Residential Provision.
The social and emotional wellbeing of our residential learners is of the utmost importance to us and we work tirelessly to ensure the very best outcomes for them.
Residential care at Hamilton Lodge is integrated with our educational provision. Strong links exist across all aspects of our school to ensure we are best placed to ensure each individual Learner’s experience with us is a positive and progressive one.
Each residential learner has a designated key worker, who will, among other things, agree lines of communication are in place with parents and carers, ensuring they are fully informed about all aspects of their child’s residential experience.
We maintain a team of waking night staff to ensure any learner has support during the nigh should they need it.
Learners board in separate houses according to their age and gender. Each house has their own unique character. Young people have a say in how their house is run via regular formal and informal house meetings.
Visiting between houses is encouraged as we realise how important friendships are to our Deaf learners. Residential learners are encouraged to personalise their bedrooms with photos, pictures and their own bedding. They stay four nights per week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday returning home for the weekend on a Friday afternoon.
Activities
Care staff offer several offsite and in-house activities. Residential learners can choose what to do and are encouraged to contribute ideas for activities they would like to try. We support individual activities such as scouts if a Learner is interested.
Typical weeks activities include.
Independent Living.
A key part of what we offer is the opportunity to develop independence, opportunities to do this are embedded in our residential provision. Keyworkers will liaise with professionals across the school and work with individual learners to develop their bespoke independence programme. Each programme is designed to maximise their capacity for independent living as they grow toward their adulthood and life beyond School.
Where able to our older learners will have an opportunity to spend time in our onsite independent flat where they will practice the life skills they have learnt.
Health Care
We have a purpose-built health centre available during school hours. All care staff are trained in first aid and handling medicines in a care environment. They are available after school hours and overnight If your Learner requires medical attention for smaller medical matters. In an emergency Brighton children’s hospital is a 10 minute walk away.