Stone Lodge Academy
Stone Lodge Academy in Ipswich is a special school for students aged 5 to 16 with complex Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD).
This includes students with Cognition and Learning needs, such as moderate Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD), a track record of achieving progress at a slower rate than their peers, dyspraxia, global developmental delay, and many other diagnoses.
We offer specialist teaching, and staff who care deeply about the young people they work with, helping them learn and achieve to the best of their potential. Our broad and balanced curriculum is designed to meet each individual student’s learning styles and developmental needs.
We strive to inject learning and fun throughout the whole school day, not just in the classroom, supporting our students with their social and life skills, work-related learning as well as offering off-site visits, residential opportunities and activities such as horse riding and swimming.
School Name – Stone Lodge Academy
Number of places and age range
Stone Lodge has 181 places ages 5-16
The primary need that the school / provision caters for
☐ Communication and interaction -no
Cognition and Learning
☐ MLD – YES, Stone Lodge is a school for young people with the Primary need of Moderate Learning Disabilities.
☐ SLD – NO Severe Learning Disabilities
☐ PMLD – no Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities
☐ Sensory and Physical – no
☐ Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) – no
Do students need to have “average” cognition?
No at Stone Lodge we would expect young people to have lower than average cognition as part of their Moderate Learning Difficulties (MLD)
Average class size and staffing model
At Keystages one and two we aim to have class sizes of 10. There is a teacher and a member of support staff.
At key stages three and four the maximum class size is 14, but more usually 12. There is a teacher and a member of support staff.
Brief description of the curriculum offer.
At Stone Lodge we are mainly delivering the red curriculum pathway, we offer support on the green pathway and extend students on the yellow pathway. For more information on the pathways please see here.
At Key stage one and two most of the lessons are class based.
At Key stage three and four most students will move between teachers for different subjects. Students on the green pathway will have less movement between lessons.
Specialist spaces at the school / provision
☐ Swimming pool – no unfortunately we do not have a swimming pool on site. We do access the leisure pools in Ipswich.
☐ Sensory room (s), yes we have one sensory room at Stone Lodge
☐ other please give details. We use Rebound trampolining.
The average number of places available each year
At Stone Lodge we usually expect to have about 20 places mainly from students leaving at year 11.
How can a school tour be booked.
For SEND schools the dates of tours and booking information is on this page.
Other Information and links
Stone Lodge SEND Information Report – Please click here.
Campus schools
What we strive for
Our vision is to be a centre of excellence in a flexible network of provision, offering specialist education and care to students who have a range of learning difficulties and a need for support. We will enable students to grow in self-esteem and confidence in an environment where everyone has high expectations and understands the importance of valuing each other.
Our vision is to develop well-rounded individuals who can go forward into their adult lives prepared for the work environment and capable of being independent and productive citizens.
We believe that high quality education is best achieved when the needs of each individual pupil – social, emotional, spiritual and educational – are paramount. Through focusing on pupils as individuals, we tailor challenging and enjoyable educational programmes to directly meet their needs.
We work with each student and their parents and carers to understand, and work to overcome, their particular barriers to learning so they can achieve their full potential within a secure and caring environment.