Octavia House Schools, a group of independent schools providing specialist provision for pupils with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs, has opened a new site in Clapham, South London. The school, which opened last month, offers a range of therapeutic support including therapy dogs and art therapy alongside teaching. The Clapham site has an initial intake of up to 10 pupils aged 11 to 16, with plans to expand to up to 40 pupils in the future.
Specialist provision for pupils with complex needs
The organisation works with pupils who have an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan relating to their complex life experiences. This can include a difficult school history, trauma and adversity, or mental health and neurodivergence such as Autism and ADHD. The schools are described as 'therapeutic', meaning therapists work alongside staff in classrooms, while pupils can access speech, language and communication therapy along with occupational therapy.
Depending on the site, pupils have access to other forms of therapy, including counselling, drama therapy, music therapy, therapy with dogs, art therapy and play therapy. The Clapham school has a range of specialist and practical learning opportunities on offer, including Art, Design and Technology, and horticulture.
Community welcomes the new school
Aous Mubarak, Head of School at the new Clapham site, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that the school has received a "very warm welcome" from the local community. Mr Mubarak said: "We've already had a couple of people from the local community approach the school and ask about the school. It feels quite wholesome at the minute because it feels like the local community has been quite supportive of us which has been fantastic."
He added: "We will certainly give back to the community in due course and do something outside the school, whether it's with our pupils or doing some volunteering work - we'll do something nice as a thank you for having us."
Expansion plans and wider network
Mr Mubarak said the Clapham site is hoping to expand from 10 pupils to up to 40 at some point in the future. He said: "We hope to grow it to a school that's going to be just as successful as all the other sites. We've had a tremendous amount of success stories over the years and we want to be in close partnership with the families that we work with and our local community."
The school is the first Octavia House site in London to offer specialist provision for pupils from Year 7 all the way to Year 11. There are three other schools in Vauxhall, Nine Elms and Kennington for the ages 5 to 12, 11 to 14, and 14 to 16 respectively. Octavia House also has schools in Kent and Essex.
