About us

Demeter House is a small family run special school offering placements to up to 60 pupils across key stages 1 to 5. We offer a high level of care and education for vulnerable children with emotional, behavioural and associated learning difficulties, particularly students with autistic spectrum disorders.

It is expected that these children will already have experienced difficulties in school, community and/or home and will require individualised care and education. We offer a high staff to student ratio in a friendly and stable environment.

“Students make excellent improvement in the management of their behaviour and readiness to learn as a result of high expectations and good relationships with the staff.” – Ofsted 2013

We focus on building self-esteem and positive relationships. Our success will be measured not just by improvements in academic ability but also in terms of social and emotional improvement. Students are encouraged to participate in setting their own challenging but realistic targets and to celebrate their achievements.

“Students’ ability to work independently makes a major contribution to their rates of progress, particularly among older students.” – Ofsted 2013

We encourage families and carers of our students to work in partnership with us to support their children’s progress and strengthen relationships. Demeter is the mythical god of the Earth, the Earth Mother. The story goes that when her daughter Persephone was kidnapped by Hades, Demeter stopped caring and the world started to die. The other Gods had to intervene, a plan was discussed and a compromise was reached. Spring arrived and the Earth was reborn.

This story of compromise, discussion and new beginnings seemed relevant to our establishment and the goals we are aiming to achieve. We hope that every child in our care will feel supported through an individualised educational programme.

“The staff know their students well and provide a high standard of care and challenge to enable them to learn in a secure and safe environment.” – Ofsted 2013

Our aim is to equip our students with the skills they need to experience success in all areas of their lives to ensure a brighter future.

Aims

  • Help young people develop their self esteem through activities that promote self confidence and encourage their development.
  • Help young people stay out of trouble by adopting a positive approach to anti-social behaviour.
  • Actively involve the views and opinions of the young people in the day to day running of the school.
  • Gain the confidence of families by involving them in decision making and maintaining regular contact.
  • Promote and develop opportunities for integration into the local community.