Our four classrooms that form CAMHS Campus School based at Springfield Hospital provide education for young people who are inpatients or day patients on the adolescent wards. These wards include:
Wisteria ward
Wisteria ward is a 12 bed unit for young people between the ages of 11 and 18 with severe eating disorders and weight loss related to mental health problems.
Aquarius Ward
Aquarius Ward is a 12 bed inpatient service for young people aged 12-18 who have a serious mental illness e.g. psychosis, bipolar affective disorder, depression, severe anxiety disorders, OCD emerging personality disorder.
Corner House
Corner House is a seven-bed national specialist assessment and treatment unit for Deaf children and adolescents up to their 18th birthday, with severe complex emotional and psychological problems.
Our students may only be with us for a handful of lessons if it is a short admission, or up to a year if they require longer term hospital treatment. Our members of staff are trained in different areas of mental health and have experience in adapting the lessons and classroom to help cater for different learning and mental health needs.
Teaching staff liaise daily with the medical staff on the wards and are always made aware of the circumstances of admission, and of any relevant issues related to behaviour or mental health that may affect the young person in the classroom. When young people are not well enough to access the group taught lessons or are unable to cope with a classroom environment one of our teaching staff or higher level teaching assistants will provide some 1-1 lessons with the student on the ward. Adapted approaches may be used such as a reduced school timetable initially to help young people get used to the classroom. Individualised learning plans are regularly created in order to adapt approaches, curriculum content and timetables to suit student’s needs. Staff ensure the environment is focused while facilitating a gentle approach as needed including allowance for breaks and timeouts if the student is feeling anxious.
We provide guidance, support and taught lessons for students in all Key Stages, including those preparing for KS4 exams. We liaise closely with students’ home schools and ensure that the pupils are kept up to date with the work they would be covering. Furthermore, we play an important part in the gradual reintegration of pupils back into their schools when they are ready.
The CAMHS Campus has a rich curriculum offer with a range of academic and vocational subjects. For those studying for GCSEs or other external accreditation, we have highly experienced subject specialist teachers able to deliver a full curriculum range up to A’Level. We also timetable Guided Independent Study sessions to allow our students to catch up on any coursework or homework set by their home school. For those who are currently out of education, we provide internal and external guidance on the next steps the young people might want to take. This includes investigating new colleges and courses, the Prince’s Trust, volunteer work and work experience.
