Field Gate School

• Location: Fishlake, Doncaster
• Gender: Male & Female
• Age Range: 6 – 18
• Capacity: 45
• Ofsted Rating: Good

Our Motto: Together, we grow.

What we stand for: Flourish | Guidance | Stability

Field Gate School is a small independent SEMH school for pupils aged 6-18, in Fish Lake, Doncaster.

The school is registered to offer education to 45 pupils with a range of needs including ADHD, autism, developmental trauma, sensory processing difficulties, dyslexia, and attachment difficulties, amongst other varying needs. Field Gate School caters to very small class groups of pupils, promoting social engagement.

A School Without Walls

Our unique ‘school without walls’ offers child-centred, bespoke education packages to young people. 1ACE Doncaster is our outreach alternative provision attached to the school, designed for pupils who are not yet ready to access education in a classroom setting. These pupils are taught in community settings such as youth and community centres and have 1:1 or 2:1 staffing.

The School Day

Our trauma-informed curriculum is tailored according to each pupil’s needs and interests, consisting of academic subjects, physical activity, social skills, and activities promoting wellbeing and independence. Each child has a personalised timetable which is adapted to suit their needs and includes SEMH and enrichment activities.

Our approach to learning is thematic, with a core theme each term, connecting the seven curriculum areas of Literacy, Numeracy, Science and Technology, The World Around Us, Creativity, Skills for Life alongside Physical Education and Wellbeing. Within the school day there is a focus on core learning of Literacy, Numeracy, Science and Technology. Within these curriculum areas, pupils can focus on their own personal development through enrichment and SEMH needs.

Furthermore, our site boasts multiple extra-curricular activities such as an outdoor gym area targeted at the 11+, and an onsite Forest School which has a strong emphasis on team building, developing leadership skills and facing personal challenge through activities such as erecting shelters, tarps, and fire lighting.

1ACE

Our 1ACE Doncaster provision, which is our outreach provision, focuses on offsite enrichment learning and activities. Our 1ACE provision allows for a greater expanse of educational opportunities to pupils that have had long periods of time out of education or struggled with education. 1ACE presents the opportunity to follow a personalised educational timetable, studying the 7 areas of learning.

Pupils are able to address previous trauma and plan for a positive future (mentally, emotionally, and academically), by working closely with an assigned therapist to support their needs.

Our 1 ACE Provision allows pupils to:

• Build and maintain positive and meaningful relationships with both staff and peers.
• Re-establish trust in adults and their intentions.
• Increase self-esteem and belief in their abilities.

Some of our existing pupils have enjoyed enrichment activities as part of their personalised curriculum such as afternoon visits to a local farm, trampoline park or bowling centre. Our enrichment activities can help to support a pupil’s SEMH and SMSC needs through offsite engagements.

In addition, the local South Yorkshire area offers opportunities for pupils to engage in local culture, heritage and history through museums and galleries such as:

• Clifton Park Museum
• Magna Science Adventure Centre
• Millennium Gallery
• Kelham Island Museum

Facilities

Field Gate School consists of two buildings on a 4-acre site in a secluded, rural setting. The 4-acres of space will allow us to be extremely creative in our approach to learning, and we believe this will help our pupils to flourish and develop their own skills. Our inspiring, bespoke Forest School environment allows pupils to be taught through outdoor learning opportunities within a woodland environment, private garden, and pond.

We also have two additional classrooms. One classroom is heavily focused towards secondary learning, whilst the other is themed towards primary age pupils. Furthermore, Field Gate School boasts ample space for extra curricular learning through activities such as gardening in the polytunnels, sports activities on the playing field, and outdoor learning in our barn classroom.

Our school provides pupils with indoor sporting activities to ensure that pupils can continually engage with Physical Education and Wellbeing despite challenging weather conditions.

Trauma-Informed

Field Gate School staff are trained to work therapeutically, using trauma-informed strategies with pupils, to recognise potential triggers for the individual children they work with. We have a therapist who attends our site weekly, providing direct therapy to pupils who require it. In addition, our therapist offers consultations and reflective practice to our staff team and facilitates some of our team training.

Sustainability

Sustainability is an important part of our school ethos. We want to protect the natural habitats that surround us. It’s not just about energy or carbon, but also about people, air quality, and our physical and mental well-being. From installing solar panels to planting over 150 trees we are working hard to drive sustainable practices. Field Gate School is playing a part in tackling the climate change challenge. To find out more please download our sustainability posters.

Field Gate School Sustainability Poster – Part 1
Field Gate School Sustainability Poster – Part 2

Trauma-Informed

The Attachment and Trauma-Sensitive Schools Award (ATSSA) validates schools that demonstrate a culture of compassion and nurture, fundamental components for getting children into a state of ‘learning readiness’. The award is issued only to providers who can demonstrate they have met its rigorous quality standards. In 2023 we were proud to receive the Silver ATSSA award with the following feedback:

You are courageous in offering children such enriching experiences; the solution to minimising crisis in many schools is, unfortunately, to avoid change and difference. Staff at Field Gate School understand that their children have all too frequently missed out on enriching experiences and have failed to build a store of rich relational memories. Staff are determined to provide inspirational opportunities while protecting children from overload through minute attention to the needs of each individual. This is a particular strength of the school.

There is a focus on creating calm, attractive and adaptive surroundings which put children’s mental health and wellbeing at the centre of the learning environment – truly therapeutic spaces. This again is a particular strength of the school.

Staff hold shared values, which are expressed through a common narrative. Themes around trust, relationships, empathy, commitment  and compassion emerged in each conversation I held today. These shared values are the ‘golden thread’ running through the whole culture and life of the school.

We’re Recruiting

We are looking for experienced, flexible, and child-centred teachers/HLTAs to join our small and friendly team, who have a range of qualifications and experience working within the SEMH and SEND field. Our staff are all first aid trained, trauma-informed and have a great understanding of our pupils and their challenges before coming to us. The staff at our school create an atmosphere that allows pupils to feel safe, secured and listened to. We have a therapist who attends our site weekly, providing consultations to our staff team, and facilitating reflective practice and supporting with some of our team training.
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