Parent:
“All you ever want in life is for your child to be happy, and North East Autism Society has done that for us.”
Welcome to the Mackenzie Thorpe Centre
“I take great pride in introducing you to our school, which offers a highly-personalised approach to learning for pupils aged between four and 19, who are autistic, neurodivergent or have additional needs.
At Mackenzie Thorpe Centre, we take immense pride in the progress and development of all of our pupils, no matter their starting point or planned destination, and place them at the heart of everything we do.
Our enthusiastic and professional staff team are committed to making learning fun, engaging and relevant, taking into account pupils’ individual needs, interests and abilities in order to help them fulfil their potential.
If you’d like to learn more about the Mackenzie Thorpe Centre, please feel free to pay us a visit and meet our staff and students.”
“We very much look forward to meeting you.”
Corrina McEwan
Interim School Principal
Our Mission
‘Working together to inspire, support, celebrate and equip autistic and neurodivergent people to fulfil their potential in life.’
Our Core Values
To help us achieve our mission statement we have four core values underpinning our practice:
To have our pupils and those accessing our services at the heart of the organisation
To strive for the highest quality
To operate a fair, respectful and honest culture
To operate with integrity
The Curriculum
At Mackenzie Thorpe Centre, we are committed to helping our pupils fulfil their potential by preparing them for the next stage in their education, employment and lives.
Our ambitious curriculum is divided into four learning pathways with each pupil matched to the route that is best suited to their assessed needs and individual aspirations.
Our curriculum is designed to:
Develop skills and knowledge in line with pupils’ planned destinations
Promote communication and community engagement
Empower pupils to have greater independence
Increase self-confidence and resilience
Equip pupils to be responsible, respectful and active citizens
Develop skills to enhance employment opportunities
Develop transferable functional skills
Support pupils to develop strategies to regulate their own well-being
We use a range of specialist strategies to support our pupils:
Total communication approach
Individualised Support Plans
Bespoke learning environments
Hierarchy of Cues
Zones of Regulation
Visual support systems
Sensory profile
Staff with specialist training
A range of differentiated teaching and learning strategies
Multi-disciplinary approach
Staff are extensively trained in Positive Proactive Support
EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage)
Communication and language development
Physical development
Personal, social and emotional development
Literacy
Mathematics
Understanding the world
Expressive arts and design
Educational Pathway English
Independent
Pathway to Continuing Education and/or employment
Functional
Functional
Independent
Health and Well-being
Communication and Sensory
Literacy
Numeracy
Communication
Personal, social & emotional
development
Independent Living Community Inclusion
Health and Well-being
Pathway to Independent Living
Literacy
Numeracy
Independent Living Community Inclusion
Health and Well-being
Personal, social & emotional development
Parent:
“From the minute he started at the Mackenzie Thorpe Centre he loved it. I think it’s because the people there listened to him and were accepting of what he wanted. They let him have control and freedom.”
Our Admissions
Mackenzie Thorpe Centre accepts referrals from Local Authorities (LA and the majority of our pupils have an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or Special Educational Needs support plan.
Before a place is offered, Mackenzie Thorpe Centre will strive to ensure that all special educational needs outlined in the child or young person’s EHCP are able to be met within the setting, as well as the provision of any additional resources.
If you feel Mackenzie Thorpe Centre could be the right fit for your child, please contact us to arrange a visit to the school or to discuss our Admissions Policy in more detail.
Vice Principal:
“The best thing about my job is seeing the impact the school can have, not just on the child, but on the whole family. It’s really nice when you’re able to spend time with the pupils’ families and build those relationships and trust up.”
Safeguarding
We place the highest priority on ensuring the safety of all pupils at Mackenzie Thorpe Centre.
We have a number of policies and procedures in place that contribute to our safeguarding commitment, including our Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy which can be found in the policies section on our website.
Safeguarding is also embedded throughout the school curriculum, providing pupils with the knowledge and skills to keep themselves safe in all aspects of life.
Parent:
“Mackenzie Thorpe Centre has given Sophia her sparkle back! Now that she is in the right place and getting the support she needs, her confidence is improving and I believe she will only continue to thrive as she gets older.”
Mackenzie Thorpe Centre is part of the North East Autism Society, a registered charity which has led the way in providing autism-specific care and education for children, young people and adults across the North-East for more than 40 years.
For more information about Mackenzie Thorpe Centre, visit our website or contact:
01642 810730
info@ne-as.org.uk
ne-as.org.uk/mackenzie-thorpe-centre
Mackenzie Thorpe Centre Beech Grove South Bank
Redcar and Cleveland TS6 6SU
