The Wizards
The Wizards Vision
The Wizards provision has been created as part of HCAT’s commitment to our pupils. The Wizards focuses on working with children who are displaying social, emotional and mental health issues within their educational setting and due to this may be at risk of suspension or exclusion. The Wizards vision is to provide bespoke pathways for children to develop their emotional, social and academic selves. We work on this through a well designed curriculum that has an increased emphasis on developing emotional understanding, self esteem, communication and interaction and social skills children need we in turn develop learning behaviours to increase their ability to independently access an academic curriculum.
The Wizards Offer
The Wizards is committed to creating a community within an education setting which values respect, responsibility, and resilience, in which a child can grow & thrive safely. We aim to build secure relationships with the children who attend in order for them to feel safe and happy coming to school.
Our curriculum offers a bespoke package for each child initially focusing on their emotional and social development to ensure they are ready and able to access academic learning with the appropriate learning behaviours. We will work with your child’s home school to identify a pathway of learning for them to follow to develop both emotionally and socially to flourish in the next stage of their education.
We have a bespoke behaviour curriculum which works around the three core values of resect, responsibility and resilience. We teach the children explicitly what these look like and how these values can support us in becoming good citizens in the world around us.
We will work in partnership with the home schools, continuously throughout the placement, maintaining links with key workers. We recognise children will have ‘wobbles’ we will deal with them restoratively with emphasis on supporting the child to understand the reasons it went wrong.
The Wizards is now based at Dorchester Primary School. Please see the photographs below which shows our new and improved provision.
We now have 2 new classrooms:
We have our own dining area for breakfast, snacks and lunchtimes.
We have designated reading areas
Frequently Asked Questions
How does my child get to Wizards?
Wherever possible it is encouraged for your child to be brought in by parents/ carers, however if this is not possible your home school will arrange to transport them, this will be via taxi or accompanied lift from staff.
What are the school times?
The school day will be 9am start (wherever possible) ending at 3pm. The day however is flexible to fit around the needs of the child.
What if my child is poorly?
You need to ring the home school & follow usual absence procedure. The homeschool will alert staff at the Wizards.
What about lunchtime?
Children will have lunch in the Wizards with the staff. The setting has the benefit of a full kitchen on occasion the children will be able to prepare lunch as part of their day. Alternatively, children will be provided with a dinner from the catering staff or can stay packed lunch.
How long will my child attend The Wizards?
Every placement is initially for a term. During this staff review the provision at a HCAT high needs panel and liaise with home school and parents to discuss the next steps. When it is time for a child to move on to another setting or reintegrate into their home schools we work with the school putting together a transition or reintegration plan that supports the child in their next steps.
Family Support
It is crucial parents are ‘on board’. We expect parents to be part of the journey for their child. Parents and carers will be regularly invited into The Wizards. For this provision to be successful it is vital we ALL work together. The family support worker will visit your home to discuss any support the families may need. Throughout the placement the family support worker will work alongside the family.
Wizards Staff
Mr B Walker
Miss S Rainey
Miss J Spencer
Miss B Halliday
Miss L Corner
