Meet our team

Papworth Hall School: Education with equity at the heart of everything we do

Welcome to Papworth Hall School

As Head Teacher it is an absolute privilege to work with the community of Papworth; its wonderful learners and their families.I am an experienced school leader across all phases of education. For the last 6 years I have been working as a Head Teacher and Executive Principal with specialist provision schools for learners with a wide range of complex and specific needs. I have found it the most rewarding period of my career – creating learning environments that change lives.

Our purpose at Papworth Hall is to ensure every learner has a positive destination and can flourish as independently as possible post 16. Learners achieve their End of KS4 EHCP Outcomes and leave Papworth Hall as successful learners, confident, fulfilled individuals and responsible citizens. This is achieved through The fluidity of our curriculum pathways which provide supported, proactive, adaptive and challenging learning. Our aspirational curriculum pathways have no ceiling for our learners; potential barriers are supported through our best practice curriculum approaches.

Our mission is to enable all learners to leave Papworth Hall with the knowledge, skills and qualifications they need post-16 to lead fulfilling, successful and happy lives.

We want

• All learners will be good communicators, good learners and good people
• All learners will benefit from a high-quality education with a strong, coherent curriculum, high quality teaching and excellent personal development
• We believe in the right of every learner to access a high-quality education, and we are here to enable all learners regardless of need to achieve.
• We do this specifically for our learners through highly adaptive curriculum that is autism informed, applies therapeutic approaches with a forensic knowledge of every learners’ EHCP
• We will work in partnership with parents and professionals to allow every learner to be active in the community, becoming confident and prepared for their future beyond our school.

Together, we endeavour to ensure that all learners are able to communicate with each other, their peers and other members of the community effectively.

• Papworth Hall School provides quality first education with forensic knowledge of every child’s EHCP delivered through an autism informed therapeutic AAD approach.
• Papworth Hall School finds solutions to the barriers to accessing education and changes lives.
• Papworth Hall School is committed to ensuring that every young person has a positive destination and can flourish independently post-16

Learners leave Papworth Hall School at Year 11 with:

• A portfolio of certification from NCFE accredited curriculum programmes. They are able to make full use of their abilities, participate in society and engage in further life skills learning.
• Entry Level Functional Skills qualifications or AQA Unit Awards. They are well prepared to move on to supported Further Education, work/volunteering experiences, or an appropriate workplace/apprenticeship.
• GCSE qualifications, BTEC Awards or Functional Skills qualifications (Levels 1 or 2). They are well equipped to move on to Further Education or an appropriate workplace/apprenticeship.

Papworth Hall School: Education with equity at its heart of everything we do. We will be a Rights Respecting School and believe and implement:

• The right of every learner to be safe
• The right of every learner to learn
• The right of every learner to dignity

We expect this through our principles of;

• Right Place
• Right Thing
• Right Way

John Shanahan