About CHS

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Welcome to Cleaswell Hill School

Cleaswell Hill is a large all-age community special school in Northumberland. We support children and young people from their earliest years through to post-16, each with their own strengths, interests, needs and ambitions.

Over recent years, the school has continued to evolve as the needs of our pupils have become more complex and diverse. This has meant that we have had to think carefully about how we organise our school, adapt our environment and ensure that our curriculum remains ambitious, relevant and meaningful for every pupil.

We are not a one-size-fits-all school. Our pupils access learning through our Engagement, Core and Extended Pathways, each designed to provide the right balance of challenge, support and opportunity. Within our Engagement Pathway, we support pupils with the most complex needs through highly personalised learning, specialist communication approaches, carefully structured routines and environments which promote wellbeing, regulation and engagement.

Our practice is informed by the principles of the Neuroinclusive Education Network. We recognise neurodiversity as a natural part of human difference and believe that pupils should not have to change who they are in order to belong, learn or succeed.

This means taking time to understand each pupil’s individual profile: how they communicate, what helps them feel safe, how they experience their environment and what may create barriers to learning. We aim to respond with curiosity, empathy and understanding, rather than making assumptions about behaviour or engagement.

Integrated therapy is an important part of this approach. Our staff team includes our own Speech and Language Therapists and Occupational Therapists, who work closely alongside teachers, support staff, pupils and families. Their expertise helps us to better understand communication, sensory needs, regulation, physical development and independence, and to build this understanding into everyday classroom practice rather than seeing therapy as something separate from learning.

Across all pathways, our aim is the same: to help pupils develop as confident, happy and increasingly independent young people. This means that learning is about much more than qualifications alone. It is about communication, relationships, wellbeing, resilience, self-belief and the ability to take part in the world around them.

For some pupils, progress may mean communicating a choice, joining in with others or feeling confident enough to explore a new experience. For others, it may mean gaining qualifications, developing independence, preparing for employment or taking the next step into adult life. Whatever the starting point, every achievement matters.

The Appleby Centre plays an important part in this journey. It provides an adult-focused environment for older pupils within the Core and Extended Pathways, including those in post-16 provision. Here, pupils are supported to develop greater independence, employability skills, community participation and the confidence to think positively about their future.

The strength of Cleaswell Hill lies in the relationships we build. Our staff know pupils well and work closely with parents, carers, therapists and other professionals to understand what each child or young person needs to flourish. We recognise that the best outcomes come when everyone works together around the pupil, with high expectations, honesty and a shared sense of purpose.

We are also proud to play a wider role within Northumberland and beyond. Through our outreach work, training and partnerships, including the Fusion Learning Hub and the Neuroinclusive Education Network, we share our expertise with other schools and professionals so that more children and young people can benefit from inclusive, effective practice.

Cleaswell Hill is a busy, caring and ambitious school. It is a place where pupils are encouraged to be themselves, where difference is understood and celebrated, and where every member of the community is valued.

I hope our website gives you a real sense of what makes Cleaswell Hill special. We are proud of our pupils, proud of our staff and proud of the journey we are on together.

Mike Jackson
Headteacher