Ages
Foxes Academy was a joy to visit. If you’re in Minehead, stay the night or pop in for a drink - this is a place worth supporting. For a young person with learning disabilities it could change your life; learn a trade, become independent, make friends, and gain confidence to make the most of the future. As one happy parent said, ‘Foxes is a brilliant place and I cannot recommend it highly enough.’
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Overview & data
- Pupil numbers
- 72 ·
- Offers boarding
- Yes ·
- Local authority
- Somerset County Council
- SEN provision
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· ASD
· HI
· MLD
· OTH
· SpLD
Headteacher
Principal
Mark Costello
Since February 2023, Mark Costello.
Entrance
There are taster days, and schools are offered taster ‘breaks’ when groups can come and stay at the hotel for a few days. Application is through the students’ local authority after an initial assessment. Waiting for the funding to be agreed was th
- Open days
- To book on to one of the presentation days, check school website
Exit
Nearly 80 per cent of recent leavers are now in work, 55 per cent are being paid and 45 per cent work on a voluntary basis. (The national average for young people with similar conditions is 6.7 per cent). Plus, 68 per cent of leavers moved into su
Latest results
We do not publish results data for special schools. Find out more.
Teaching & learning
Foxes Academy is a training hotel and college for 16-25 year olds with mild and moderate learning difficulties, including students with Down’s syndrome, autism, global developmental delay, hearing impairments, attention deficit hyperactivity disor
Arts & extracurricular
A student will normally do two shifts at the hotel every week. Shifts are either morning (8am-2pm), or afternoon (2pm-8pm). They then have structured therapy sessions and independent living skills sessions. Any time when they are not in a structur
Boarders
There are eight supported residential houses within walking distance of the hotel, ranging from shared living to bedsits and independent flats. The first year houses are the most supported, and in the last year students can live in a house where t
Ethos & heritage
Foxes Academy is in Minehead, a seaside resort near Exmoor, in West Somerset. It was founded in 1996 by directors Sue Jenkins and Maureen Tyler Moore. They recognised that, given the right level of training and support, young people with learning
Therapy & staffing
As well as working shifts at the hotel, students have therapy sessions: mainly in groups for speech therapy, and one-to-one sessions for CBT and OT, depending on needs. Health care sessions with Reynard Care and Support Agency are available if ext
Pastoral care, inclusivity & discipline
‘Everyone I have met at Foxes has impressed me with their kindness, patience and care. The students are at the heart of everything that they do and I have only praise for everyone involved,’ said one parent. This care and support is continued outs
Pupils & parents
Families are from all over the UK. Parents and families often stay in the hotel when they visit. All students go home for the holidays. Some stay in touch with parents more regularly than others, but they are encouraged to become more independent,
Money matters
There are several routes to gain funding to be able to attend Foxes Academy. In addition some families choose to fund privately. The parents we spoke to found it was same-old, saying, ‘Everything that has happened with education and social care ha
The last word
Foxes Academy was a joy to visit. If you’re in Minehead, stay the night or pop in for a drink - this is a place worth supporting. For a young person with learning disabilities it could change your life; learn a trade, become independent, make frie
