• Specialism:
  Inspirational education for young people with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder
• Residential/Day:
  Residential and day placements
• Course Start Dates:
  Enrolment throughout the year, to suit individual need
• Course Length per Year in weeks:
  52 week places; 38 week term-time only; weekly (Monday to Friday); daily
• Maximum Student Numbers:
  Maximum 56 residential students + 10 day students
• Age Range:
  From 16+

General Description of College:
Beechwood College, set in beautiful grounds in the Vale of Glamorgan, offers inspirational education for young people with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder or Asperger’s Syndrome. Our approach is based upon the principles of TEACCH, PECS and Makaton. Our goal is to provide opportunities and experiences individually, regardless of ability, to prepare them for later life.

The Curriculum:
Our integrated approach to learning has our qualified lecturers, residential and clinical teams partnering together so that each student’s personalised education programme is developed and reinforced consistently as a 24 hour learning environment. Learning covers: Essential Skills - Literacy, Numeracy, Problem-solving and ICT; Creativity - Fine Art, 3D-sculpture, Ceramics, Animation and Printmaking; Music – Notation, Sound/Voice recording and Composition Life Skills – Food preparation, Healthy eating, Social interaction & Relationships Work Related Learning – Team Enterprise, Vocational Skills Sensory –Touch therapy, Sensory Room, Soft Play and Tacpac. Recreation and Leisure – Swimming, Cycling, Trampolining, Gym, Orienteering and Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards. This can lead to formal accreditation by external bodies such as OCN, ASDAN, WJEC and Ed-Excel.

Specialist Facilities:
Beechwood College has its own multi-disciplinary clinical team who support students with: Speech and Language therapy Occupational therapy Psychology Dietetics

Statements:

1. expertise in working with learners with severe autism spectrum disorder
2. expertise in working with learners with Asperger syndrome
3. expertise in working with learners with autism spectrum disorder with associated challenging behaviour
4. expertise in working with learners with acquired brain injury
5. expertise in working with learners with multi-sensory impairment
6. expertise in working with learners with communication difficulties
7. in-house speech and language therapy
8. in-house psychology services
9. waking night residential staff
10. residential provision extending beyond the academic year
11. a personal development programme
12. a programme to help learners to look after themselves more independently
13. opportunities to improve literacy, numeracy and/or communication skills
14. a programme to enable students to learn more about themselves and how to form relationships
15. opportunities to improve and develop communication skills through the use of Alternative and Augmentative Communication aids
16. opportunities to improve communication skills such as the use of Makaton, Bliss, symbols or objects of reference
17. opportunities to take part in a wide range of social, leisure and sporting activities
18. a range of therapeutic services
19. a range of vocational courses with opportunities for accreditation.
20. opportunities for learners to participate in community activities and to learn about citizenship
21. opportunities to improve Information and learning technology skills