The Sullivan Centre provides education for children and young people who cannot attend their usual school because of their medical or mental health needs.
A Venn Academy Trust School – Together we will… Venn is a pioneering academy trust, committed to building educational environments where all pupils are inspired to become lifelong learners who achieve the very highest standards possible. Collaborating with all partners, the Trust works with its unique settings to create world class learning experiences for all.

Our Curriculum Offer

Every pupil admitted to The Sullivan Centre has been on a unique educational journey. We are committed to being a positive and stabilising setting that bridges to continued education, whether that be to another mainstream school or a specialist setting. Students are with us for varying amounts of time: some individuals will have a very short time with us while others can remain in the provision longer.

Our curriculum therefore needs to be flexible, personalised and designed to enable pupils to progress to the next stage on their educational journey. Our aim is to provide a curriculum that enables each child to shine: to nurture their individual talents and raise aspirations.

The core purpose of our school is to enable pupils to access their entitlement to be educated in line with Article 28 of the UN Convention on the rights of a child

The curriculum is thoughtfully designed to support the unique needs of its students through four distinct stages: Stabilisation, Engagement, Formal, and Transition. Students may find themselves at any of these stages and can move along the continuum in any direction, depending on their stage of recovery and individual needs.

The curriculum is designed to:

  • Re -engage all students as learners
  • Enhance the self – perception of students as learners
  • Inspire and motivate pupils, fostering a curiosity to learn
  • Enable all students to make progress from their individual starting points and to have success in learning underpinned by a focus on developing pupils’ social development, emotional wellbeing and mental health
  • Focus on developing students’s social, emotional and mental health
  • Have a strong curriculum focus on the facilitating subjects of Reading, English and Mathematics
  • Allow pupils to explore subjects beyond the core curriculum
  • Support all students to lead healthy and safe lifestyles
  • Support all students to develop the skills, behaviours and attitudes that will enable them to reintegrate to and be successful in the next phase of their education

In- depth understanding of attachment theory, child development and neuroscience underpins and informs all aspects of The Sullivan Centre. Using this evidenced based research and theory ensures the greatest outcomes for our learners (for both academic and personal development).

The principles that underpin our pedagogy and all curriculum learning are:

  • The relationships are key
  • Children’s learning is understood developmentally
  • The Sullivan Centre provides a symbolic secure base creating the sense of safety to enable pupils to explore and learn
  • All behaviour is communication
  • The importance of transition in children’s lives

The PSHE curriculum and embedded British Values & SMSC will ensure that The Sullivan Centre fulfils all our statutory obligations under equality legislation.

Planning the Curriculum

All teachers use the ‘Planning Overview’ before they begin to plan teaching and learning. Ensuring that all aspects of a child’s needs are considered from the very beginning; starting from their EHCP, or their Support Plan and including their Individual Health Care Plans.