The Unicorn School (Abingdon)

Since April 2025, Alison Woodworth-Sturla, previously deputy headteacher at Alfriston School in Beaconsfield, a specialist school for girls with moderate learning difficulties and speech, language and communications needs. She started her career as

From year 3 – the time when some start to struggle in mainstream or who are already out of school, with a bulge in years 6 and 7. Applications in-year welcome: educational reports first (existing or commissioned from school), parent visit, then child

Some of those starting in years 3 or 4 rejoin mainstream schools, leaving for a mix of state or private, similarly with those joining in years 7 or 8 – a recent example being a pupil awarded an art scholarship at d’Overbroeck’s sixth form, having

A specialist in dyslexia for 30 years, currently for ages 6 to 16, school also supports linked neurodiversities of dyspraxia, dyscalculia, speech language and communication needs (SLCN) and ADHD, with up to a third also being autistic and two-thirds

The Unicorn is a Microsoft showcase school: all staff learn IT, with teachers monitoring laptop work electronically in real time during lessons, able to ‘live’ mark; students then use a ‘reflect’ option to consider their experience of the work, for

LAMDA exams offered, and year 7 and 8 pupils have taken part in Shakespeare in Schools’ cut-down versions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Romeo and Juliet, staged in the medieval abbey buildings in Abingdon, good preparation for GCSEs.

Parents

The head is keen on sports: ‘An outlet for some'. An onsite multi-use games area used by all and school accesses Abingdon School’s playing fields while children up to year 6 swim at nearby Radley’s pool.

After-school clubs until 5pm give daily

Seventy staff for 120 pupils, with TAs trained within school. Speech and language therapy (SaLT) and occupational therapy (OT) provided by school’s own full-time therapists each working with two assistants. Creative arts and play therapist also

The head sees more acceptance and understanding now of neurodiversity, hearing pupils in assembly start presentations with, ‘I have ADHD… ‘, or ‘I am dyslexic with ASD…’, echoed by a parent saying school has encouraged them to see dyslexia as

Pupils talk eloquently, comparing their experiences before and after joining: ‘I was on the verge of being excluded and the Unicorn has been transformational’, ‘I like the friendly, polite atmosphere’, ‘It’s like a family’.

One parent, whose

More than 50 per cent funded via EHCP, others privately.

GCSE results day is the head’s ‘best day of the year’: ‘Every child will leave with a skill set enabling them to access what they need to learn.’ One parent told us, ‘The Unicorn is the dream of most parents. Take its magic and spread it to other