Appleford School

Since 2012, David King BEd. After reading history and art at Liverpool University, began as a primary school teacher only to have 'a mid-life crisis’ which involved setting up his own business in climbing wall equipment, until he responded to the

A specialist day and boarding school for specific learning difficulties, dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia. Parents are requested to send paperwork: school reports, Ed psych report and and, if applicable, an EHCP, for approval before children ar

Majority leave after GCSE for another school or college sixth form, however the school has provision for years 12 and 13 to re-take exams and start a vocational AS level. This option takes advantage of a slower paced transition to key stage five,

Divided into prep (years 4-8) and senior (years 9-13) with no more than 10 students to a class. One teacher and at least one LSA for each form, and many classes we saw were split to offer differentiated work to individuals or small groups. All tea

The learning support department is British Dyslexia Association registered, which allows them to conduct dyslexia assessments and organise access arrangements for pubic exams. ‘They just got him - they already had everything in place’, a parent to

In the art room, we met a select group working on their exercise books for GCSE photography. Photoshop software on nearby computers. 'The children just use IT like a pen and paper,’ the head tells us, and he might have added ‘paintbrush’. An easel

Outdoorsey doesn’t come near it. Each building is equipped with its own boot-scraper to remove the mud before lessons. There is daily PE, with rugby, cricket, and hockey; the netball team has played at an international tournament. A wall of cups a

Four boarding houses (two for prep school and two for seniors, allocated by gender) provide four to five bed dorms for juniors and two to three to a room for seniors, with ensuite showers. We saw a variety of beds (bunks and singles), with desks i

Occupational and speech and language therapists are on-site, employed to fulfil EHCP requirements, either in-class or individually. ‘They move mountains because they work together with the class teacher’ said one parent. ‘They went through all the

Confidence building is top of the list. ‘When you have children who feel worthless and without confidence, Appleford is so phenomenal,’ one mum told us. Every boarder has a social independence plan of ‘can do’ statements, although one parent felt

A social mix of children whose parents attended independent schools, and those from maintained mainstream primaries, as well a contingent from HM forces. Most have EHCPs. Boarders travel the length of the country, including from London, Manchester

Many funded by EHCP; school calls it ‘a value-for-money’ fee structure and therapy sessions extra.

Appleford gives you the grounding of a traditional education with the support of expert dyslexia teaching. Sophisticated IT, outdoor activities and a nurturing, small community bolster the vulnerable child’s self-esteem, to be able to thrive and l