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Introduction to Broomhill Bank School
Aims and values
At our school we believe in providing the very best for all our students, and we expect them to achieve the very best they can. Every student is valued as a unique individual with an important contribution to make to the life of the school and beyond. Through our statutory curriculum provision and personalised learning opportunities we challenge each and every student to reach their full potential, believing learning to be a lifelong process that should prepare young people for life and its many challenges.
Within an atmosphere of mutual respect and empathy towards others, our pastoral commitment to all our students is very strong, and we work tirelessly, in partnership with parents and other agencies, to help students overcome and manage some of the obstacles they might encounter in relation to developing social skills and managing their behaviour both in and out of school.
History
Broomhill Bank School came into existence as a special residential school for girls with moderate learning difficulties in 1948 with the first pupil starting on 4 November. She came all the way from Sheerness. The next day 10 more girls arrived and by the end of the academic year there were 40 pupils on roll.
Governing body meeting minutes give an insight to the workings of the school during the first few years. In 1949 the recommended staffing establishment was 17 with a mixture of full and part time staff including 1 head gardener and 2 assistant gardeners! The headteacher's report recommended a greater extent of ground to be cultivated to increase the supply of vegetables.
In October 1950 12 Rhode Island Red chickens were delivered to the school and were giving 'satisfaction'. The number of pupils on roll gradually increased and by 1954 there were 76 girls at the school.
In earlier years Broomhill Bank was used by the Pembury and Kent and Sussex hospitals as a convalescent annex for the service sick and wounded. Prior to this period Sir Kingsley Wood, an MP, lived in the mansion house. He was friends with Mr. Hore Belisha, also an MP, who apparently demonstrated the belisha crossing on the mansion driveway. Broomhill Bank mansion was built in 1843 by Henry Armytage and today serves as the main administration centre for the school.
Recent changes to designation
With effect from September 2008, Broomhill Bank (Foundation) Special School was designated a co-educational day school for 5 to 19 year olds with Communication and Interaction needs (Autistic Spectrum and/or Specific Language Disorder) with a total roll of 80 pupils on site (aged 11 - 19) and the capacity to support a further 24 full time equivalent (FTE) children and young people on an outreach basis.
This new designation varied considerably to the school's previous status and, to ensure a smooth transition to the new designation, an implementation plan was drawn up. The implementation plan addressed many issues including building works needed to provide the necessary facilities for boys and training required for staff to manage the needs of the new pupils.
Considerable refurbishment took place during the summer of 2009 and the Further Education Department moved to its new premises in Autumn 2009. Years 7 and 8 also benefitted from the refurbishment works and a new Design and Technology classroom completed the picture. The school hopes that it will receive the remainder of the £3.2m redesignation building fund to enable it to fulfil its vision for the future.