Pencalenick School is a countywide provision for pupils aged 11 – 16 with complex learning needs. It has a vibrant and popular residential provision which can accommodate up to 20 pupils on any night and which is open from Monday to Friday during school terms. The Residential Department is based in the main school building, a beautiful Grade 2 Listed house in six acres of grounds. Pupils are accommodated across two floors according to age and need and both floors are mixed sex in order to create a family type environment.  In this building we :

• Have lounges, games rooms and quiet areas to provide a variety of different environments according to individual pupils needs.
• Actively encourage pupils to have a say in how the provision operates and how it might be developed.
• Encourage and support pupils to develop their own interests by offering a range of activities.
• Utilise the grounds and various areas of the school to support an outdoor curriculum.
• Go out into the wider community to access beaches, the countryside and participate in community activities and events.

Pupils attend for varying numbers of nights and the Care Team support pupils to :   

• Develop social independence and to be as self-sufficient as possible. In this way we can prepare our pupils for the move into adulthood.
• Develop personal organisation and hygiene skills.
• Support pupils to participate in the ASDAN programmes of their choice. 
• Support and enable pupils to experience a wide and diverse range of activities and social events.
• Learn how to form and maintain friendships with their peers.
• Enable them to become self advocates.

All pupils have an Independence Plan and staff work with them to prioritise which areas they wish to follow. This ensures that plans are specific to each pupils' individual needs. By teaching tasks and skills in readily achievable steps, pupils are able to see progress and, with their Keyworker, set their own Pupil Learning Goals. This is done via positive relationships and in an atmosphere of fun and exploration.  Placements may be time limited in order to ensure that as many pupils as possible who wish to, have the opportunity to stay.

Pupils achieve positive outcomes and derive the most benefit from a placement if they :

• Are on the ready to learn pathway
• Are able to engage in the process of learning independence skills
• Are able to form social relationships
• Have expressed an interest in boarding

The provision is different in philosophy and practice to short break provisions which are managed by the Local Authority and who provide placements throughout the year including weekends and school holidays.

There are high levels of supervision within the department and an emphasis on privacy and respect for each other. Pupils are cared for by an established and consistent team of staff, all of whom are qualified to at least Diploma Level 3 and are wholly committed to ensuring that pupils are exposed to as many experiences and challenges in as safe an environment as possible.