Secondary schools information

Downland School is a maintained community special school for pupils aged between 10 and 16. The school serves a wide range of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) including, but not restricted to: Social, Emotional, and Mental Health (SEMH); Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC), and Attachment/Conduct disorders. They are a co-educational school and offer 90 day placements, predominantly to Wiltshire pupils. They are a happy, caring, and inclusive school who support all of their pupils to achieve their full potential. They are pleased to accommodate pupils with varying aptitudes and abilities, and are proud of the achievements and progress that all pupils make. They seek to ensure that, by the time pupils leave them, they emerge as self-confident individuals able to manage their own learning, equipped with the skills, emotional resilience and confidence to successfully take the next steps in their lives.

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Silverwood is 4 to 19 co-educational special school. They have three campuses: Chippenham, Rowde and Trowbridge. Extensive new building work is due for completion in Autumn 2023. This will focus predominantly at the Rowde Campus to cater for up to 400 pupils with severe, profound, and complex needs, including those with autism. Their staff focus on the uniqueness of each individual child, ensuring they have a broad, balanced, and relevant curriculum. When learning with Silverwood, all children and young people are cared for, valued, challenged, and supported to achieve the very best they can.

Outdoor provision

At Silverwood they use learning outside the classroom to support the delivery of a broad and balanced curriculum that meets the needs of individuals across the school. They deliver a comprehensive outdoor learning curriculum that include Land Based Studies and Tree Awards. Pupils also have the opportunity to complete Bronze and Silver Duke of Edinburgh Awards. They support and encourage trips into the local community to help develop pupil's social skills and their broader personal development.

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To find out about transport to the Rowde Campus you can visit the frequently asked questions page.

Springfields Academy is a large special school for pupils with a diagnosis of autism that is split over two sites. One in Calne (170 pupils) and a smaller satellite centre in Salisbury (40 pupils). They benefit from a well-resourced site, where they offer education and therapy. They won the National Autistic Society - Autism Specialist Award in 2022.

Their team of staff are highly qualified specialists. They believe that the three-way partnership of pupil, school and parents is vital to enable all children to thrive. They are fully dedicated to maintaining a strong ethos and high standards, whilst offering experiences that support the children's diagnostic and developmental needs.

Pupils at Springfields are "supported to succeed and become independent learners". As well as a broad and balanced academic curriculum, designed to provide the qualifications needed for further education and skills required to succeed in an adult working life, Springfields offers a wide range of therapies and interventions to support the presenting needs of the individual child. These provide the foundations and skills, that enable pupils to progress, thrive and ultimately develop into well rounded young adults who will contribute positively to society.

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Exeter House is a two site 4 to 19 Special School for students with severe, profound and complex need, often including those with Autism located in Salisbury, South Wiltshire. They have approximately 160 pupils on roll, with the majority of our students coming from the South of Wiltshire. They believe in the extraordinary in everyone and work with their students and their families to understand their needs and realise their possibilities.

The school is committed to active, creative, reflective learning, maximised by encouragement to each individual pupil to achieve their best in every aspect of their development. They celebrate innovation and are committed to nurturing high self- esteem and respect for others. The school champions research driven approaches to continually develop their physical resources, spaces and teaching practices.

Exeter House School (opens new window)

A new free school to provide 130 places for young people with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) will be created in Wiltshire following a Department for Education announcement.

The new school for children with Social, Emotional, and Mental Health Needs (SEMH) will be for children aged 4 to 19. The new school will help address the growing numbers of SEND places needed in Wiltshire.

Wiltshire Council has been working closely with partners on the new free school in the south. Reach South Academy Trust announced in March the Salisbury Academy for Inspirational Learning (SAIL) has signed its official funding agreement with the Secretary of State for Education. This is a significant step forward for the soon to open special free school which means it can now be officially named on the Education, Health, and Care Plans for students applying for places at the Salisbury special school provision.

Signing the funding agreement also means that Reach South Academy Trust can proceed with its plans to recruit a number of teaching and support staff to facilitate the opening of the school this autumn. This will ensure a smooth start to the new term when SAIL opens.

SAIL will open in temporary accommodation based at the sites of Sarum Academy (currently the home of Springfields South) and Pembroke Park Primary School, until refurbishments at the school's substantive site on Wilton Road are fully completed in early 2024.

For other related news please visit:

New 130-pupil SEND school to open in Wiltshire following DfE announcement

Salisbury special school takes significant steps towards official opening

SAIL school celebrates provisional opening date