At Mount Tamar Specialist School, we educate children with varying complex needs including significant social, emotional, and mental health needs. Many of the children who join our school have missed significant amounts of their early formal education, having been permanently excluded or been on significantly reduced timetables. This has led to many of our students having very negative experiences of school and is why we make it our mission to support them by catering for their individual needs and providing them with a positive experience of education and learning.

Almost half of students at Mount Tamar have a diagnosis of Autism. Our aim is to ensure that all our pupils learn in a happy, safe, autism- aware environment that is able to support the individual needs of all our learners.  We are aware that people who have an autistic spectrum condition experience the world differently from neurotypical people; this can be both debilitating and empowering. Through careful work with our Occupational Therapist, we have created an autism-friendly environment that considers our learners’ sensory, social and communication needs.

We aim to provide a safe, supportive, fun and appropriate learning environment that is tailored to the individual special needs of our pupils. In turn, this will allow them to achieve their social, emotional and academic potential, enabling them to become responsible, effective learners and positive participants in our society. 

Our curriculum is designed with the intent to recognise the individual potential of each student by allowing them to develop interpersonal skills, build resilience, achieve their academic potential and become independent lifelong learners. We aim to provide a curriculum that is rich and diverse, challenging and evolving and enables every individual to fulfil their potential. Our aim is for every pupil to leave us with a full understanding of the world in which they live and to contribute to making it a better one.

The Curriculum at Mount Tamar supports our intent to provide outstanding education, which is child-centred. Our fundamental belief is that every pupil has the ability to learn and we endeavour to support them in flourishing as learners and members of society. We believe that by having high expectations and aspirations, all our pupils will be motivated to learn and achieve the relevant accreditations that will support them in their post 16 education.

We aim to provide a curriculum that is broad, balanced,appropriately stepped in challenge between key stages and will both challenge and inspire students across all key stages. This will allow pupils the opportunity to learn and develop in a supportive and creative environment, filled with enjoyment and adventure. At Mount Tamar we believe it is of paramount importance to  focus on recognising individual achievement and supporting progression in an environment where pupils feel safe and happy.

This is further enhanced with opportunities for pupils to develop functional skills, social, emotional and independence skills and skills for working life. To enable this, we have ensured that at all stages of their Mount Tamar learning journey, wider learning opportunities have been incorporated into the curriculum. By providing these opportunities and experiences, we will prepare our students with the knowledge and skills to be active, positive participants of society.