Our Approach ​

" Expert staff help pupils make huge demonstrable  improvements in their behaviour. This makes school a safe, supportive and happy  place where pupils learn new and exciting things each day." Ofsted 2025 

 At Abigail’s Place we support children and young people (5-16 years old) who, as a result of experiencing early loss, trauma and attachment disruption, find mainstream school settings not able to meet their social, emotional and academic needs. We recognise that what can often be seen as ‘problems’ are actually ‘wise adaptations’ to their life experiences. We aim to help children and young people develop healthy coping strategies in order to learn and to flourish as individuals by combining therapeutic techniques and interventions, alongside an individualised curriculum. The school promotes Playful Learning in an Attachment based, Child focused Environment.​

Our approach creates an adult led, loving and playful environment, allowing children and young people to feel safe and flourish both academically and socially and emotionally. We recognise that just as relationships have the power to harm they also have the power to heal, therefore the importance of relationships is embedded throughout the school. Our approach and philosophy extends to the wider family and team around the child and at Abigail’s Place we recognise that for children to do well we need to work together. ‘It takes a village to raise a child.’ ​

Abigail’s Place provides: ​

• Bespoke education packages for young people aged 5-16 years. ​

• A personalised therapeutic approach for each child​

• A nurturing, relational environment that maintains dignity, and promotes supported and independent learning ​

• An approach which is consistently proactive in terms of addressing the flight/ fight/ freeze response​

• A creative, fun, structured and consistent timetable to support children feeling safe at school and safe with our adults.​

• A philosophy and approach that supports the important people in the child’s life. ​