We are very keen to share good practice with other schools and organisations to improve the provision for young people with autism. We recognise that provision for young people with complex difficulties is outstripped by demand and we are striving to improve the situation in Birmingham and the West Midlands.
As the Headteacher of Baskerville School, I am very proud of what the students have achieved. I recognise that this has only come about by the hard work and dedication of staff; their belief in the students and their commitment to improving their own skills to ensure that all the students achieve their full potential so they can live fulfilled lives.
The teaching and learning environments are designed to aid students' communication and understanding, promote their personal development and effective social and inter-personal skills to equip them for adult life. All aspects of the 24-hour and academic curriculum are accredited to give students a choice of progression pathways into further education and training.
We always strive for continuous school improvement and look for ways to increase inclusion for our students and their families.
I hope you enjoy our site and look forward to hearing from you. If you have any comments or suggestions, then please don't hesitate to contact us.
Rosemary Adams, Headteacher
We will ensure the entitlement of each student to access a variety of opportunities to promote academic, social and physical development.
We will use autistic specific, empathetic approaches and an autistic sympathetic learning environment to promote student learning and personal development.
We will provide choices and challenges in order to maximise potential and build upon strengths and interests.
All the members of the school community are valued equally and work in partnership with parents, carers and the wider community.
We will work within a supportive school framework to promote and celebrate individual success, integration into the wider community and prepare students for life after school.
To provide a quality educational experience for all students and staff.
To create a culture of high expectations for all students and staff.
To raise standards of achievement for all students and staff by creating a learning-focused school.
To combine the art of teaching and the science of learning.
To build leadership capacity and capability by creating progression pathways for students and staff.
To become a learning community, where students, staff and parents have a voice.
I have been a governor at Baskerville School for ten years when my son, Greg, joined the school. I was elected as chair after the first year, taking over the role from Tony Sames, someone I respect enormously and who taught me a lot.
The years at Baskerville have been very interesting times – often challenging – but always interesting and mostly fun too. The school has worked through significant problems, the most challenging when in 1999 it was put into special measures by Ofsted. As a result, sadly, a lot of the staff moved on but we have, over the years, managed to appoint a very committed, professional and caring staff. I believe the school is a real success now thanks to the staff and, of course, Rosemary Adams, the Headteacher. It has grown in number of students as well as size of buildings and there are further plans in hand to improve the facilities even more. You will find elsewhere on the web site details of awards achieved by the school, which show it has come a long way since those special measures days.
As chair of governors I lead the main governing body meetings, held once every half term, and also attend most of the sub-committee meetings – when my day-to-day role as a police officer allows. I do my best to visit as many lessons as possible throughout the year and interview a lot of potential candidates for roles in the school. The other governors will tell you that I am known for being outspoken – a 'tell it like it is' person, but I hope that they would also tell you that I care deeply for the school and the well-being of its students.
I served four years on a main stream secondary school governing body before joining Baskerville and I have to say that the governors at Baskerville are some of the most hard working committed volunteers it has been my pleasure to work with.
Our students are the very heart of what we as governors strive for. They are who we think of when we are leaving a warm home in the winter or the sunny garden in the summer to attend another long meeting to debate school strategy (although the new coffee machine in the meeting room helps too!).
We all want the very best for the youngsters at Baskerville and are committed to providing an education to allow them to reach their full potential.
Peter Hogan, Chair of Governors
