Chelfham Senior School”: Yelverton, Devon, UK

In 2015 two of the Chelfham school’s main sites at Bere Alston in Yelverton and Kilworthy House in Tavistock were registered by Ofsted (Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills) as separate schools for education. 

Chelfham Senior School is a part of the Priory Group which has been established in 1980. The group is the UK's leading independent  provider of mental health care facilities and operates at more than 500 sites in the United Kingdom and includes among them: rehabilitation and recovery centres; mental healthcare hospitals and clinics; specialist schools and colleges; supported residential facilities and homes; care homes for older people. At the Priory Group there are treated over 70 different conditions through a nationwide network of over 275 facilities. 
Priory Group is organised into three divisions – healthcare, education and children’s services, and adult care services – which together support the needs of more than 30,000 people every year. 

The school, being part of the Priory Group: division education and children’s services, has access to additional healthcare and supported living services where needed. 

The range of facilities available ensures that every young person receives a smooth and planned transition from primary education all the way through to further education, university, employment and independent living, as appropriate for each individual.

Chelfham School is located on three sites. All sites (Bere Alston, Kilworthy and Crediton) are in the heart of the Devon countryside, close to Dartmoor National Park and the many wonderful beaches of Cornwall. 

Chelfham School can provide places for up to 63 students. 

Chelfham School is located on three sites: Bere Alston, Kilworthy and Crediton. Students live at the Bere Alston or Kilworthy House. All three sites are set within substantial grounds and have facilities for various outdoor activities such as football and other outdoor pursuits including: canoeing, climbing,sailing, yachtsmanship, gorge scrambling, mountaineering and mountain biking.

Accommodation is within small domestic units with private rooms, family living units, TV lounges, dining and catering facilities. This accommodation is suitable both for privacy and for shared activity. 

The school has good links to local medical services, dentistry etc should young people need these.

Chelfham offers a healthy, stimulating and welcoming environment where a positive education allows all pupils to experience success and prepare them to the the next stage of their life and independence.

Avaible are: Entry Level; GCSE; BTEC – levels one and two; National Governing Body awards; vocational coursesor and other accredited courses.

Access to the National Curriculum is modified according to the individual needs and abilities of each student. Individual Education Plans (IEPs) are implemented to develop communication, personal and social education skills. 

Chelfham Senior School as educational establishment is inspected on a regular basis by Ofsted (a government department – Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills). Chelfham Bere Alston is rated “good” (on a four-point scale: outstanding, good, satisfactory, inadequate).
 
Chelfham Senior School being a part of the Priory Group has operational oversight from their regional managers with detailed knowledge of their work. All assurance and governance of quality, safety and compliance are provided by the Priory Group with additional regulatory visits regularly carried out by experienced independent visitors.
 

In Chelfham School there is a sensory garden which  has been constructed to help students with more complex disorders to relieve anxieties, reduce stress and stimulate their senses. It is also used as an outside classroom as it can facilitate the teaching of many other curriculum areas such as science and art.