Medical Provision at EOTAS Swindon

The provision provides educational support for children and young people aged 4 to 18 who cannot attend their enrolle school due to a range of medical needs including mental health.  Most pupils are dual registered with their mainstream or special school.

Teaching takes place in the context of safe and nurturing environments where each young person's individual needs are addressed. We promote access to high quality education and provide personalised learning and support for young people so that they are enabled to make progress in their learning, with their wellbeing remaining at the centre of decision making.  Our teaching and support helps our young people successfully transition back to their home school or the next phase in their education.

We work hard to give all of the young people the necessary skills, knowledge and understanding to progress and achieve, socially and emotionally as well as academically.   In addition, we aim to help restore their self-confidence, self-esteem, and develop their resilience in order to be able to cope in their chosen educational or vocational destination. We firmly believe that all our pupils can achieve, regardless of their personal circumstances and medical or mental health condition.

The Medical Provision is made up of three sections:

• Marlborough House, The Adolescent Unit School

  The Adolescent Unit School provides education for young people aged 11-18 years who are inpatients at Marlborough House, Swindon.  This is a Tier 4 tertiary referral inpatient adolescent psychiatric unit, which is part of CAMHS. It has 12 beds and spaces for 2 day patients, who are usually on step down from being residential.
  Referrals are made by outpatient psychiatrics in Swindon, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, South Gloucestershire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Bath and North East Somerset and through NHS England national commissioning policy, as well as 24 hour emergency referrals from across England.  The Adolescent Unit School has no control on admissions.
  The Team
  The education staff work as part of the multi-disciplinary team (MDT) including nurses, therapists and consultants. They provide a high level of care for young people with severe emotional, psychological and psychiatric problems and support for their families. 
  The School
  The aim of The Adolescent Unit School is to provide continuity of education and structure to minimise the impact of a stay in hospital and to try and normalise life. As far as is possible, we aim to support each young person to keep up with their home school curriculum so that they feel prepared to return to their home school or college once discharged. The school has a team of teachers, all of whom are subject specialists, one HLTA and an Administrator.
  During term time, the school provides part-time education for up to fourteen young people. All academic work is completed in the mornings (09.15 - 12.45) and there are therapeutic sessions in the afternoon. Students are expected to attend the Unit School as part of their care plan. We aim to follow the young person’s mainstream school/college curriculum and cover as many subjects as possible through liaising closely with the young people’s schools/colleges. We provide engagement activities to complement studies, including gardening, driving theory, cooking, creative and money management. Each young person has an individual timetable and are either taught in small groups or individually. Pupils may sit their external exams here, by arrangement with their home school, if they have already been entered.
  Resources
  The school is a purpose built unit comprising three classrooms, an office and a staffroom. It is a modern and bright environment with a range of facilities including computers, laptops, science provision, cooking provision and a small wet area for Art projects.

• Hospital, Education, Tuition and Outreach Service (HETOS)

• The Children's Unit, Great Western Hospital in Swindon (age range: 4-18)

Staff carry out regular ward rounds at the Great Western Hospital to ensure students can access learning, as their health allows.

Schools can refer a young person for tuition if they are unable to access a school.

We work very closely with multi-agency colleagues from Health, CAMHS and other professional teams such as SEND and Social Services.