Welcome, Ethos & Mission Statements

I hope you enjoy browsing the website and that you find this site informative. All the staff, governors and students at The Abbey are very proud of our school.

The Abbey School is a strong and vibrant special school with places for 158 students aged 11-16 years who have learning difficulties and additional needs. More than one in three of our students have a diagnosis of autism. We are based in Farnham and are a member of the Weydon Multi Academy Trust (WMAT). We take students from a range of local authorities, including; Surrey, Hampshire, Berkshire and London Boroughs.

Every student matters at The Abbey School and every decision we take is based on what is in the best interests of the individual student. We firmly believe that the students and staff at The Abbey are its most important asset, with the staff having high expectations and aspirations for our students’ health, safety, happiness, knowledge, skills and independence. Teaching approaches, strategies and pace are always adjusted to suit the diverse abilities of the individual students. Such personalised planning of academic, therapeutic, vocational and life-skills targets enables all students to excel in all aspects of the curriculum and their daily lives. It is about making every lesson relevant and every learning journey count and ensuring that the young person, and their family, are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

The school has fit for purpose accommodation which is maintained to a high standard and benefitted from huge investment between 2022 and 2025 as we expand from a 2 to 3 form entry school to support Surrey County Council’s SEND Sufficiency Strategy. The school is somewhere the students, staff and local community really can have pride in. We set high standards for our appearance as well as our outstanding provision for teaching and learning.

At the heart of The Abbey is the welfare of our students, our staff, and our whole school community. The Abbey is about belonging, laughing, learning and valuing life and friendships, hence our mission statement "Together We Can". It is about maximising progress and developing the confidence to look forward to all our futures. The Abbey truly is a ‘can do’ school.

The school has been judged to be 'outstanding' in five successive Ofsted inspections since 2009, most recently in June 2024. Among other things, the inspectors said, "This exceptional school strikes a balance of providing nurturing care and academic ambition to enable all pupils to achieve their very best. From the moment pupils join, expert staff identify the specific help that pupils need to prepare them to lead fulfilling lives. Pupils enjoy a wide and varied curriculum that raises their aspirations and sets them on the right path. Pupils are enthusiastic in lessons, showing impressive levels of dedication to their work. They rise consistently to the high expectations that staff have of them."

We have high standards of behaviour and achievement and there is a real sense of community. Our school seeks to involve parents in partnership with their children’s learning. Parents regularly help with school visits and events and we also enjoy the support of an active PTFA (The Friends of The Abbey School).

In this website we have tried to give you a broad overview of the school (please contact the school if you need a paper copy of the information provided on the website, including large print versions). We welcome visitors and comments. We are always seeking feedback on how we can improve in all areas. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch and thank you for taking the time to look at this website.

David Jackson
Headteacher

The Abbey School
01252 725059

 

Ethos

Our students are at the centre of everything that we do. Every child has the right to opportunity and we believe that those opportunities should encompass all areas of their lives; be they academic, social, or emotional. We encourage our students to reach and surpass their potential. We aim to equip them with the tools to cope with an increasingly complicated world, and, as our mission statement says, our goal is for them to be the best that they can be, with the skills and understanding to be a valued and valuable member of society.

Vision Statement

“To be a responsible member of the community, with the skills and understanding to be a valuable and valued citizen.”

This vision is shared by the whole school community; it is driven through our visual mission statement, and underpinned by our motto, Together We Can! The Abbey School works together – students, teachers, teaching assistants and support staff. We believe that by working together we can support and encourage each other to meet and exceed our potential; adults and young people alike. In our friendly environment we aim to inspire everyone to have the courage to work outside their comfort zone, to push themselves to go further, to try things that they may not be able to achieve at the first attempt, confident in the knowledge that someone will be there to help them.

We recognise that our community is made of individuals with their own strengths and challenges. We value everyone in our community and encourage them to value themselves. We recognise the importance of self-esteem and self-knowledge. We encourage students to understand that everyone needs help at different times, to recognise when they need help and to enable them to ask for it appropriately. Our visual mission statement re-enforces all aspects of our personal development as rounded individuals. Lifelong learning is essential to everyone to reach their potential and we support all our students to achieve the best that they can in all areas.

Together We Care