Hook-a-Gate
Hook-a-Gate Education Centre is provision for Key Stage 3/4 children across Shropshire. The centre is located on the outskirts of Shrewsbury.
We take students from all areas who have been struggling in a mainstream school environment. Hook-a-Gate Education Centre mainly caters for students with specific learning difficulties, medical conditions or mental health issues that would prevent them accessing mainstream school. In addition to small classes led by a specialist teacher, we offer a specially adapted building that can cater for those with mobility issues. The centre also has additional workspace outside of the main classroom area to allow students to work individually and this can help address anxiety issues that can occur when placed in a class group.
To enable our students to become confident and independent young people we have also piloted a Lego Therapy programme – a programme that teaches trust and empathy as a skill set to our ASD students. The academic curriculum has been further supported by a programme of Mindfulness. This is taught by a visiting specialist and enables students to build coping strategies into their everyday life and allows them to access not only education, but the opportunities that life can provide.
With KS3 students, the aim is to move the students to full-time permanent placements in schools or more specialist provision. Many of our Key Stage 4 pupils complete their time with us and have achieved considerable success at GCSE level and an increasing number have gone onto to attend university after being placed in Sixth form or Further Education by us.
Outdoor Education has played a central part in the life of Hook-A-Gate Centre and all students (regardless of need) are given the opportunities to take part in water sports, hillwalking and climbing. Activities started at Hook-A-Gate Centre have resulted in TMBSS gaining the prestigious British Canoeing Quality Mark for canoeing and paddleability – which focuses on the individuals’ ability in canoeing rather than disability – an ethos that has prevailed at Hook-A-Gate Centre.
Aims of Hook-a-Gate Education Centre
Our key aim is to develop a highly effective, responsive Pupil Referral Unit which meets the needs of students with social, emotional, mental health and medical needs by:
- ensuring the safety of students by creating a secure environment.
- providing a high quality learning experience appropriate to the individual needs of the students.
- maintaining students’ programmes in their local community as far as possible.
- offering professional assessment of the primary need of the students to inform their future placements.
- supporting reintegration back into full-time education at the earliest opportunity.
- working collaboratively with schools and professional agencies in order to provide an outstanding educational experience.
- ensuring that students have the opportunity to achieve outcomes suitable for them post 16.