Chatten Free School

Head's Welcome

Welcome to Chatten Free School.

As Head of School, I have overseen Chatten since its inception, originally as project manager, from 2017 to 2021 and since 2021 as Head of School. I am filled with immense pride every single day as I see the journeys of young people who attend Chatten Free School. I walk these corridors and every day I see young people who have been out of school for years accessing education, pupils who had no voice making themselves heard and pupils taking monumental steps that will improve their long outcomes in their adult lives in ways that cannot be exaggerated. The outcomes of the young people here are a measure of what can be achieved when real personalised learning is provided by passionate people who believe that our pupils can thrive in the world beyond school.  It is a privilege beyond all others to be part of our pupil's journey. 

Chatten Free School is a highly specialist day school providing a radically different approach to education for pupils who cannot access education in other SEND settings. Our pupils have an autism diagnosis and comorbid associated complex needs which often include complex and challenging behaviour. We provide a fully individualised approach (and timetable) supported by a multidisciplinary team which includes ABA professionals as a core part of our offer.

​The majority of our pupils have already attended a SLD school and have found that that way of learning simply doesn't work for them. Often, this has led to them being out of education for an extended period of time prior to them accessing Chatten Free School. It is clear, that for these young people a radically different approach is needed and that is what we provide.

At Chatten, we believe that through a consistent, individualised curriculum and timetable, using effective and evidence-based learning techniques, we can ensure that our pupils leave us as independent as possible and with life-long socially significant skills which will enable them to access the world around them in a rich and meaningful way. What this looks like for each pupil will be unique because each of our young people is also unique.

Our primary vision for Chatten pupils is: Happiness, Independence and Respect.

We have high expectations of our pupils and believe that they can achieve great things.  Our primary focus is to provide all our pupils with an effective form of communication which they can use throughout their lives.  We also aim to teach them important tolerance, life and academic skills which will be functional in their real lives beyond school. 

Chatten's provision includes access to individualised curriculums based on input in the areas of; applied behaviour analysis (ABA), speech and language therapy (SALT), occupational therapy (OT) and qualified teacher (QTS) level educational interventions.  We use evidence-based interventions and monitor progress meticulously to ensure that methods are effective for the pupil.  

Most importantly of all, we will have a staff team who all share the same vision for our school and the young people who attend here.  Our strongest shared desire: to enrich our pupils lives with the shared aim of Happiness, Independence and Respect.

Thank you

Adam Dean

Head of School