TCES Group Prospectus

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TCES Group

Providing a unique education solution for every pupil

Unique Pathways to Learning

Contents 3
3
Community values 4
Our vision / Our mission 5
Our offer 6
Safeguarding 7
Pupil voice 8
Young leaders 9
Our curriculum 10
Group process 11
Parent voice 12
School admissions 13
Create Service 14
Essex Fresh Start
East London Independent School 15
North West London 16
Independent School 17
Post 16 provision 18
Case study
Frequently asked questions

Introduction

Since 1999 we have provided local authority funded Our integrated approach to education, health and
day-school education for pupils aged 7-19 years whose care is designed to take each pupil on an individual
Social, Emotional or Mental Health (SEMH) needs or journey of change that encourages a love of learning.
Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) has made it difficult
for them to achieve success in a mainstream school, Our schools are safe, nurturing and inspiring
pupil referral unit or other alternative provision. environments that enable pupils to thrive.

Pupils will often have additional undiagnosed learning Uniquely, at TCES Group ASC and SEMH pupils are
needs; Speech, Language and Communication needs educated together.
(SLCN), sensory difficulties or specific learning
difficulties, which can create a complex set of barriers
to learning that must be addressed before the pupil
can settle into education.

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Community values Group

Across TCES Group we strive TCES Group Schools’ Community Values
to ensure that our schools are
inclusive, thriving, socially and Very high expectations
emotionally healthy communities, Hard work
based around a strong set of Mutual respect and tolerance of all
community values, where pupils
can feel safe and secure. At the Authentic ‘real’ inclusion
core of this is our belief that the G enuine pupil, parent and staff voice and participation
key to increasing self-esteem A ‘we never give up’ philosophy for our pupils and staff
and success lies within our pupils
themselves. Unique Pathways to Learning UniquUe nPiaqtuhewPaaytshtwoaLyesatroniLnegarning Unique Pathways to Learning

Our vision

Our vision is to be recognised as experts in delivering therapeutic education, health and care solutions
for children and young people with complex and additional needs, who have not been able to succeed in
mainstream education.

By creating positive opportunities and removing barriers to learning, we strive to enable our pupils to build
on a platform for life-long learning and educational success.

Our mission

We run independent schools for pupils with unique potential. Our highly skilled multi-disciplinary teams
transform pupils’ perception of their own skills, strengths and abilities. We deliver an industry leading
combination of education, health and care that takes each pupil on an individual journey that encourages a
love of learning and long-term success.

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TCES Group Prospectus

Our offer

We offer different options according to the needs of
the pupil.
Day school provision: for pupils where the expectation
is that they will be able to thrive in and integrate
easily into a small group learning environment.
Create Service: parallel to our day-schools, TCES
Group’s Create Service offers therapeutic education,
delivered through a case-coordination model, to
pupils who present (or are at) significant risk to
themselves or others. These are pupils for whom
integration into a class-based school placement is
not possible at this time. At best they will need a
graduated programme into a small group learning
environment. They may need one-to-one support in
the medium to long term in tandem with TCES Group’s
Team Around the Child approach.
We are committed to achieving the best outcomes
for each pupil by enabling access to outstanding
education. We never give up!

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding children and promoting their well-being Leader ensures that we remain up to date with
runs through the heart of our practice. It is an attitude safeguarding systems and policies, as well as with the
of mind, a belief system and a way of thinking that wider issues that face our children and their families
places the well-being of our pupils at the forefront of in the community. The leader also provides our teams
every action. across TCES Group with managerial support, training
and oversight, and works closely with our Inclusion
Policies and systems, such as safer recruitment, Managers, some of whom are qualified social workers.
behaviour management, child protection and This ensures that each of our schools and services
whistleblowing procedures arise out of this belief is able to respond appropriately and immediately to
and are used to promote and sustain it. They are not any safeguarding concerns that arise, in line with the
an end in themselves, but are essential tools and robust systems and procedures that are in place.
need to be kept ‘live’ to support the culture and to
help maintain a company-wide commitment to best We support our parents and carers by keeping them
practice and legal requirements. up to date with safeguarding issues in the community
and on any wider safeguarding issues that may
Ultimately, it is our belief that a commitment to impact on their children, such as internet safety or
safeguarding children and promoting their well- concerns in relation to a particular game or issue in
being works to the equal safety and well-being of all the media. Our teams always welcome parents and
staff and other adults whose aim is to promote good carers into school should they wish to discuss any
education outcomes and future life experiences for concerns or wider issues. All parents and carers are
young people. invited to attend our half-termly parent workshops,
which include safeguarding support.
Our dedicated Safeguarding and Child Protection

Police community support officers enjoy a musical presentation at ELIS 5
TCES Group Prospectus

Pupil voice

Our 20 years of experience has shown us that the together, socially appropriate conduct and most
often-unnoticed pathway to removing barriers to importantly, how hard work and using their voice can
learning and increasing self-esteem and success lies get results.
within the pupils themselves.
Through their Student Councils our pupils consult
By empowering our pupils, who so often feel with staff at every level. Their representatives attend
marginalised, we can help them to actively shape their our company Management Development Group (MDG)
own lives and ongoing education as positive citizens meetings and provide consultation on everything,
and take an element of control over their futures. We including the provision of ideas for our curriculum,
therefore allow our pupils to discover their own voices consultation around their school environments,
by giving them a real voice to begin with, that they reviews of particular policy and procedures, and the
know will be listened to. recruitment of new staff. They also join interview
panels and governors’ meetings and are involved in
All pupils are given the opportunity to join their welcoming new pupils to the school.
school’s Student Council, through a series of election
campaigns, presentations, interviews and voting. We believe that for our pupils, having their voices
Our Student Council members are encouraged and really listened to instils a sense of responsibility
trained to develop their skills and fulfil their roles to and pride, not only within their school, but within
the very best of their potential. Through this process, themselves. The benefit to TCES Group is that we are
they learn about the power of democracy, working truly able to develop our services with the pupil at the
centre of everything we do.

Inclusion Quality Mark This focus on inclusion has resulted in two of our
schools (East London Independent School and North
TCES Group is uniquely driven by a principle of real West London Independent School) already being
inclusiveness in our school community, where all awarded the Inclusion Quality Mark (IQM).
pupils and not just the most able are a vital part of
promoting diversity and the breaking down of all
stereotypes that could create division.

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Young leaders

We believe that the often difficult and sometimes
traumatic upbringing of many of our pupils instils
in them strengths and talents that, if channelled
properly, will lead inevitably to different aspects of
leadership.

Because of this belief that every child or young person LIFE programme
is a potential young leader, the leadership element
of our LIFE programme offers every pupil, throughout Our LIFE programme leads to qualifications, roles
their education with us, opportunities to learn to and experiences in Leadership, Independence skills,
lead themselves before progressing to leadership Financial awareness, and Enterprise/Employability.
positions around their school.

In addition to the active Student Council roles in each

school, these might include:

• Sports ambassador
• Anti-bullying ambassador
• Playground buddy
• Peer mentor
• Environmental officer
• Community ambassador
• Charity ambassador

Pupils benefit from support in each role and are
empowered to inspire and motivate themselves and
others to effect positive change.

Alumni peer mentors

Having benefitted from learning leadership skills before graduating from TCES Group, a number of our
alumni now return as peer mentors, providing support and guidance to current pupils.

Working alongside the staff team, these young people participate in group process sessions, work
with tutor groups and facilitate assemblies. Above all, the mentors help to inspire and encourage
leadership and positivity in our pupils, as they have been through similar experiences and therefore
have a unique insight into the issues these children and young people might be facing.

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TCES Group Prospectus

Our curriculum School specialisms

Unique curriculum design: In addition to the Young Leaders programme,
5 part curriculum that is a specialism across the Group, each
TCES Group school and Create Service have
The curriculum addresses the disadvantages and chosen another area to specialise in. These
disruptions to each pupil’s previous experience of are:
education and enables them to negotiate individual
pathways from social isolation to independence. NWLIS – Creative Arts

All pupils have access to the TCES Group 5 part Create Service – Performing Arts
curriculum. This has been built on our community
values and aims to ensure that all pupils go on to be ELIS – PE: Health, Fitness and Well-Being
successful learners, confident individuals, responsible
citizens and independent adults. EFS – Outdoor Learning

Within this structure, schemes of work, medium term
planning and lesson plans are all differentiated to
meet the individual needs of each pupil. Outcomes are
adjusted appropriately, as are the accreditations and
qualifications that pupils are working towards.

Our 5 part Curriculum

Academic

ASC/SEMH Enrichment
Specific

Pupil

Therapeutic Engagement

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Group process

Our schools hold twice-weekly ‘group process’ supported by staff who ensure everyone’s opinions
sessions for pupils, in which they meet to discuss a are acknowledged and respected, and that everyone
wide variety of topics, including knife crime, LGBT feels safe enough to participate.
rights, bullying and cultural diversity. Every pupil
is encouraged to share their views in a respectful, The sessions have proved to be very effective in
neutral environment and the sessions often end with building a sense of community, and feedback from
the pupils having gained a greater understanding and external agencies who have observed our group
increasing acceptance of each other’s views. process sessions in action has also been extremely
positive. Local authority officers have described this
Discussions can be about issues that are in the whole school group approach as “unique”, and “a
news, however, frequently they will relate to certain model of excellence”.
attitudes that have been observed in the school that
we would like to change. To help deliver this effectively we run group process
training for our staff team, in which they develop
When this is the case, pupils are encouraged to think their knowledge in a number of areas, including
in a solution-focused way about how we might resolve self-reflection, relational work, group maintenance,
the issue. Pupils then lead the discussion, guided and diversity and respect.

“On a weekly basis, pupils learn, debate and listen to one another in a therapeutic ‘group process’
session. Pupils and staff alike told the Inspector they look forward to this. In an observed session, all
pupils in the school engaged in complex, philosophical discussion about gender equality. For pupils
with such complex needs to have developed the ability to listen, empathise, take turns and manage

disagreements in this way is excellent, and prepares them very well for their next steps.”
NWLIS Ofsted report 2017

“The ‘group process’ sessions, which all pupils engage in during the week, make a strong contribution to
pupils’ outstanding personal development.”
ELIS Ofsted report 2018

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TCES Group Prospectus

Parent voice Time has definitely flown and my son is a
completely different person from the one that
We recognise that the empowerment of parents enrolled. I have so many positive things to say
through real parental voice and engagement can be a about this school. The one thing I will always say
very effective way to form a strong school community. is that this school has helped me and my son so
much - endless support and positive vibes no
Through being welcomed into the school, having matter how big or small my dilemma or question.
their voices heard and being encouraged to actively
participate in all elements of their child’s school life, My son was so excited to have me witness his
our parents and carers benefit in ways that they have assembly. He loves that I am involved in the
often not experienced in previous settings. They
find that they themselves develop peer groups of school.
like-minded people who completely understand the
challenges that parents and carers of SEND children I think being involved with the school helps my
face on a daily basis. Many of our parents and carers son to see that we work together. I think it really
have expressed how vital this support network alone
is for them. does help.

In addition to this, we offer parents and carers the It’s really good that parents can join assemblies to
opportunity for their own training and development celebrate their child. The change in my daughter
workshops, with topics agreed through ongoing
parent consultation. Sessions have included ‘Gang and has been great because she can see I am
Knife Crime awareness’, ‘Understanding your Child’s interested.
Education, Health and Care Plan’, and ‘Speech and
Language tips for the home’. They care about you in this place, sometimes I feel
they care about you more than you care about
Every TCES Group school and service has an active yourself.
Parent Council in place. Members are encouraged
to have a real say in the direction of the school; this
might be to help to fundraise, assist in school events
or join the interview panel for new staff.

We believe that, by giving parents and carers the
opportunity to become fully embedded within our
schools, we have much stronger school communities
and much happier parents, carers and pupils.

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School admissions

Referrals to our schools are made by a child’s local assessors to meet the parent and child at home and
authority. Parent/carers can request a placement at we will invite them both to visit the setting where we
a TCES Group school via their local authority’s Special believe the child will be best placed.
Education Needs team.
Where a young person has particularly complex
When a local authority refers to us we request the needs, we might ask to meet with the other
child’s Education Health and Care plan and recent professionals who are part of their support network
reports from their previous educational setting and so that we can understand them better.
from other professionals who are involved with their
care. It is this process that means that we can make the
commitment to never permanently exclude.
We pride ourselves on never permanently excluding
a child who attends one of our provisions. In order to After we have carried out our discovery process, we
make this commitment, we carry out a very thorough will make a formal offer to the local authority detailing
information gathering process before we accept a the provision that we can put in place for the child.
referral.
Once confirmed, we will then contact the parent with
Once we have received all the paperwork we need, an admission date and an integration plan to support
we will send out one of our independent social work their child’s transition.

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TCES Group Prospectus

Create Service Unique Pathways to Learning

Personalised Therapeutic Education

Running parallel to, and under the umbrella of, Our understanding of, and response to, the
our day schools, Create Service is a personalised complexity of the pupil’s needs will determine where
therapeutic education programme. It is designed to the educational programme will take place. For some
meet the needs of high risk, complex and vulnerable pupils it may be necessary to begin work in their
pupils in KS 2-5 who are not yet ready to engage home, until such time as they feel secure and have
with and succeed in formal small group learning built a relationship of trust with their designated
environments. tutor(s). The pupil’s individualised programme will
build in possibilities for work in safe community
Through our Journey of Change model, we identify spaces and/or therapeutic hubs or they might attend
each child or young person’s starting point and work a Create in-school setting.
with them, their families/carers and their professional
network to build and deliver a bespoke package of
inclusive education, therapy and social/group skills
practice, based on their strengths and interests. This
helps them to develop confidence and the ability
to integrate more successfully into education and
society.

The Journey of Change model

Isolation Dependency Inter- Independence
dependency

Create Create Create TCES Group Mainstream
community and therapeutic in-school school offer school and post-
home support packages
hub 16 provision

41 Varley Road
Newham
E16 3NR

Tel: 01708 393150

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Essex Fresh Start
Independent School

Ofsted report, January 2019

Pupils develop positive attitudes to learning and show The vast majority of pupils quickly improve their
respect for teachers and other adults in the school. behaviour, because they enjoy attending the school
and want to be involved in all the activities that the
Pupils gain a good understanding of British values
and are well prepared to take their place in modern school offers.
Britain. The personal, social, health and relationships
scheme of work promotes British values effectively, as Staff know their pupils’ needs well. They plan
personalised learning which helps all groups of pupils
well as independence and life skills.
make good progress over time.

1 Wellesley Road
Clacton-on-Sea
Essex
CO15 3PP

Tel: 01255 225204

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TCES Group Prospectus

East London
Independent School

Ofsted report, July 2018

Leaders provide rich opportunities for pupils to Pupils arrive at the school having experienced
develop spiritually, morally, socially and culturally. significant challenges; some have not attended formal
Consequently, pupils respect different beliefs and are
education for prolonged periods of time. As a result
well prepared for life in modern Britain. of good teaching and care, pupils settle quickly and

The personal development and welfare of pupils is make good progress in most subjects, including
a strength of the school. Staff work effectively with English and mathematics.
therapists and external agencies to support pupils.
As a result, most make strong social and emotional Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school.
They are proud of their new building and take good
progress from their starting points.
care to keep the environment clean.

Welfare Road
London
E15 4HT

Tel: 020 8555 6737

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North West London
Independent School

Ofsted report, February 2017

The truly inclusive ethos and very high standards Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural
ensure that no pupil is given up on. Against the odds, development is outstanding. Through a wide range of
leaders and staff do whatever is necessary to facilitate community activities, charity events, enrichment and
innovative social skills activities, pupils are very well
outstanding outcomes for all pupils.
prepared for life in modern Britain.

Pupils make outstanding progress in their academic Staff and pupils alike describe the school as a family.
and personal development. They make especially The sense of community is exceptional.

rapid progress in English, mathematics, science, art
and their social skills.

85 Old Oak Common Lane
Ealing, London
W3 7DD

Tel: 020 8749 5403

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TCES Group Prospectus

Post 16 provision

TCES Group’s Post 16 pathways offer a personalised have for their future and what they would like their
specialist education for students aged 16+ with adult life to look like – and then design a programme
SEMH needs or an ASC, plus co-morbid needs. These to enable them to continue on that journey.
learning programmes are designed to help the
student develop independence and prepare for adult The Post 16 curriculum enables students to continue
life and life after school (including study at college or on their journey with TCES Group, empowering
preparation for the world of work). them to question, experiment, create and innovate.
Being person-centred it is specific, relevant and
We understand that these students may need a more achievable and enables each young person to
considered transition to adult life, using a scaffolding build on their strengths and previous successes to
approach, where a greater number of shorter steps develop new skills. It allows learners to undertake
are taken and the help and support available is relevant qualifications together with short course
more focused on the individual’s personal needs. We accreditations that give them the greatest chance of
therefore work closely with each young person and successful employment and skills for life; so ensure
their family to understand the hopes and dreams they they will be non-NEET.

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Case study:

“Sam”

Sam (not his real name) came to Create Service in Y10 with complex SEMH
needs, an ADHD diagnosis and neurodevelopmental problems including
social communication difficulties. He was known to Social Care and the Youth
Offending Team. In previous placements, Sam had been subject to periods of
disruption and crisis linked to challenges in his family dynamics.

Sam presented in earlier education settings with disruptive, aggressive
and physically violent behaviour, directed at both peers and professionals.
In these times of disruption he was vulnerable to episodes of arousal and
crisis, expressed in patterns of risk-taking and self-harming behaviour
which had not been containable in a classroom setting.

He was assigned an Assertive Outreach Tutor (AOT), who engaged Sam in
his interests – skateboarding and robotics. With a further combination of
classroom-based teaching and enrichment activities, including museum
visits and visits to the local skateboard park, he was quickly stabilised into
regular attendance and his aggressive behaviour dramatically reduced. He
was ready for a holistic assessment.

Sam was assessed by the Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychologist who
recommended regular music therapy to help him to express his emotions
through a non-verbal medium and to support him to make links between
his thinking, feeling and behaviour. Sam was also diagnosed with Dyslexia
and appropriate support was put in place to help him to develop his literacy
skills. Sam also had a Speech and Language Therapy (SaLT) assessment
which indicated that he needed an individualised treatment programme.
The SaLT also worked closely with the class team to help them to adapt the
way that they communicated with Sam to ensure that he understood what
was expected of him and was able to follow instructions.

Sam became increasingly self-aware and confident and started to engage in
work with another pupil of a similar age. A broad and balanced curriculum
was quickly set and, as part of a small group exercise, he designed and built
a remote control car. This inspired him to study a vocational course in motor
mechanics where he is achieving good passes in City and Guilds modules.

Unique Pathways to Learning

TCES Group Prospectus

Frequently asked questions

What makes TCES Group different? Will my child find it easy to settle into school
or Create?
TCES Group prides itself in offering an innovative and
nurturing environment, immersed in understanding We work hard to ensure that all TCES Group schools
and best practice in the therapeutic education of are made up of the same welcoming and inclusive
children and young people with complex and co- communities, where differences and diversity
morbid SEMH needs or an ASC. are celebrated and seen as significant strengths.
We believe that these positive messages have a
We cherry-pick a range of established strategies to significant impact on pupils and remove any excuses
provide a suite of effective interventions. We consider or negative stereotypes, showing them that with
the young person’s unique needs, sensory profiles collective high expectations and hard work they can
and learning abilities with flexible packages of each achieve anything.
education, therapy and care designed to support the
complexities related to autism. How big are the class sizes? Are they in peer
groups?
Our broad, values-driven curriculum is relevant to the
needs of each pupil and promotes the spiritual, moral, In our schools, class sizes are small and occasionally
cultural, social, mental and physical development of reach a maximum of eight. The combination of pupils
each pupil. is not necessarily age and stage, but is based on
personality and compatibility. The ratio is usually one
TCES Group’s unique attributes include: teacher and one teaching assistant to five students.
Many of our Create Service pupils are taught on a
• our 20 years of knowledge and experience one-to-one basis or in very small class groups of two
• our ability to educate the most complex and to three pupils.

challenging pupils through our Create Service (see What will my child learn?
page 12)
All TCES Group schools follow the same 5 part
• our successful integration of pupils with SEMH curriculum. Enrichment and vocational activities
form an important part of each pupil’s learning. We
and ASC provide access to sports clubs and gyms, colleges
and work experience placements. Each pupil has
• our Young Leaders and LIFE programme an opportunity to take part in enrichment activities,
• our philosophy of ‘never giving up’ that might include swimming, horse riding or rock
• we have never permanently excluded a pupil climbing.

Our ambition is that our pupils leave TCES Group From Y10 pupils can access vocational college
schools and services knowing what opportunities placements that often lead to a full-time college
exist for them and how to embrace both their rights placement when they leave us; or it could lead to work
and responsibilities as citizens in Britain today. placement or training within a working environment.
Courses might include mechanics, catering and
hospitality, hair and beauty, health and social care.

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Will my child be able to follow accredited Will my child need to wear school uniform?
courses such as GCSEs?
Yes, our pupils wear their uniforms with pride (they
All pupils are able to access accredited courses were requested as part of Pupil Voice). We provide
dependent upon their cognitive level, to include SATS, a number of complimentary school branded items,
functional skills, City & Guilds, GCSEs, A Levels and including blazers, jumpers, polo shirts and ties.
other established qualification routes. The curriculum Parents/carers just need to provide black skirts or
is broad, balanced and in line with the current trousers, black shoes and white shirts. Our school
National Curriculum. Learning programmes are administrators can provide advice on uniform and
adapted and personalised in order to motivate and how to order.
engage our learners.
How are families supported?
What therapies does TCES Group offer?
Our schools offer a professional family support
All pupils are able to access our core clinical offer package. We view our placements as dual; we
which includes Speech and Language Therapy, are enrolling parents/carers and the child into
Occupational Therapy and Creative Therapy (art, our community. In addition to daily contact and
drama, music). Where appropriate, we will also discussions around progress, we provide pastoral
commission specialist assessment and interventions support from our leadership teams, teachers,
in order to make sure that we fully understand the inclusion managers and school social workers. We
needs of each child. offer advice and home–school strategies that can
often help reduce levels of anxiety and increase
The young people who access our Create Therapeutic engagement from our learners.
Education Programme have access to an enhanced
therapy offer that also includes highly specialist What communication can we expect with
assessments commissioned from external providers the schools?
who then train and supervise our staff to implement
interventions. We welcome regular contact with parents and carers.
This might be in person or via home-school diaries,
When was your last Ofsted inspection? phone calls and emails. In addition to this, parents/
What was the outcome? carers will receive regular reports along with the
opportunity to meet with school staff to discuss
In their latest inspections one of our schools was progress.
graded ‘Outstanding’: NWLIS (February 2017), and the
other two were graded ‘Good’: ELIS (July 2018) and EFS
(January 2019).

Will my child be transported to school?

Parents need to contact their local authority’s SEN
transport team to apply for transport. Many of
our pupils are transported to school by their local
authority.

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TCES Group Prospectus

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I’m delighted to be Patron for TCES Group and to champion these young people.

I have seen first-hand how this unique formula for therapeutic education can
work – how the positive environments and supportive staff team are helping

children to build trust and respect.

These young people who, despite significant learning challenges, are now
embracing education at TCES Group and demonstrating that they are society’s

potential young leaders of the future.

Dame Esther Rantzen

Founder of Childline and Patron of TCES Group

020 8543 7878 Park House, www.tces.org.uk @tcesgroup
8 Lombard Road,

Wimbledon,
London SW19 3TZ