Thank you for taking the time to look at Bensham Manor School Website. We hope you will find the information within the site both useful and exciting. We are a happy secondary special school situated in Thornton Heath North West Croydon, very proud to be a “Communication Friendly” school. This underpins the whole life of the school. Our curriculum focuses on language and functional skills development. Our students come from across Croydon and occasionally from neighbouring authorities if their specific SEN cannot be met elsewhere.

Our school is a calm and productive learning environment. The staff team seek to maximise the potential of every student by taking advantage of every learning opportunity. The curriculum is broad and relevant to support our pupils into the 21st Century. Ofsted (2018) says we are a good school with outstanding features. We are a Flagship school for Inclusion and Healthy Eating and last summer we were proud to be commended and accredited by the National Autistic Society (NAS).

Entry level, GCSE, Enterprise, First Aid, Work Experience and the Duke of Edinburgh Award is on the timetable for older students, enabling them to experience the practical application of their learning and to gain the skills necessary to achieve employability. All our leavers develop the self-confidence as independent learners to participate fully in the adult world and are offered appropriate Post 16 placements in either FE Colleges or our own post 16 Department.

Our beliefs and philosophies of teaching and learning are underpinned by the values of collaborative practice. As a school our therapists and teachers work together to ensure that students have the best possible experience. Our Staff are our greatest asset and we have been an Investors in People Gold organisation for six years. We believe that every child can succeed and we have tailored our curriculum to develop their literacy, numeracy, employability and independence living skills.

All Bensham Manor students have an Education, Health and Care Plan and are referred by the Local Authority. They are lively, thoughtful and always ready to participate in a wide range of curriculum and extra-curricular activities. They are a remarkable group of young people and it is an enormous privilege to work alongside them as they make the journey following the transition from primary school all the way to adulthood. We have monthly Open Mornings please come and look around.

Phil Poulton, Headteacher