Chailey Heritage School

Chailey Heritage School caters for children and young people aged 3 to 19 with complex physical disabilities, high health needs and learning difficulties.

Chailey Heritage Foundation is a registered charity providing education, care and transition services for young people with complex physical disabilities and health needs.

Special Educational Needs and Disabilities

Specialist services and expertise

Chailey Heritage School are experts in working with pupils with dual sensory impairment.

The specialise in meeting the needs of pupils with high nursing needs through the expertise of NHS Doctors, nurses and therapists on-site in Chailey Clinical Services, part of the Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust.

They also offer:

• Home from Home residential care for both children and young adults
• a short break service
• a Life Skills Centre and Hub for adults with disabilities
• Pathways, support at home and in the community
• Aquamovers+, a weekly term-time group for pre-school children with disabilities and their parents, this involves a combination of expert therapy whilst socialising with the added opportunity to use our hydrotherapy pool whilst supported by a specialist therapist

Training and experience 

All staff receive a comprehensive induction programme, including sessions on safeguarding, epilepsy awareness, posture management, eating and drinking, positive behaviour support, and much more. This ensures that the correct skills and knowledge are gained and statutory requirements are fulfilled.

There's also an annual programme of training, including updates required to meet statutory health and safety obligations.

Training programmes are delivered either by external specialists or by appropriately trained school/Chailey Clinical Services staff and can be based on the changing needs of the pupils.

Staff are trained to use a wide range of ICT devices, including Eye-Gaze, to enable pupils to access learning and leisure.

School and care staff are trained in many procedures and interventions, and are signed off by nurse assessors. Examples of these are:

• medicine preparation and administration
• gastrostomy
• basic life support
• long-term ventilation
• seizure management
• suctioning
• eating and drinking
• intimate care management

Pupils who have a significant dual sensory impairment (visually and hearing impaired) are supported by trained Interveners.

Working 1:1, an Intervener acts as an enabler, promoting the pupil's social and personal development, encouraging their independent skills and facilitating their communication with the world around them.

Our Interveners are trained by SENSE, a national charity for deaf-blind people.

In accordance with the requirements of Regulatory Inspection Bodies in Care we support staff to gain their own Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) Diploma Level 3 in Health and Social Care.

Ofsted report

Go to the Ofsted website to view the Chailey Heritage School Ofsted report.