About Us

The hospital school provides a friendly, fun as well as educational experience for your child. The team consists of teachers and teaching assistants specialising in primary and secondary education across all the main disciplines. On a daily basis we deliver lessons in the purpose built school room, a further study area on Level 7 and at the patient bedside.

Philosophy of the school

Our main aim is 'To enable the continuity of education' whilst children are in the hospital. We strive to create a sense of normality for the child and work with them and their parents to create a personalised learning plan. The core subjects such as English and Maths are delivered in a creative and challenging way that takes into account a child's wider medical needs. At the heart of what we do is a belief social interaction and peer support helps create an educational environment in which young people can support each other to learn. We believe in the principle of total inclusion where all ages and abilities work alongside each other. 

School with a difference

We are very proud of our wider curricular provision which includes visiting artists, science graduates and musicians to name a few. On most days a visit to the school room will involve something different to stimulate and engage

 children. We have long standing partnerships with organisations like We The Curious who bring science and technology to the children on a monthly basis.

In addition we are one of the few hospital schools with a qualified special educational needs teacher and many of our patients benefit from that expertise.

Dave

Hi, my name is Dave and and I have been a teacher at the school for almost 3 years. I teach primary aged children some days and secondary aged on others. It's really enjoyable getting to teach a mixture of subjects and ages.

In the secondary team we have teachers to cover most subjects and I spend most of my time teaching maths. One of the things I really like is that older students can often identify areas or topics that they have previously found challenging or would simply like to revisit. This means I can teach them things specific to their needs and improve their understanding and confidence.

I also teach set work that has come from a child's home school, which is important for keeping pupils on track and to prevent them from falling behind their classmates. Sometimes when we have children in hospital during exam periods we link with the home school and faciliate the exam to happen in the hospital school. Where possible this reduces the amount of disruption medical treatment causes for that child.

We are really lucky with the equipment we have at our disposal in the hospital school. Tablet's are especially useful for lessons at a child's bedside and they also make things more interesting for everyone.

Away from the hospital I enjoy playing football and running and I am hooked on box sets like Game of Thrones.

Julie

Hi, my name is Julie and I have been a teaching assistant at the school for 15 years. My day starts with all the teachers coming together to  plan the teaching schedule for the day. The first thing to consider is how well the child is so we work closely with the nurses and  doctors on the wards and decide whether a child can come into the school room or if we can visit them at their bed. I mainly teach primary aged children across a range of subjects and I love this variety.

 I really enjoy working with longer stay patients where you can have a real impact on their progress. We regularly liaise with the child's home school and create a bespoke package that takes into account what they are missing and what they are capable of whilst undergoing treatment. We largely teach on a 1-2-1 basis and this allows you to understand how the child likes to be taught and adapt your approach appropriately. It is really rewarding to see a patient's progress and know you are making a real difference.

Away from my teaching role at the hospital I enjoy walking my dog Ollie and looking after my two grandchildren.

To help you better understand what we do and how school can play a positive part in your treament at the hospital, here is some feedback from both patients and their parents.

How does school work?

Each morning the school team will identify which children are to be taught, whether communally in the school room or at the bedside one-to-one. We allocate our team to best suit the needs of the children and the subjects which need to be delivered. When the teacher works with your child they will discuss their needs you and in most cases the home school. Our aim is 'To enable the continuity of education' and we will work with you to create a tailored approach best suited to your child.

What about my brothers and sisters?

Siblings of any patient from outside of Bristol are very welcome to utilise the school service and take part in lessons and activities in the school room.

What if I go home but am too unwell to go to school?

We support families to gain home tuition for children who have been discharged but may still be too unwell to return to school. This is through the local authority and we have experience setting this up for families as far away as Scotland.