‘The Quest is a good school that provides a good quality of education and makes

outstanding provision for pupils’ welfare, health and safety. As a result, pupils’

achievement is good and their personal development and spiritual, moral, social and

cultural development are outstanding.’ Ofsted January 2009.

The Quest School was founded in September 2003 to provide a specialist school for pupils with autism.

Children and young people with autism have specific and distinct needs, and they and their families deserve an education that is right for them.

At Quest School, the pupils always come first and we strive to help them reach their full potential and to maximise their opportunities to access and integrate into mainstream community life to the greatest possible extent, for the benefit of themselves and their families.

The Quest School is committed to providing a fully inclusive environment, which recognises and meets diversity of need. Each pupil is valued as being special and unique, with their own rich mix of abilities, strengths and talents.  Whilst recognising that they all have difficulties to overcome, we are committed to enabling them to get the most out of life.

We create a positive, caring environment, where self esteem is high and the children are happy, stimulated and motivated to learn.

We set high expectations for ourselves and our pupils, always promoting personal growth and responsibility.

We offer our pupils a full and wide ranging educational experience, whilst maintaining a clear focus on skills that are essential for their personal development and well being, such as communication, behaviour and independence skills.

We have a distinctive teaching methodology, based on fundamental principles of behaviour science, and a curriculum specifically designed for our particular pupil group.

We provide personal education plans for all our pupils, with input from a team of professionals, comprising Teachers, Behaviour Consultants, Speech & Language Therapists and Occupational Therapists. Teaching is delivered in either one to one or small group teaching sessions, and is implemented by highly skilled staff.

The Quest School, a non-profit making registered charity, is governed by a Board of Management and supervised by an independent Board of Trustees.

We are proud of what is being achieved at Quest, and feel privileged to belong to such a special, supportive and successful community.

Thank you for taking an interest in our school.

Anne Martin NPQH

Headteacher

Mission Statement

‘Acheivements never thought possible’

Vision Statement

‘To provide outstanding education and care so that pupils’ self esteem is high and they are happy and motivated to learn. Our aim is to maximise opportunites available for our pupils, and to enable them to reduce their dependency on adults now and in the future.

Aims and Objectives

Our aims and objectives at Quest are to:

• Provide an excellent education and high quality of care for all of our pupils
• Maintaining a happy, safe and positive environment where pupils can enjoy learning
• Set high expectations for ourselves and our pupils always prompting personal growth and responsibility
• Equip pupils with effective communication and social skills, valuable life skills and access to the National Curriculum through the approach of Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA)
• Provide a broad and balanced curriculum thus improving overall development, self-esteem, self-discipline and motivation to learn.
• Promote independence through the systematic teaching of self-help skills, communication and behavioural skills, specific to the individual requirements of pupils.
• Support the principles of Every Child Matters and its outcomes (Be Healthy, Stay Safe, Enjoy and Achieve, Make a positive contribution and Achieve economic wellbeing).

• Deliver the best possible provision for our pupils through a combination of:

Ø  Closely monitored and continually tailored individual education plans

Ø  Regular consultation with the school’s accredited ABA Consultant. The consultant oversees the development of individualised programmes for each pupil, and is responsible for maintaining an excellent standard of ABA throughout the school.

Ø  A combination of individual teaching and group work, where the pupils can benefit from interaction with other pupils, and develop skills required to operate effectively within a group setting.

Ø  Partnering with other specialist professionals such as Speech & Language Therapists and Occupational Therapists.

Ø  Carefully planned and aided integration into mainstream education, where appropriate, and, for those pupils not accessing mainstream education, the opportunity to thrive in a fully inclusive environment which supports the full extent of their individual needs.

Ø  A programme of offsite activities and visits, providing many opportunities for broader experience, and generalisation of communication and behavioural skills; vital for successful integration into and enjoyment of the wider community.

Ø  Provide close liaison and partnership with parents, Quest school has an ‘open door’ policy whereby parents and professionals are welcomed into the school, by appointment, to observe pupils learning and discuss progress.

Ø  Promote continuous professional development for all staff in the school, to ensure that Quest provides the best possible education for all its pupils.

Ø  An inclusive, whole school approach to self-evaluation and school development planning; creating a culture of continuous improvement.