Yewstock School is a day community school for children with profound and multiple (PMLD) , Severe (SLD), Moderate (MLD) or complex learning difficulties.
Some children have additional sensory or physical impairments, communication or medical needs and others are within the autistic spectrum. All of our young people have an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP) which is reviewed regularly.
The school provides for 165 children and students between the ages of 4 and 19 years.
For students following a more formal learning route, the expected leaving age will be 16 when they will move on to a further education institution such as a college. Students who are on the semi-formal learning route are more likely to remain until they are 19 in our Post-16 provision. Places in our Post-16 classes are agreed with the school and Dorset SEN team during the Yr11 EHC transition review. Parents will be required to apply for a place for their young person in Post-16.
In September 2015 we opened Yewstock College, the provision for our 14-19 pupils, which is on the other side of Honeymead Lane. The school operates across the two sites, with additional specialist resources to benefit our pupils. Some of our Post-16 students are based in our community classroom at Stour Connect Day Centre.
Yewstock School and College are very well-resourced. Amongst many other facilities we are proud to offer:
- A multi-purpose hall
- Specialist science room
- Resistant materials workshops
- Specialist food technology facilities
- A wildlife area
- State-of-the-art sensory room
- Well-resourced ICT suite
- Site-wide internet access
- Two minibuses
Yewstock College has a training kitchen and drama and arts studio. There is also a fully furnished flat for teaching and developing skills for life and independent living.
We also access a hydrotherapy pool at Stour Connect Day Centre on Bath Road, a short walk from the school.
History
The school was opened in 1977 in purpose-built accommodation in Honeymead Lane, Sturminster Newton. Yewstock College opened in September 2015 on the other side of the road, on the site of Sturminster Newton High School.
Accommodation
Yewstock is a single-storey building with additional temporary classrooms. The main building contains the reception area, administration offices, staffroom and classrooms, including a state-of-the-art sensory room and a central library. It also houses the speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy teams in a shared room. The school has a multi-purpose hall and use of a hydrotherapy pool, which is sited a short distance away, for pupils who require specialist input.
Yewstock College is also a single-storey building, including 5 spacious classrooms, a sensory room, a flat, a drama studio and a catering training kitchen.
The outside spaces contain classrooms including a separate Early Years Foundation Stage, specialist teaching spaces and a therapy room. We also have a Community Room which is used for training and meetings and a Nurture base for our nurture provision.
The school is set in its own spacious grounds with separate recreation areas and well-equipped playgrounds.
The School has a large, well-qualified and talented team of teaching, learning support and administrative staff.