The David Lewis Centre

Since 2014, Angie Fisher. Joined as a curriculum coordinator in 2011, and was later promoted to assistant principal. Has responsibility for curriculum, day provision in school and residential provision. She comes from a commercial background and

The first step is for parents to arrange a visit to the centre to see if it is suitable, and then to make a formal application. A team will meet and plan the entry process which might involve a home visit, an overnight stay at the centre and a range

The college works towards transition from the moment the student arrives in school or college. Approximately half of the learners return home afterwards.

The main areas of work are animal care, retail and catering. Those who return home try to

Caters for people aged 16 to 25 with the most severe forms of epilepsy, ASD, severe, profound and multiple learning difficulties, sensory and physical disabilities and challenging behaviour. It is a centre of excellence for epilepsy and is autism

There are specialist teachers for arts who are also supported by therapists. We saw an art class focused on shapes and colours, but learners were prompted to communicate, express opinions and offer praise to others. Some students use smart-boards to

Sport is a particular strength with options including wheelchair rugby, rebound therapy, tennis, cricket, bowling, badminton and football. Literacy and numeracy are also embedded as sport offers opportunities for reading, writing, counting and basic

The campus has the look and feel of a model village. Houses come in all shapes and sizes and different architectural styles. Some are single storey, some two storey. In the houses, life revolves around the dining room and kitchen, but there is also a

Full clinical staff on site including a doctor, a psychologist, a visiting psychiatrist and a full nursing team, because many have the most severe medical needs and may be subject to potentially life-threatening seizures.

There are speech and

Every base room has a toilet and kitchen and for young people who cannot cope and need a bolt hole there are plenty of spaces for them to be alone. Behaviour policies are moving from being reactive to spending more time with the psychologist and

Two-thirds of the pupils are male. Students come from 28 local authorities. Parents get a weekly updating phone call or email and a more formal contact from a tutor every six weeks.

One parent felt that the school was being ambitious in

Students come with local authority funding. It’s not unusual to find that authorities are reluctant to fund students because of budget cuts and because they cannot predict what the outcomes might be. To which thes chool says, 'Three years at college

It's a school, a college and a community. A very special setting that some would call 'niche' because it caters for a very small group whose needs cannot be met in either mainstream or most specialist settings. One of the major advantages of the