RATIONALE

We operate a structured, interdisciplinary service whereby educational, residential and psychology staff work in harmony to afford pupils the opportunity to achieve academic success, healthy social-emotional interaction skills, work skills, solution based problem-solving skills and individual self-care skills necessary for them to realise their unique potential.

SHARED GOALS

At the time of admission educational, therapeutic and personalised goals are established through the partnership of our staff, the referring agency and, whenever appropriate, the pupil and his/her parents. Whilst providing support to the pupil at what can be an emotionally testing moment in their life, education and psychology staff jointly completes a comprehensive evaluation of the pupil to identify their unique educational profile, including their strengths, weaknesses and learning style. This includes determining a pupil's intellectual level of functioning, identifying any risk the individual pupil may pose to self or others, diagnosing underlying dysfunctions and defining their relationships with their academic learning and behaviour. Staff then produces a written report which illustrates the pupil’s unique educational and psychological profiles and outlines their developmental needs. This information is used to formulate an individually tailored skill-building course that is designed to prepare the pupil for maximum utilisation of our academic system by improving their numeracy and literacy skills, memory and vocabulary. The psychology team produces a programme of support describing the pupil’s psychological functioning and detailing how their unique emotional, behavioural, individual and family therapeutic needs will be catered for.

Alpha School is a member of the Association for Positive Behaviour Support (APBS), which is an international organization dedicated to improving the support of individuals in order to reduce behavioural challenges, increasing independence, and ensure the development of constructive behaviours to meet life goals in the areas of social relationships, employment, academic achievement, functional life-skills, self-determination, health, and safety. At Alpha School we believe that the competent and skilled use of Positive Behaviour Support  (i.e., focusing on strategies that are compassionate, constructive, and educationally oriented) can help individuals make meaningful progress toward these goals.