Our Departments

The Whitefield School departments:

Early Years educates pupils aged 3-5 years

Peter Turner Primary educates pupils aged 3-11 years who have a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) and associated learning difficulties including communication, speech and language or hearing loss

Niels Chapman Secondary educates   pupils aged 11-19 years who have a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) and associated learning difficulties including communication, speech and language or hearing loss. 

Rebecca Goodman Centre caters for pupils aged 11-19 years old with a wide range of abilities. All pupils have communication and interaction needs whilst some may be on the autistic spectrum, have speech and language difficulties or have hearing loss.

Margaret Brearley works with four groups of pupils aged 3-19 years:

• Pupils with severe learning difficulties
• Pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties
• Pupils with multisensory needs – by this we mean pupils who have additional sensory needs alongside other special needs such as physical disabilities or ASC
• Pupils taught in Evergreen Class, a virtual provision to support families and pupils who are nearing the end of their life.

Rowan Sixth Form educates post 16 students who can access a range of qualifications to support their future employment and quality of life. Provision is often in partnership with other credible providers e.g. Waltham Forest College. This enables our students to access a broad curriculum and qualifications offer.   

Whilst serving different cohorts of pupils, all six departments share a commitment to accurately meeting individual needs and providing each pupil with an education that is right for them. As well as delivering excellent pedagogy through our bespoke pathway curriculum, we offer a wide range of expressive arts, physical education and outdoor opportunities designed to help pupils develop new skills and interests.

Curriculum, teaching and learning in all six departments place a strong focus on communication, language and literacy development. We use a variety of strategies to help pupils develop the tools they need to express themselves effectively. Our speech and language therapists work closely with classroom practitioners to develop their pedagogy to support pupils’ communication knowledge and skills development. Our speech and language therapists also provide high-quality training to other members of our team so we can support pupils develop their communication skills across all parts of the school day e.g. lunch and playtimes.

Our holistic curriculum offer includes in house Music Therapy. Our pupils have the opportunity to develop and express their emotion through the enjoyment of music. We commission an occupational therapist who works with pupils and guides staff and advises parents on how to support their children with their physical and sensory needs.