Our School
The Stable School is an Independent Special Educational Needs primary and secondary school, situated across two sites in the heart of St Catherine’s Hill, Christchurch.
We provide high-quality care and education for children and young people aged 6 to 16 years old who have an Education Health and Care Plan with a Primary Need of Social, Emotional and Mental Health needs (SEMH). Our learners have a range of needs that may include adverse childhood experiences (ACES), childhood trauma and social anxiety. We are able to support some learners with co-occurring needs of ADHD, Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) and Oppositional Defiance Disorder (ODD), among others. We are able to support some learners with ASC also where it is a co-occurring need.
Our learners are at the centre of everything we do, and we offer extensive support to their families as well as working with a range of outside agencies.
We put great emphasis on the positive impact relationships play in young peoples’ lives, especially those that experience childhood trauma or who have a high number of ACES (Adverse Childhood Experiences).
We are working towards achieving a Trauma Informed School status.
As a school, we know that for children and young people to be successful in education their needs must be met, and this is at the heart of everything we do.
Across our two sites, we deliver core subjects of English (At KS2 Reading, Writing and Communication) Maths, Science, PSHE and Physical Education. We offer a wider broad and balanced that includes Humanities, Philosophy & Ethics and additional vocational curriculum opportunities such as Duke of Edinburgh, Construction, Catering and Creative Arts.
At The Stable School we have adopted a trauma informed and holistic approach to our learners’ development. This means that therapeutic needs are addressed in every area of school life and a therapeutic approach is integrated into our classroom experience. Our specialists (including Counsellors, Trauma Informed School Diploma Practitioners, and ELSA trained staff) work with individuals, groups and whole classes alongside school staff to upskill all practitioners. This approach ensures sensory integration, communication support and trauma informed practise happens in every classroom throughout the school day.
The school supports learners to embrace different learning opportunities, whether that be snowboarding, sailing, surfing, climbing, a range of water sports opportunities, riding, biking, or visiting a local place of employment, thus opening up experiences and building their cultural capital.
We believe every experience is a learning experience and all staff maintain a non-judgemental approach to working with young people. Staff always put the children first and utilise their extensive range of expertise to nurture and address the needs of each child. A combination of educational, pastoral, social care and therapeutic experience provides a robust integrated and holistic approach for our learners.
Our Offer
We are proud of the extensive services we provide to our learners and families, which include the following.
Our school’s ethos and aims are to uphold our Purpose, Mission, Vision and Values which are:
Purpose
To ensure every learner has a positive destination and can flourish independently post 16.
School Mission
All learners will be good readers, good learners and good people
A high-quality education with a strong, coherent curriculum, high quality teaching and excellent personal development
We believe in the right of every learner to access a high-quality education and we are here to enable all learners regardless of need to achieve.
We do this specifically for our learners through high quality personalised trauma informed, therapeutic approaches
We will work in partnership with parents and professionals to allow every learner to be active in the community, becoming confident and prepared for their future beyond our school.
Our Vision
The Stable School provides quality first education with forensic knowledge of every child’s EHCP delivered through a trauma informed therapeutic PACE approach.
The Stable School removes the barriers to accessing education and changes lives.
The Stable School is committed to ensuring that every young person has a positive destination and can flourish independently post-16
School Values
The Stable School: Education with equity at its heart.
We are a Rights Respecting School and believe and implement the
Right of every learner to be safe
Right of every learner to learn
Right of every learner to dignity
We expect this through our principles of;
Right Place
Right Thing
Right Way
John Shanahan – Principal
As Principal of The Stable School, I am delighted to work with the fantastic team, the amazing families, and the local community we serve. As a school, we are also delighted to be part of the Melrose Education group of schools, and to work with their wonderful team who support the school in its ongoing journey.
I have been a school leader in a wide range of contexts including mainstream, international, independent, and multi-academy groups. My most recent experience has been working with schools and academies with specific specialisms, primarily SEMH and Autism.
Having experienced the journey personally, I wholeheartedly believe in the power of education to change lives. Throughout my career, I have always been driven by the prospect of genuinely transforming lives through a child centered approach and creating opportunity through transforming young people’s access to education and achievement.
My leadership is values driven, with a focus on authenticity, trust, and integrity. I am a leader that puts people first and I work with all stakeholders with kindness and care, always supporting those I work with. I am transparent with those I support as I know this enables clarity of purpose, which is delivered with empathy and sensitivity.
I believe we must both work with, and support our families, to enable their children to achieve and succeed. What we want for all our learners is to become good readers, good learners and good people, so they are able to succeed and thrive beyond school.
At the Stable School, we provide high quality, consistent and predictable experiences for all learners to enable them to reach their absolute potential. My core belief that any child can achieve, has been powerfully cemented by my own experiences of developing and building a growth mindset culture. This culture believes (and expects) that all learners have the potential to grow, develop and rapidly achieve, regardless of circumstances.
It is an honour to work with and serve this community and I look forward to doing so as we grow and develop into the outstanding school all our children need.
Our Latest News
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The Stable School, which is part of the Melrose Education group of schools, is proud... -
The Stable School, part of the Melrose Education Group, is excited to announce its participation... -
Melrose Education has reinforced its commitment to inclusive employment practices by committing to being a...
