilitated by the CYPS professional. Children and young people referred into the service are usually seen in the date order of which they are referred however all cases are reviewed and prioritised if necessary based on their mental health need. The service has a practice guidance note in place to support the smooth transition of young people who require ongoing mental health support at aged 18. Criteria for accessThey expect access to their service to be simple and easy. The criteria for acceptance is:<ul><li>The child or young person must be within our age range 0-18 years</li><li>They must be presenting with some degree of psychological distress or mental health difficulty. This includes children and young people in special circumstances  whereby advice, consultation and/or support is being sought by other professionals(**)</li><li>They must have been seen by the referrer who will undertake an assessment of need prior to referral. This will help us to prioritise cases where necessary</li><li>They must have given informed consent to the referral being made</li></ul>There is an expectation that a first level intervention must have been attempted prior to referral and information on the outcome of this is included in the referral. Anyone wishing to have a discussion about a case prior to referral can contact the helpline for advice, information or support. If a child or young person is not suitable for the service they will contact you to explain why and at the same time provide advice, help or support to access a service more appropriate to meet their needs. ** Special circumstances includes those individuals :<ul><li>With a learning disability whose behaviour is challenging</li><li>Who are/have been Looked After or accommodated including those adopted from care</li><li>Who have been neglected or abused</li><li>Who have a chronic or enduring illness Who are homeless or who are from families who are homeless</li><li>Who have parents with problems including domestic violence, illness, dependency or addiction</li><li>Who are at risk of, or are involved in offending</li><li>Who are from a minority ethnic or minority cultural background including travellers.</li></ul>Children in these circumstances are more vulnerable to psychological distress but do not necessarily present with mental health difficulties.They are happy to discuss children and young people with you to determine whether they need the service or, if not, they will suggest what may be helpful. Targeted Services - Special Circumstances and Tier 2The service provides consultation, support and advice to agencies working with children and young people who find themselves in a range of challenging situations which may place them at a greater risk of developing mental health issues. This includes children and young people who may be Looked After, and those who have learning disabilities with a challenging behaviourThe service offer direct intervention where the young person meets the Specialist Mental Health criteria for access into the service. Specialist services - Tier 3 Specialist mental health serviceAs its core business the  service is able to provide:<ul><li>Assessment, diagnosis and intervention on a range of mental health difficulties</li><li>Intensive home based treatment for those children and young people whose mental health is causing significant concern</li><li>An Intensive Eating Disorder Service to support children and young people on the eating disorder pathway who are at risk of an inpatient admission</li><li>A comprehensive transition support package to those young people who are approaching their 18th birthday and may need continuing support as adults</li><li>24 hour access to support (via the IRT team outside of the service extended hours)</li></ul>Training, consultation, support and advice to front line staff working in targeted services for children and young people in special circumstances including;<ul><li>Looked After Children Services and Services for Care Leavers</li><li>Social Care Services</li><li>Services for Children with disabilities including learning disability services, special schools and specialist education services</li><li>Paediatric Services</li><li>Children and Young People’s Substance Misuse Services</li><li>Youth Offending Service</li><li>Adult Services in particular Adult Mental Health Services,  substance misuse and services supporting families in crisis</li><li>Young Carers Services</li><li>Services for children, young people and families from minority cultural backgrounds</li></ul>