Head of School Statement Thank you you so so much muchfor foryour yourinterest interestinin our school. school. At Haven Haven Nook, Nook, we wethink thinkof ofourselves ourselvesasas a dedicated dedicated family, family,creative creativeand andnurturing nurturing towards our towards our cohort cohortand andunited unitedininour ourholistic holistic view of education. This means that every of education. This means that every member of member of staff staff cares caresand andprotects protectseach each young person person as as they theyprogress progresstheir theirunique unique journey. We journey. We work workas asaacollective, collective,with with compassion and compassion and inspiration, inspiration,to to unlock potential potential and andignite igniteexciting exciting possibilities possibilities for for our ourstudents. students.
Our commitment commitment flows flowsthroughout throughoutthe theschool community and connects every individual, school community and connects every from our learners andlearners their families andfamilies carers, individual, from our and their to senior leaders, teachers andteachers pastoral and staff. and carers, to senior leaders, Our individuality, and passion remain pastoral staff. Ourunity individuality, unity and at the heart of Haven understand passion remain at theNook. heart We of Haven Nook. that understand learning andthat personal growth a journey, We learning and is personal enrichedisby a holisticenriched mindset and growth a journey, by ashaped holisticby shared values. mindset and shaped by shared values. When you you visit visit Haven HavenNook, Nook,you youwill willnotice the great rapport between staff and students. Our notice the great rapport between staff and team of professionals time to understand students. Our team oftake professionals take time what makes each student tick. Westudent value tick. to understand what makes each young people for people who they and take the We value young forare who they are timetake to understand and support their and the time to understand andunique support aspirations needs. With in mind, their uniqueand aspirations andthis needs. Withwe set ambitious yetset realistic targets each this in mind, we ambitious yetfor realistic young person, putting place aputting personalised targets for each younginperson, in education and supporteducation plan that and is right place a personalised support for them. plan that is right for them.
We are are in in aa position positionof ofprivilege privilegewith with a unique unique opportunity opportunityto tocreate createdreams dreams and inspire inspire excellence excellencein inour ourstudents. students. By supporting supporting and andenabling enablingour ourlearners, learners, we understand understand that thatevery everyyoung youngperson person can progress, progress, achieve achieveand andbecome become more successful. successful. By supporting supporting each eachother, other,we wedevelop develop ourselves and ourselves and shape shapeour ourdreams. dreams.Together Together we are are unique, unique, united unitedand andunderstood understood Haven Nook Nook is is aa community communityof ofaspiring aspiring individuals. individuals. Angela Hughes, Angela Hughes, Head Headof ofSchool School
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Admissions Haven Nook is an independent special school for neurodiverse young people aged 11 to 18 with an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) who have social, emotional and mental health needs. Learning is a personal journey for everyone and we specialise in bespoke education programmes with a focus on 1-to-1 and small group teaching. Our proven track record of success enables students to make both academic, personal and social progress. At Haven Nook, we understand that for some students, full-time education may be difficult or overwhelming, particularly following a period of illness, absence or disengagement. We are able to offer our young people individualised and scaffolded transitional support enabling a manageable integration or return into full-time, on-site education at a pace that is sensitive and appropriate to them. Our experienced staff encourage students with compassion, care and an understanding that every young person, regardless of background or circumstance, can improve and become a better learner. Together, we inspire, motivate and encourage everyone to grow and to succeed.
Haven Nook operates with limited places but welcomes admission enquiries from parents or carers and prospective students. Should a place at Haven Nook be available and appropriate,we are happy to arrange an on-site visit or taster day. Please contact info@havennook.co.uk for information on our admissions process.
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Our Approach Personalised Support Haven Nook recognises the fundamental importance of building strong relationships with students who come to us with a range of complex needs and experiences. We value every individual for who they are and take the time to understand and support their unique aspirations and requirements. Our high staff to student ratio allows our provision offering to respond to students in a truly bespoke way, factoring in their interests, goals and strengths. We recognise that successful outcomes for our young people rely on supporting the whole person. In doing so, we create an environment of support.
Our Community Our community of educational trailblazers have experience and expertise from both educational and therapeutic backgrounds. Aspirational outcomes are a reality when individual wellbeing is addressed. Haven Nook is able to offer therapeutic support to students if required. In addition, we value the Thrive Approach, fostered throughout the school, which allows us to work reparatively to aid emotional regulation whilst building a greater awareness of self. Our therapeutic interventions build resilience and remove barriers to learning to support wellbeing, educational engagement and impressive outcomes.
Holistic Approach Our holistic approach ensures that barriers to learning are broken down so that each young person can develop their talents, encounter a wide range of positive learning experiences and engage opportunities of interest. Our students benefit from accessing many broad experiences from our therapy animals and magical woodland to music and digital media sessions, cookery, construction and more. Haven Nook is a welcoming and safe environment with supportive, relaxed dynamics between staff and students. We value each individual as a whole and take time to understand every young person’s challenges, achievements and interests. We have high aspirations for all students and work collaboratively to enable them to access learning, achieve successful outcomes and work towards their longer term pathways to adulthood.
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Bespoke Education Learning Using a 1-to-1 or small group approach, we remove barriers to learning. Our holistic teaching and learning style targets individual interests. It combines practical and sensory elements to create a positive educational experience. Our aim is to bring learning to life whilst making it relevant and fun. Haven Nook engages creative initiatives to put learning into context, replacing any pre-existing, negative memories of education, with new, positive experiences.
Curriculum We focus on individual strengths, enabling achievement and positive possibility! We offer a broad and balanced curriculum that develops core subject knowledge, vocational interests and emotional literacy. Our curriculum is designed to be creative, stimulating and relevant for each of our young people to ensure that students leave Haven Nook prepared for life in modern Britain. Haven Nook’s work is about far more than essays and examinations. Developing academic skill is important however we recognise that successful outcomes for our young people rely on supporting the whole person. It is so important that the young people in our care, not only gain recognised qualifications but have an opportunity to explore and grow their own skills, interests and talents. Our goal is to help students to find their passion and their place in the world.
Qualifications Our team works closely with our young people to recognise their skills and interests so that we can direct their focus towards vital core subjects and areas of qualification that will assist progression into chosen career pathways. A wide range of qualifications are available, including, Functional Skills, BTECs, GCSEs and A-Levels.
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Post-16 Haven Nook Nook provides providesbespoke bespokepathways pathways to allow allow students studentsaaseamless seamlesstransition transitioninto into Post-16 study. Post-16 study. Our Oureducation educationprogramme programme incorporates life incorporates life skills, skills,PSHE, PSHE,mentoring mentoringand and wellbeing to wellbeing to aid aid individual individuallearning learningroutes. routes.By developing independence, confidence and By developing independence, confidence resilience within our young people, we are able and resilience within our young people, we to harness success. Our students’ are able toacademic harness academic success. Our commitment and hard work is rewarded students’ commitment and hard work iswith aspirational outcomes. rewarded with aspirational outcomes.
As our our young young people peoplemove movetowards towards adulthood, we adulthood, we prepare prepareand andequip equipthem themwith with qualifications, life qualifications, lifeskills skillsand andaatrue truesense senseofof who they they are, are, enabling enablingthem themto tofind findtheir their passion and passion and their their place placeininthe theworld. world.Those Those ready for for work work experience experiencecan canbe besupported supported with suitable suitable opportunities. opportunities.Our Ouraim aimatatHaven Haven Nook is is that that our our young youngpeople peopleleave leavethe the school with with an an onward onwardpathway pathwaythat thatworks works for them. them.
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Fantastic Facilities Vocational Spaces Our students students have haveaccess, access,through throughthird thirdparty collaboration, to a hair beauty salon, a party collaboration, toand a hair and beauty mechanics’ studio, construction suite with 3D salon, a mechanics’ studio, construction printer, a recording studio and art room. suite with 3D printer, a recording studioInand addition, young people can benefit art room.our In addition, our young peoplefrom can wild outside a farmspaces, and therapy benefit fromspaces, wild outside a farmanimals. These facilities provideThese real opportunities and therapy animals. facilities provide to learn in a hands-on and kinaesthetic way, real opportunities to learn in a hands-on and developing and skills for life, asand well kinaestheticqualification way, developing qualification as routes to vocational skills for life, as well as employment. routes to vocational employment. We love inspiring young people to develop their individual passions interests. If a We love inspiring youngand people to develop student expresses an interest a particular their individual passions andininterests. If a subject, will make effort student we expresses anevery interest in ato particular accommodate Whether they favour subject, we willit.make every effort to music production, wildlife conservation, computer accommodate it. Whether they favour music programming or special effects make-up, we production, wildlife conservation, computer will tailor our offering whenever programming or special effectspossible. make-up, we will tailor our offering whenever possible.
Ancient Woodland Ancient Woodland Our fantastic ancient woodland, on the Our fantastic ancient woodland, on the outskirts of Canterbury, boasts several trails, a outskirts of Canterbury, boasts several trails, a fire pit, shelter and wildlife observation hubs fire pit, shelter and wildlife observation hubs for our young people to enjoy. The forest for our young people to enjoy. The forest pathways have an abundance of wildlife and pathways have an abundance of wildlife and students can learn about managing and caring students can learn about managing and caring for this environment and the many rare species for this environment and the many rare species it hosts. By providing learning opportunities in it hosts. By providing learning opportunities in the natural world, we are able to engage ecothe natural world, we are able to engage ecoconsciously and inspire imagination consciously and inspire imagination and healing. and healing.
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The Thrive Approach Emotional wellbeing is an essential prerequisite for academic success. The Thrive Approach is fostered throughout Haven Nook and presents a systematic way of working with children and young people that supports mental wellness, and in turn, academic engagement. In essence, Thrive enables emotional development and regulation with life-changing results. It is a transformative and empowering approach which can work gently around study programmes and additional therapeutic interventions. By focusing on art and cookery based, kinaesthetic activities, Haven Nook’s Thrive Practitioners work side-by-side with our young people, attuning and validating to increase their social tolerance, emotional resilience and sense of self. Young people have the freedom to explore, experiment and work through activities in a multisensory way, which aids the formation of positive connections in the brain and memory development.
The Thrive Approach Supporting Our Families Haven Nook is committed to its students’ wellbeing - sometimes our care extends to parents, carers and family units, and our team is here to offer encouragement, support and guidance whenever it is needed. When life at home is supported and valued, our young people achieve better outcomes in school. Our Thrive team works hard to support the adults and families in our young people’s lives. We welcome the opportunity to talk through concerns and achievements over coffee and cake. In many cases, families appreciate having someone they can trust and confide in - we are here to remove barriers to education and to help as much as we can.
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To To know know that that Haven Haven Nook Nook fully fully supports supports the the use use of of the the Thrive Thrive Approach is a huge relief. J’s Approach is a huge relief. J’s other other teachers teachers are are able able to to understand understand and and support support her her in in a a consistent consistent and and understanding way, embracing understanding way, embracing the the family as a whole unit. For the first family as a whole unit. For the first time time EVER EVER II feel feel as as though though II am am working working as as part part of of that that team team around around J to nurture and support J to nurture and support her.” her.” -- Parent Parent Feedback Feedback
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Therapeutic Support The work of our highly-skilled teachers and mentors is supplemented by a wider team including licensed Thrive Practitioners, Play Therapists, Counsellors and Speech and Language Therapists who operate on a directed and individual basis, as required, to support students.
Timetables Within individual student timetables, we can schedule 1-to-1 interventions for young people who need additional support alongside therapy and counselling sessions. Every student has a very personalised timetable which is focused on wrapping care around their individual needs. This holistic approach is integrated throughout the school; our therapists work closely with every member of staff to ensure continuity of care across every level of work.
Pastoral Team Haven Nook has a team of pastoral staff who support our young peoples’ school attendance, engagement and wellbeing. The pastoral team works collaboratively with all teachers, staff, students and parents or carers to ensure effective strategies for learning. Students at Haven Nook have an allocated key adult who they have access to throughout the school day to provide encouragement, support or just a friendly face.
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Calm Spaces Haven Nook boasts therapeutic and sensory rooms, providing tactile and calming areas for learners. Students are able to retreat to quiet spaces or connect with a key member of staff. A therapeutic and counselling area is available and an additional catering suite provides a homely kitchen facility where students can complete qualifications and learn practical life skills. This can also act as a supported lunchroom if students wish to sit and eat together. In the warmer months, our beautiful walled garden is a secure and wonderful space to take time out to relax and regenerate.
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Photography, Design & Print : blueappleeducation.com
Email: info@havennook.co.uk Telephone: 01227469156 Address: 73 – 75 Castle Street, Canterbury CT1 2QD Website: www.havennook.co.uk