Residential Provision

The residential provision at Ruskin Mill Trust schools includes five homes that have between two to four children per home.  The homes activities focus around the 7 Care Qualities; Rhythm, Warmth, Nourishment, Trust, Constancy, Culture and Recreation.

The houses are set out in a style that replicates a family style home, with each pupil having their own room which they are encouraged to personalize. Living rooms and shared spaces are designed to encourage conversation and social interactions.

The colour scheme of the interior walls, art and soft furnishings is carefully thought about and coordinated to create a coherent and harmonious feeling. The colours have been carefully chosen to benefit aspects such as focus and calmness.

The residential teams also work closely with the land tutors at the schools, giving the homes access to healthy, nutritious organic and biodynamic food. The hampers of food are delivered to the homes by the young people and have recently begun to include herbs and edible flowers. The herbs come in the hamper with an information card of the benefits that they provide. The herbs are often incorporated into the meals that are then prepared as a group activity.

Art and craft items made by pupils using a range of different natural materials are used and displayed in the home, including, but not limited to: Crockery, glasses, serving dishes, and utensils in the kitchen and dining area/room, table runners, place mats and coasters, willow or wicker baskets for storage, coat hooks and shoe racks at the door for both staff and pupils to leave outdoor shoes and clothing when entering the home.

Each household has a dedicated team of staff that work closely together to provide consistent and comprehensive support to the resident children. Residential teams also work closely with teaching and therapeutic staff to ensure a holistic care and support is provided to pupils.

Clervaux Garden School believes that it is vital that all children benefit from a nurturing, therapeutic environment which provides the opportunity to lead holistic lifestyles. These lifestyles incorporate health, education and new experiences in a residential setting in which disability does not define them as a person.

A holistic approach

The residential provision works holistically with therapy and education to underpin every child or young person’s journey by moulding their surroundings into a personal and unique living environment. To nurture this approach, staff embed their comprehensive training into their daily practice further supporting our shared vision of human development.

Nutrition, health, and relationships

Clervaux Garden School’s residential programme is delivered through holistic support and care, ensuring that each child or young person’s nutrition and diet, health and wellbeing, and development of relationships is woven into all aspects of the homes and our land. Staff are trained in nutrition and prepare menus that are healthy and balanced, based on fresh and organic produce regularly sourced from our on-site biodynamic garden and farm. The children and young people plan and prepare their menus with staff, engage in wellness activities, and are supported to develop individualised activity and social plans, ensuring that they are healthy and nourished physically and socially.

Developing the whole person

Due to the often complex nature of their disabilities, we know that it is not possible to treat our children and young people’s symptoms in isolation. Instead, we approach each individual as a whole person. The result is that our residents are able to lead rich and full lives both in their homes and in the surrounding community. We work closely with parents, carers, and the individual’s extended support network to ensure that every member of the child or young person’s community is included in the decision making process centred on their holistic development.

Finding the right fit

Household planning is key to supporting each individual’s safety and development. At Clervaux, our entire team assesses the needs of each child or young person in order to ensure that their home and housemates are compatible to their specific requirements. We have a variety of individualised homes within the local community.

The result

The result of Clervaux’s holistic support and care programme is that our children and young people consistently achieve good outcomes on their pathways to supported independence and lead rich and full lives through integrated planning and a warm and caring environment.