Wells Park School is a LA funded residential primary school which caters for pupils between 5 and 11 years old, who have an educational statement for social, emotional and mental health difficulties. Currently, all of our pupils are boys. The children board at Wells Park School from Monday to Friday during term time and are referred to the school by Essex County Council. The site is based in a semi-rural area of Essex, close to the London Borough of Redbridge.

The education team at Wells Park School strive to help children who have disengaged from school and learning, to develop strategies to manage their behaviour in a classroom. With small classes of up to ten pupils and a minimum of one teacher and one Higher Level Teaching Assistant in each classroom, the staff at Wells Park are able to introduce and maintain clear classroom boundaries for the pupils. Through providing ability, rather than age, appropriate learning tasks, children at Wells Park can experience success in learning and begin to engage and enjoy learning in school.

The pupils arrive at school on a Monday morning and leave on Friday, spending four evenings and nights at the school. Residentially, the children are grouped according to their social needs into four ‘houses’ of up to ten children and three care officers. The ‘houses’ have a family feel to them and mirror the interests and personalities of the children living there. As well as sharing breakfast and dinner with their ‘house’ the children are encouraged to develop their self-help skills and to take on responsibilities appropriate to their age and abilities. The children’s life experiences and social skills are greatly enhanced through the variety of activities provided throughout the week. The aim is to support families and carers to enjoy positive experiences and relationships both with their child and the school.