The Adolescent Unit School provides education for young people aged 12-18 years who are inpatients at The Adolescent Unit, Marlborough House, Swindon. Marlborough House is part of the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) and is a tier 4 hospital service. The Unit has 12 beds and spaces for day patients, who are usually on step down from being residential.
The young people cannot be referred to the Adolescent Unit School, as they can only access this service when they are inpatients at Marlborough House Adolescent Unit. The Adolescent Unit School can be contacted on 01865 903161. We have no control on admissions.
The Team
The education staff work as part of the multi-disciplinary team (MDT) at The Adolescent Unit, Marlborough House. This team consists of a large number of staff including nurses, therapists and consultants. They provide a high level of care for young people with severe emotional, psychological and psychiatric problems and support for their families. Referrals to The Adolescent Unit are from CAMHS outpatient teams in Swindon, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, South Gloucestershire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Bath and North East Somerset and through NHS England national commissioning policy.
The School
The aim of The Adolescent Unit School is to provide continuity of education for young people who are patients in The Adolescent Unit. As far as is possible, we aim to support each young person to keep up with their home school curriculum so that they feel prepared to return to their home school or college once discharged. The school has a team of teachers, all of whom are subject specialists, one Teaching Assistant and an Administrator.
The school provides part-time education for up to fourteen young people. All academic work is completed in the mornings (09.15 - 12.45) and there are therapeutic sessions in the afternoon. Students are expected to attend the Unit School as part of their care plan while at Marlborough House. We aim to cover as many subjects as possible and follow the young person’s mainstream school/college curriculum. The education staff liaise closely with the young people’s schools/colleges to ensure continuity. Each young person has an individual timetable and are either taught in small groups or on a 1:1 basis. The school is a registered examination Centre, and therefore, where necessary, young people may sit their external exams here.
Resources
The school is a purpose built unit comprising four classrooms, an office and a staffroom. It is a modern and bright environment with a range of facilities including computers, laptops, science provision, cooking provision and a small wet area for Art projects.