Swiss Cottage Specialist Sen School

Swiss Cottage Specialist SEN School is a special school for children with complex needs. The ages of pupils ranges from 2 to 16 and the school currently educates around 140 children drawn from the North London area.

The school opened in 1995 when two special schools were merged. There are 80 employees.

The schools which amalgamated to form Swiss Cottage School did not have a tradition of training and development for all staff, so there was a need to bring together people and processes in a management framework in which development for all was fundamental, relationships worked effectively and pupils and other stakeholders derived maximum benefit. The School chose the Investors in People Standard for its potential to bring together management and people development to achieve its aims. School staff worked together to draw up the school's mission. This shows their commitment to provide a positive culture, and quality education, in which pupils develop self–confidence, strategies and skills for successful learning and the ability to use them in all aspects of life. The School was first recognised as an Investor in People in 1999. In 2003, it opted for a "Profile" review and achieved the highest ratings in all categories – the only organisation ever to achieve this. At the same time, the school also achieved the Investors in People Leadership & Management Model. In 2006 it was re–recognised, and in 2004 it was one of the first Champion IIP organisations.

Investors in People helped the school to focus on the right things and it lives and breathes the Standard. It has helped to balance the day–to–day pressures against the strategic ones. Time is made for effective communications. It has involved every member of staff whose opinions are actively sought, whose experience is shared, whose continuous professional development is kept at the forefront and whose performance is positively managed and supported. The school has high expectations and sets no horizons – for pupils and staff alike the only limit is the degree of belief in oneself. The best use is made of people, time and finance to maximise outputs – the learning opportunities for pupils.

Swiss Cottage School has been a Beacon School in 2000, and gained Specialist status in 2006. Under these schemes it shares its expertise with other schools. It has had three Ofsted inspections and been rated as 'outstanding' each time – one of only a handful of schools in the country to have achieved this. The School manages pupil behaviour problems effectively. It has won numerous curriculum awards in areas as diverse as ICT, sports and the arts. Its culture and reputation have led to reduced staff turnover and absence with no shortage of applicants on the rare occasions when vacancies arise. Staff don't want to leave and they have opportunities to develop within the school, using amongst other things the coaching and mentoring structures in place. There are several examples of the school's teaching assistants going on to become qualified teachers.

Swiss Cottage School is proud to have added Investors in People Champion status to its impressive list of achievements. As a Specialist School, it is already committed to a programme of consultancy and sharing best practice with other mainstream schools and community organisations. The Headteacher works as a consultant leader in London for the National College of School Leadership, and as a facilitator on the Mentoring – Coaching programme at the London Centre for Leadership in Learning. The School is always willing to learn more and provide more development opportunities for its people. Hence, best practice sharing is firmly in its culture.