Pillars of Excellence
The ‘TCES Way’ is built around our six pillars of excellence. Our goal is to support every child to reach their full potential by wrapping our therapeutic education and support system around them.
TCES undertakes a unique and evidence-based approach to therapeutic education across our schools and services, a combination of Integrated, Systemic and Milieu Therapy (ISMT), and our six pillars, detailed below.
Thereapeutic Education
Learning can only happen when pupils feel safe enough to take risks and open up to challenges. Therapeutic education is a holistic approach embedded throughout the TCES curriculum that supports pupils’ understanding and ability to regulate while learning. TCES teachers work with the clinical team at each school and service to develop their understanding and embed best practice therapeutic milieu throughout the classroom and beyond. Students develop skills to problem-solve, reduce stress, gain social connection and receive empathy and emotional support, allowing them to learn in a supportive environment.
Pupil Leadership
Every TCES pupil is encouraged to become a leader, using their superpower, which previous provisions may have neglected. We celebrate this through weekly assemblies and key events. Our award-winning LIFE programme teaches confidence and resilience as well as the principles of Leadership, Independence, Future Options & Employment and Empowerment. All pupils are given leadership roles, from helping with the class register to becoming a member of the student council, and even returning as an alumni mentor after graduation.
Clinical Provision
We employ a large clinical team across all TCES schools and services, with Occupational Therapists, Speech & Language Therapists and Creative Arts Psychotherapists available for all pupils. Depending on the needs of the young person, our provision is based around a bespoke Universal, Targeted and Intensive clinical offer for each individual. The TCES clinical team works with Clinical Educationalist Psychologists, CAMHs services and specialist provisions such as Animal Therapies to provide the specialist clinical support needed for each young person.
Inclusion & Engagement
The TCES pupil experience is built around positive inclusivity. School life should be without labels and we understand that behaviour is a form of communication for our neurodiverse children and young people. We never exclude, and we never give up. Our whole school approach is built around inclusivity, including our unique Group Process facilitated by specialist trainers. The TCES year is built around key milestone events, encouraging participation from every pupil and including them in situations they may never have experienced before. These range from our annual Celebration Day to the famous TCES football tournament and educational trips based around project-based learning.
Families and Schools Together (F.A.S.T)
Family and Schools working Together (FAST) is a unique TCES provision to ensure our specialist provision does not stop at the school gates, literally or metaphorically. Our FAST team works collaboratively with parents and carers to develop their understanding of the challenges faced by their children, and create a greater understanding of each pupil’s experiences for both the school and parents/carers. We invest in social care at TCES to support our complex and vulnerable pupils. Training is available for parents, so they can use these skills and strategies with us to support pupils in their home and in school.
Safeguarding
We put safeguarding at the heart of our schools and services. We have exceptional expertise in safeguarding across TCES Group from our CEO through our Head of Safeguarding, Governing Body and Designated Safeguarding Leads within each provision. Every staff member is trained in safeguarding and associated subjects, built to keep all of our children safe. Early Help is built into our targeted offer to prevent young people from reaching Children in Need (CIN) and Child Protection (CP) Levels.
