Our School

At Waterside School, we do things with purpose

Every decision we make, from the way we structure the school day to the way we plan your child's individual learning, is rooted in a deep understanding of special educational needs and what learners with SEND actually need to thrive. 

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Here you will find an overview of how our school works, what your child's day will look like, and how we make sure that every learner is supported, challenged and making meaningful progress throughout their time with us.
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Belonging. Engagement. Independence.
Learning today, thriving tomorrow.

What a school day at Waterside School looks like

Our school day runs from 9am to 2:30pm. We have designed it carefully, because we know that for learners with special educational needs, the structure and feel of the school day matters enormously.

Learning takes place in focused blocks throughout the day, with regular time for movement, regulation and play built in between. This approach keeps learners engaged and comfortable, and ensures that learning happens at a pace that genuinely works for each individual. The day feels calm, purposeful and consistent, and that consistency is something our learners come to rely on.

Each day includes:

  • A warm and consistent morning welcome with familiar adults
  • Focused academic learning sessions across curriculum subjects
  • Regular breaks for movement, play and regulation
  • A supported and social lunchtime
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Find out about our curriculum

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Our Approach to Learning

Our staff are specialist SEN educators who take the time to understand each learner as an individual before anything else.

We want to know how your child communicates, what helps them feel safe and regulated, what interests and motivates them, and how they experience the world around them. That understanding sits at the heart of everything we do, and it is what allows us to deliver learning in a way that is genuinely meaningful for each learner. 

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Our approach draws on a range of evidence-informed frameworks including the Thrive Approach, Social Learning Theory, Applied Behaviour Analysis and Cognitive Behavioural Theory. We use these flexibly, guided by careful assessment, family insight and ongoing observation, always putting the needs of our individual learners first.

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Individual Learning Plans

Every learner at Waterside School has an Individual Learning Plan built directly around the targets in their Education, Health and Care Plan.

This is how we make sure that the support, teaching and day-to-day experience we provide is always purposeful, personalised, and working towards the outcomes that matter most for your child. We use our Navigation Tracker to translate EHCP targets into clear, manageable steps, and our Crew Grabsheet to capture progress as it happens every day. 

Read more about Individual Learning Plans

Find out more about Waterside School

If you would like to find out more about our school or come and see us for yourself, we would be very happy to hear from you. We welcome families at any stage of the process and are always happy to talk things through.