St Catherine's School A GSG School

- St Catherine's School
Grove Road
Ventnor
Isle of Wight
PO38 1TT - Head: Sarah Thompson
- T 01983 852722
- F 01983 857219
- E [email protected]
- W www.stcatherines.org.uk
- A special independent school for boys and girls aged from 7 to 25. Type of SEN provision: ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder; SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication; SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty.
- Boarding: Yes
- Local authority: Isle of Wight
- Pupils: 108 (68 - school; 26 - sixth form centre; 14 - 19-25 provision) ; sixth formers: 26
- Religion: Does not apply
- Review: View The Good Schools Guide Review
-
Ofsted:
- Latest Overall effectiveness Good 1
- Effectiveness of leadership and management Good 2
- 1 Short inspection 30th January 2024
- 2 Full inspection 19th June 2014
Short inspection reports only give an overall grade; you have to read the report itself to gauge whether the detailed grading from the earlier full inspection still stands.
- Previous Ofsted grade: Good on 12th October 2010
- Ofsted report: View the Ofsted report
What The Good Schools Guide says..
Approach is personalised, sometimes astonishingly so, say parents. In an enjoyable lesson on weather patterns (there’s considerable topic-based learning), pupils confidently named weather symbols and confirmed that school was fortunately snow, thunder and lightning-free. Multi-purpose cookery lessons cover everything from correct pressure when buttering bread to hygiene, budgeting, planning and clarifying instructions (when is a sausage ‘browned’?). Approach allows children to be themselves. ‘Now a different child,’ says parent. ‘Trajectory has…
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What The Good Schools Guide says
Principal
Since 2020, Mrs Sarah Thompson BSc. Head of school, 16-19 college and post-19 provision (run by a separate charity). Born and raised on the Isle of Wight, she returned after completing maths and teaching degree (Exeter), the first in family to go to university. Took a series of roles in mainstream schools, quickly promoted. Working with children with SEN as a St John’s Ambulance volunteer (from age 8) influenced her move to St Catherine’s in 2012 as a maths teacher. Role ‘saved me, got me back my love of teaching’. Inevitably promoted to acting deputy head 2019, acting head shortly afterwards. Confirmed as principal on the first day of pandemic lockdown. Despite all the challenges, she clearly loves the role. Many schools talk of a family feel. St Catherine’s is a family within a family – a much-loved, much-appreciated fixture in the community.
Mrs Thompson has a big personality. If she feels a child should be at the school, will do whatever it takes to get them there. Plain speaker: ‘If she doesn’t like something, she’ll say so – and that’s what makes her a good leader,’ says a parent. Knowledgeable too: ‘Up to date with what you can and can’t have.’
Very hands on. Parents say you’ll see her doing her bit, from liaising with parents to doing the ferry transport run – we first met her on gate duty, braving the drizzle and fog to meet pupils and their families (plus the occasional dog) walking or driving up the hilly roads to the school. Highly rated, particularly for communications.
Presides over a staff team whom parents describe as happy, generating what one parent described as ‘a huge atmosphere of love and affection’. In her free time, she runs twice a week – ‘a plodder’ – and volunteers for National Coastwatch Institution, spotting and reporting boats in trouble.
Entrance
Around 10 applications per place. Some pupils will previously have attended a mainstream school or come from special schools elsewhere. All have EHCPs (no self-funders). Primary area of need must be speech and language and may sometimes include autism. Process includes paperwork review, visit to current school (if local) or invitation for child to visit, often over several days. Within the school, pupils (aged 9-16) are working at below age-related expectations. Much wider range of ability in 16-19 provision.
At post-19 students (all with EHCP and speech and language as dominant need) able to achieve independence (with support). Over-subscribed with only two or three places each year. No tuition on site so dual admissions process – families must apply to St Catherine’s and secure a place on a local college course. School suggests making contact at least a year beforehand.
Exit
Some school and sixth form leavers with a particular interest in eg horticulture or catering might move to a specialist college. Others have taken performing arts degrees, leading to music-related professions. The aim is that as many students as possible are working or volunteering so won’t end up back at home (students are tracked after they’ve left).
Teaching and learning
Academic studies are intertwined with therapy (speech and language and occupational therapy) and life skills so that pupils emerge with better communication skills and confidence as well as qualifications – and on the way ‘become their true selves’, says a parent.
School classes in bright, welcoming rooms (many with en-suite sensory room) are small (maximum 10) and mixed age, with a teacher and TA and often at least one therapist as well. Dedicated rooms for eg music, science, art and DT.
English ‘at heart of curriculum’, says the school. ‘Spoken language, phonological skills, reading writing and vocabulary are taught both as discrete areas and as integral part of all other subjects.’ Most school pupils will achieve at least entry level and some level 1 and level 2 qualifications, including GCSEs/BTecs. Offers English and maths, science, technology, humanities, healthy living and fitness, art, computing, music and life skills/cooking. Only absence is languages.
Approach is personalised, sometimes astonishingly so, say parents. In an enjoyable lesson on weather patterns (there’s considerable topic-based learning), pupils confidently named weather symbols and confirmed that school was fortunately snow, thunder and lightning-free. Multi-purpose cookery lessons cover everything from correct pressure when buttering bread to hygiene, budgeting, planning and clarifying instructions (when is a sausage ‘browned’?). Approach allows children to be themselves. ‘Now a different child,’ says parent. ‘Trajectory has completely changed.’
Sixth form (16-19) is based in an attractive single-storey former Ventnor primary school. Four groups within the college – organised broadly by academic ability – include foundation unit for higher need students with limited verbal communication who require greater in-class support from therapists and teaching staff. Some particularly anxious students stay on for a third year which ‘helps them to flourish before going to college’.
They study for English and maths qualifications from entry level 1 to GCSE (academically able school pupils might occasionally join sixth formers for higher levels maths GCSE classes). Also art, photography and music (up to GCSE) with BTecs in science, vocational studies and home cooking together with a life skills qualification. Taster sessions in eg catering, bricklaying or mechanics at a local college to help acclimatise to the outside world – a big step for some pupils but supported (with eg social stories or therapy) and college ‘won’t let it not work’.
Cohorts can vary year to year – so focus changes too. ‘We know them so well that therapy can be pre-emptive,’ says college. Pragmatic focus on compensatory skills – typing or using assisted technology so ‘have the skills to manage after they’ve left… they won’t have occupational therapy at 29.’.
Post-19 students enrol on range of vocational courses (music to animal care, land-based studies and marine engineering) at eg Isle of Wight College and Platform One. Many will arrive working at around entry level 3 and might progress to level 1 or level 2 – rarely (though occasionally) level 3.
The arts and extracurricular
Exceptional performing arts are showcased to admiring public at the summer fair (and sometimes at Bestival). Music room houses drum kit and keyboards, and there’s a school choir and band. Individual lessons (vocals, piano, guitar, wind and brass instruments) available to all. ‘Quite a few very good musicians,’ says parent.
School pupils have Friday afternoon clubs and the range is huge – arts and crafts, army cadets, scouts, DofE. From year 11 (and through into sixth form and post-19 provision) work experience with local businesses, from cafés to charity shops. Highly effective co-ordinator has placed talented writer with local media firm and animal lovers at a local sanctuary. We met one very smiley post-19 student loving shifts in a local supermarket. ‘Has flown and flourished,’ says the team, which encourages students to make the most of this ‘safe and contained’ location, from booking gym sessions to travelling to inclusion evenings at a nearby night club – richness of options reflected in variety of individual visual timetables.
Recently organised first post-19 residential holiday in Somerset, working closely with the therapy team who helped students overcome anxiety about new experiences that included the long minibus journey, sharing rooms, identifying suitable restaurants that would work with everyone’s needs, and communicating with new people. ‘Not just a jolly but learning transferable skills for the future.’
Sport
Major team sport is football (school team plays matches with other local squads) and school grounds include attractive (and sloped) grassy area with multi-use games area and an outdoor gym (additional equipment at sixth form college is used for therapy and also as a useful safety valve for individual pupils needing a break during lessons). Small indoor gym is used by OT team for school and college pupils.
For post-19 students, plenty of water-based activities among the 30+ on offer by local organisations (surf school, sailing, swimming, beach activities among them).
Boarders
Weekly boarding for school and college pupils, staff escorting to and from Portsmouth or Lymington on Fridays and Sundays. Currently just one boarding house in school – St Christopher’s – for pupils aged 11+, co-ed but all boys when we visited. Single rooms, choice of beds and bring own duvets (or weighted blanket). No en-suites – clean and tidy toilets easily accessible and – as visual reminders stress – the only reason to be out of bed at night.
Parents updated so can help at home and called to talk things through (if necessary, late at night). ‘They don’t just do, they ask,’ says parent. ‘Every step of the way they have been there for us. It’s brilliant because it’s a huge thing to send your child across the water.’
Children have ‘an amazing time’, says parent – as well as honing life skills and independence. Tidying rooms, helping with laundry, learning to budget and plan meals (bangers, mash and beans a current favourite). School council reps attend house meetings, suggest activities and plan menus.
Packed activities programme (different for older and younger pupils) ranges from walks to table tennis, pizza deliveries to Laser Quest. Older school pupils might join external clubs and societies (such as local cadet group). We particularly liked the popular Lego and junk modelling room (no shortage of ambition with a recreation of the boarding house itself in progress).
Places in the two 16-19 boarding houses – side by side delightful, listed buildings, sensitively refurbished – are allocated based on levels of independence. St Anne’s is home to pupils needing lighter-touch support. The second house, St Margaret’s, supports students who need more guidance – visible in additional information throughout the building, like the reminder on the dishwasher to unload only when the flashing light has stopped. Plenty of attractive spaces to relax, from common room with squashy sofas to pool table.
For post-19 students, accommodation is in two residential houses or (usually for older, most confident students) in one of two flats, one single, the other two-bedroomed. En-suites for all single rooms. Provision is inspected twice a year by National Youth Advocacy Service. Extensive staff training ranges from mental health to food hygiene - and there's 24-hour staffing. The dynamic and articulate head of post-19 provision has first-hand understanding of what families are experiencing and an impressive advocate for the students: ‘Everyone is given the opportunity to be the best version of themselves.’
Ethos and heritage
Not hard to find the main school in small-town (but sweet) Ventnor. Pass the Co-op, turn left uphill and a few minutes of climbing will bring you to the school’s main building – one of 11, a mix of styles, ages and levels (some sets of steps had an almost Escher-like quality to them) – with some spectacular views out over the sea. A ‘lovely higgledy-piggledy site,’ says parent. Multiple levels do, however, limit access for those with physical disabilities.
Originally opened in 1879 to treat adult patients with tuberculosis. Became an all-year-round boarding school for ‘delicate’ children, many with severe asthma, in 1915 and a speech and language specialist school in 1983.
A safe environment with easy-to-understand public transport system and friendly islanders – ‘very accepting of whoever you are,’ says the school. Pupils are ‘encouraged to be mobile, get the bus, walk into town to buy something. It’s all to do with giving them more confidence,’ says parent. Runs ‘like a well-oiled machine’. Parents equally positive about care for individual pupils and brilliance of large-scale events, from open days to much-anticipated summer fête (former pupils come back specially) and the student prom. ‘Something to get excited about,’ says a parent.
Generous amounts of space everywhere (a revelation for anyone coming from cramped classrooms and, said one parent, ‘therapy in a stairwell’ at previous schools). Many buildings (among them, school’s Victorian Gothic chapel) equally big on charm and running costs. Refurbishment programme a never-ending battle but one that the leadership team gradually seems to be winning.
Pastoral care, inclusivity and discipline
Nothing left to chance – from break-time clubs to school pupils struggling with playground bustle to keeping a close eye on smartphone usage. (Strict rules include compulsory installation of content management app.) Zones of regulation reminders feature prominently, including some desktop versions with a dial. School stresses, ‘It’s perfectly normal and human to be anywhere in the zone.’ Time out or movement breaks if needed.
School pupils receive points for kindness and character as well as good work – exchangeable for rewards (sensory toys most popular). Certificates presented in a weekly assembly. ‘It’s all about building self-esteem and helping children recognise how they’d like to be treated,’ says the school. Carried through into school boarding house, where leaf-shaped notes on ‘Positivitree’ celebrate ‘being calm when talking about Lego’, for example.
Total communication approach. School pupils and staff learn British Sign Language (some to a high level) and all directions are communicated using Widgit Symbols. Pupil-designed posters reinforce boundaries of eg acceptable public displays of affection – appropriate relationships aren’t discouraged but strict rules apply. Another provides tips on caring for therapy dog, Dougal: ‘Don’t shout “hi” if you see him,’ urges one.
Brilliant communications extend to keeping parents up to date, extensive newsletters felt to be particularly valuable – everything from comprehensive class-by-class round-ups to inclusive holiday activities and emergency contacts to highly detailed annual reviews. A special mention for head of sixth form: ‘Always picks up the phone to share and it might be something positive,’ says a parent.
Post-19 team organise house meetings, with comment cards and an open-door policy. ‘Everybody’s voice is heard, everybody is equal,’ they say. Care staff, aged 20s to 50s, come from a range of backgrounds, including several former teachers, and are ‘brilliant’, says a student. ‘We all have a chat and decide what we like and give ideas. We have a voice and can vote.’
Therapy and staffing
The bees’ knees. Therapy may be individual, in group sessions or in-class support. School looks at EHCPs but, as ‘they’re usually out of date by the time they’re published’, will base therapy goals on actual needs, based on assessment when a pupil arrives and ‘what child is interested in – no point working on lacing shoes if they’re not motivated – get elasticated laces instead’.
Support is extensive and joined up. At lunchtime (‘proper dinner ladies and properly cooked meals,’ says an approving parent), occupational therapists help with everything from cutlery manipulation to emotional regulation and ensure that pupils stay at least 30 minutes to encourage conversation. Life skills, social interaction sessions and PSHE cover everything from cooking and shopping to managing friendships and emotions. All residential pupils have bespoke programmes including additional academic support if needed. Parents praise staff commitment: ‘So supportive and transparent,’ says one. Ingenious, too – like the home-made, slow-moving swingball type creation to help with visual tracking.
Support in 19-25 provision ‘delivers life skills, therapy and further education in a holistic, integrated way,’ says head of centre. So cooking doesn’t just include menu planning and budgeting but coping with the unexpected – what if the bus doesn’t turn up on the way to buy the ingredients? Students receive an hour’s one-to-one speech and language and occupational therapy each week and work through a four-level independence programme that might end with negotiating solo travel home, including the ferry crossing. Staff so hands-on that they are known to hide in bushes when students are making first forays into independent travel. ‘Really good at helping with anything you need,’ confirmed a student.
Pupils and parents
Around 30 per cent of school pupils are girls, dropping to 20 per cent in the sixth form and 10 per cent in the post-19 provision. Growing number of day pupils in school and sixth form college live on the island. Most boarders from London and south-east (Surrey, Hampshire etc). Pupils notable for fantastic manners – rate of holding doors open, unprompted, better than in many a mainstream school. ‘Don’t teach them, learn by doing,’ says the school. Can be highly articulate. One primary pupil we spoke to described testing the Lego crossbow they had made, which fires rubber bands. ‘Didn’t know what would happen the first time but it worked.’
No parents’ association currently. School actively promotes socialising – birthday dinners out, activities for boarders (like bowling and pool) though with varying success. Some pupils actively identify potential friends they’d like to invite back and staff undertake the necessary liaison.
Money matters
All pupils local authority funded.
The last word
Kind, caring speech and language specialist school and college. St Catherine's seamlessly integrates teaching and therapy and moulds its approach to the individual child, helped by location in a secure, welcoming community that holds the school very close to its heart. Provision that local authorities might not want you to know about but definitely worth fighting for.
Overall school performance (for comparison or review only)
Results by exam and subject
Subject results
Entry/Exit
Special Education Needs
St Catherine's offers specialist education, therapy and care to young people aged seven to 25 with speech, language and communication needs as well as autistic spectrum disorders, Aspergers Syndrome, dyslexia and dyspraxia. Classes are small (with six to nine students) and each has a speech and language therapist working collaboratively alongside a teacher to plan programmes and agree targets. Additionally, occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants work with students both within the classroom and on a one-to-one basis. Within our residential provision, students follow a five step independence programme covering a range of life skills from money handling to cooking and travelling. Alongside its school for students aged seven to 19, St Catherine's runs a Post-19 provision. St Catherine's aim is to support and enable our children and young people to achieve more than they ever thought possible.
Condition | Provision for in school |
---|---|
ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
Might cover/be referred to as;
ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Aspergers, Autism, High functioning autism, Neurodivergent, Neurodiversity, Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), PDA , Social skills, Sensory processing disorder |
Y |
HI - Hearing Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
Hearing Impairment, HI - Hearing Impairment |
|
MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Learning needs, MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty |
|
MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment, Sensory processing |
|
OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability
Might cover/be referred to as;
Downs Syndrome, Epilepsy, Genetic , OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability, Tics, Tourettes |
|
PD - Physical Disability
Might cover/be referred to as;
PD - Physical Disability |
|
PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Complex needs, Global delay, Global developmental delay, PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty |
|
SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health
Might cover/be referred to as;
Anxiety , Complex needs, Emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA), Mental Health, SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health, Trauma |
|
SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication
Might cover/be referred to as;
DLD - Developmental Language Disorder, Selective mutism, SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication |
Y |
SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
Complex needs, SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty, Cerebral Palsy (CP) |
|
SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty
Might cover/be referred to as;
ADHD, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Auditory Processing, DCD, Developmental Co-ordination Difficulties (DCD), Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Handwriting, Other specific learning difficulty, SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) |
Y |
VI - Visual Impairment
Might cover/be referred to as;
Special facilities for Visually Impaired, VI - Visual Impairment |
Interpreting catchment maps
The maps show in colour where the pupils at a school came from*. Red = most pupils to Blue = fewest.
Where the map is not coloured we have no record in the previous three years of any pupils being admitted from that location based on the options chosen.
For help and explanation of our catchment maps see: Catchment maps explained
Further reading
If there are more applicants to a school than it has places for, who gets in is determined by which applicants best fulfil the admissions criteria.
Admissions criteria are often complicated, and may change from year to year. The best source of information is usually the relevant local authority website, but once you have set your sights on a school it is a good idea to ask them how they see things panning out for the year that you are interested in.
Many schools admit children based on distance from the school or a fixed catchment area. For such schools, the cut-off distance will vary from year to year, especially if the school give priority to siblings, and the pattern will be of a central core with outliers (who will mostly be siblings). Schools that admit on the basis of academic or religious selection will have a much more scattered pattern.
*The coloured areas outlined in black are Census Output Areas. These are made up of a group of neighbouring postcodes, which accounts for their odd shapes. These provide an indication, but not a precise map, of the school’s catchment: always refer to local authority and school websites for precise information.
The 'hotter' the colour the more children have been admitted.
Children get into the school from here:
regularly
most years
quite often
infrequently
sometimes, but not in this year
Who came from where
School | Year |
---|---|
Edgeborough School | 2024 |
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