Cawood Academy, Hillcrest

Cawood Academy is a special needs school catering for a wide scope of children, ranging from gifted to autistic. All children need special attention and we pride ourselves on developing each individual's unique talents whilst remediating their developmental delays.
Small classes enable the staff the unique opportunity of identifying problems and rectifying them quickly. Our Foundation Phase learners develop at individual paces and are given frequent short breaks to get rid of excess energy and rejuvenate their minds.
All of the children are accepted as “out of the box” thinkers who enjoy a hands-on approach to learning. Art, crafts and music are approached in such a way that the learners don't realise that they are learning.
P.E is non-competitive. Good old-fashioned games are played as well as ball games. Our two houses are used for incentives as well as debates etc.
Staff are experienced and knowledgeable about their particular areas of expertise. Each pupil is well-known to each staff member and each child feels comfortable with the teachers. The children are nurtured and are free to be children at Cawood. Break-times see children aged 5 to 13 playing and interacting happily together.
We have a secretary who is a P.A. to the principal, a sounding board for the staff, a go-between between Cawood and the parents and, more importantly, acts as mother to those who feel ill or scrape a knee.
Our school pets add a unique touch to Cawood. The children are taught to handle our pets with respect and love. In return, it is not unusual to see a dog on a child's lap (who is at an emotional low) or a cat sitting in a window sill in a teacher's classroom basking in the sun. Our dogs are protective of our pupils, greeting each one of them every day. When a new-comer arrives at Cawood we are alerted and this adds to the children feeling safe here.
There are no bells separating lessons, leaving the teaching day open to flexibility. If a teacher needs time to finish

• One-on-One attention in small classes.