Aran Hall School Specialist Residential School

Aran Hall School provides flexible 30 to 52 week residential care with education to children and young people with a range of learning disabilities and autistic spectrum disorders, both with associated severe challenging behaviour.

We have also developed a programme for young people who present sexually harmful behaviour (SHB). The programme aims to reduce SHB via a reward programme for appropriate behaviour, sex education, counselling and cognitive behaviour therapy.

Our focus is to provide a safe, stable and nurturing environment where young peoples skills and aspirations can be encouraged to develop and they can prepare for adulthood. By providing care and education on the same site we ensure that children’s individual programmes are delivered consistently.

We develop education, care and behavioural management programmes for each student. These programmes are evidence based which enable us to demonstrate students achievements. We are leader in conducting and publishing clinical research that evaluates the effectiveness of the innovative programmes we run.

All young people have appropriate risks assessments detailing how they should be supported and their behaviour managed. All of our approaches are underpinned by a respect for the young person and are as unintrusive as possible.

We have a highly individualised approach providing education and care on the same site in small house and class groups.

This means we can ensure students are supported consistently throughout the day. Prior to a young person starting at the school key staff will go and visit them and take them a student guide in a format that fits with their communication choice. The guide include lots of information and photographs of the environment.

Our focus is provide a stable, safe and nurturing environment where a young persons skills and aspirations can be encouraged and supported to develop. Through this and our evidence based behaviour management programmes we aim to reduce the frequency and intensity of any challenging behaviour. Our programmes are based upon the fact that each young persons challenging behaviours are learnt and serve a function to them. We aim to teach more appropriate ways of serving that function.

All staff are trained in the needs of the young people. In addition to this each student has a Key Worker, a staff member who looks is specifically responsible for your child. They will ensure effective contact is maintained with you and any professional linked to your child.

We have an interdisciplinary team consisting of highly skilled and experienced of Teachers, classroom support staff and care staff. We have high level of staffing both in the
classroom and in the homes so students feel supported at all times of the day and night. All of our staff receive induction, ongoing training and regular supervision. To ensure that staff have the necessary qualification they are supported to achieve the Level 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care (Children and Young People) within three years of taking up their post. All care staff are registered with the Care Council Wales, as required by the Regulations in Wales.

We have a number of experts who support our students and staff:

Consultant Clinical Psychologist Professor F.C. Mace who
visits the school throughout the year and provides a 24 hour on call service. His main role is carry out the functional
behaviour assessments and develops behaviour management plans for students as well as advising staff on how to support
students through their plans.

Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist visits the school once a month and provides a 24 hour on call service. He ensures all the mental health needs of our students and that all prescriptions are reviewed regularly.

Consultant Chartered Educational Psychologist visits the school every half term.

Consultant Speech and Language Therapist visits the school to work with students or staff once a fortnight.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and Counselling is delivered by our in house therapist. The weekly sessions focus on
staying safe, understanding public and private behaviour, respecting personal space and relationships. The therapist uses a variety of interventions including painting, drawing and sharing stories.

Sex Education is delivered weekly for students who
parents/carers/social workers permit their child to take part.
Lessons are taught by the JIWSI project who are a specialist provider of sex education for children with learning
disabilities and are part of the family planning association.

We understand that changes can be worrying for students and their families and therefore transitions are managed in a timely and sensitive way.

Throughout their time at the school we focus on giving
students the skills they need to live as independent an adult life as possible. This includes the self management of
behaviours, self control strategies, social skills, independent living skills including shopping, preparing a meal, personal hygiene and functional communication skills.

When young people are due to leave the school we work closely with the young person, their parents/carers and
professionals to make sure the transition is as undisruptive to the young person as possible. Most of our young people are successful in moving into semi supported living.