Parents at the Christie
Manchester Hospital School provides education for children and young people who cannot attend their usual school because of their medical or mental health needs.
If your child has been in hospital for longer than five days they will be offered education through the hospital school. This is their legal entitlement.
How does it work?
We have a highly-skilled pool of teachers who cover everything from early years, through to high school subject specialists.
We work with you and your child’s school to create a bespoke curriculum that meets their individual needs and supports their wellbeing.
This positive approach contributes to their recovery and ensures they are not disadvantaged by their time in hospital.
During their time in hospital, pupils may be taught at the bedside or in one of classrooms within certain wards.
At the Christie, pupils can access lessons in the school room and sometimes virtually when this is more appropriate.
Most children receive a core offer of five sessions a week. A session can last up to an hour.
Children who have been discharged from hospital but are not well enough to immediately return to school are also taught for up to five hours a week, at home on online.
Our Curriculum
We offer a broad and balanced curriculum within the context of the pupil’s health needs and the resources available. We work with families, schools, and pupils to decide the priorities for learning and to agree how best to prepare pupils for their next phase of education.
Our curriculum aims to:
- Develop pupil’s personal and social skills to enable them to make and sustain academic progress and engage with their education in preparation for the next stage of their learning.
- Maintain study in core subjects so that pupils are not disadvantaged by their hospital stay and have key skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in their next stage.
- Prioritise coverage of the expectations of the National curriculum in core subjects.
- All pupils have experienced significant interruption in their education so consequently the curriculum focuses on identifying and addressing these gaps so that pupils have the key skills, knowledge and understanding necessary to succeed in the next stage of learning.
- Fully embrace the therapeutic value of the Arts. Our curriculum encourages pupils to express their creativity through a range of art forms.
- Develop pupils’ physical wellbeing with sensitivity to the individual situation.
- Where appropriate we will work alongside hospital staff to implement an individual programme to support pupils’ physical development. 5
- Focus on transferable skills, knowledge and understanding in a range of subjects including History, Geography and RE because our pupils come from a range of settings with varied curriculum content.
- Pupils are taught a personalised curriculum with input form their home school where appropriate.
- Cover the main aspects of the locally agreed syllabus (SACRE). Our approach to RE and Philosophy is aimed at enabling pupils to reflect on their own circumstances and also on the experiences, customs, and beliefs of others particularly where they support pupils’ well-being.
Early years
In the Early Years, our curriculum focuses on regular learning in Reading (Phonics) and Number. Our approach is story/ text based and we follow a sequence of stories which cover a broad range of subjects and areas of study. The Early Years curriculum also includes elements of play which pupils will initiate themselves from a range of resources.
What happens when my child leaves hospital?
At the end of the student’s hospital stay we will work with their usual school to ensure a smooth transition back into learning.
When the student is discharged from hospital we can provide advice and support, if necessary through our HIVE (Home and Innovative Virtual Education) outreach service.
Who should I contact?
Please contact the Manchester Hospital School coordinator at learning@HospitalSchool.Manchester.sch.uk
