The SILC Partnership at Farnley

Our Farnley Partnership opened in February 2012.  It caters for students (aged 3-19) with Complex and Multiple Learning Needs (CMLN) in purpose built specialist facilities.  

These include four classrooms and care suites with full tracking, a dedicated rebound room and a hydrotherapy pool. The school nurses and physiotherapists are based on this site.  All classrooms have blackout blinds and with the aid of specialist software and a mobile sensory trolley, classrooms can be turned into multi-sensory rooms.

All students have personalised learning plans with a focus on communication (delivered through Intensive Interaction) and developing independence.

We have a highly skilled staff team who are able to deliver Rebound Therapy, Hydrotherapy, MATP and MOVE. All staff have regular opportunities to reflect and build on their Intensive Interaction practice. 

In January 2020, we appointed an Intensive Interaction chamption to support this work. The SILC has two staff trained as Interveners in Positive Looking, which supports students with visual impairments.

We are a designated MOVE Centre of Excellence for our work on functional mobility and is affiliated with the Special Olympics. The Motor Activity Training Programme in Leeds creates opportunities to attend a wide variety of sporting events. One of the SILC’s teachers, Angela Lydon is the MATP lead for the North east of England.

Social inclusion with mainstream peers is facilitated through the ‘Circle of Friends’ project developed with Farnley Academy. Our aim at all times is to be a centre of excellence in the field of CMLN.