Appleford School is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

specialist

dyslexia Dyslexia, also known until the 1960s as word blindness, is a disorder characterized by reading below the expected level for one's age. Different people are affected to different degrees. Problems may include difficulties in spelling words, r ...

school near

Shrewton Shrewton is a village and civil parish on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, around west of Amesbury and north of Salisbury. It lies on the A360 road between Stonehenge and Tilshead. It is close to the source of the River Till, which flows ...

in Wiltshire, England.

History

Appleford was founded in 1988 by Dr Peter Gardner, a Chartered Educational Psychologist, a Chartered Forensic Psychologist and a Chartered Counselling Psychologist of the

British Psychological Society The British Psychological Society (BPS) is a representative body for psychologists and psychology in the United Kingdom. History It was founded on 24 October 1901 at University College London (UCL) as ''The Psychological Society'', the organ ...

, and Gerald Trump. Zoë Wanamaker, CBE later became Patron of Appleford. It was originally a

prep school Preparatory school or prep school may refer to: Schools *Preparatory school (United Kingdom), an independent school preparing children aged 8–13 for entry into fee-charging independent schools, usually public schools *College-preparatory school, ...

for pupils aged 7 to 13, and later expanded to take pupils up to 18 years old, studying BTECs and

GCSE The General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is an academic qualification in a particular subject, taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. State schools in Scotland use the Scottish Qualifications Certificate instead. Private sc ...

s. Appleford specialises in teaching pupils with dyslexia, dyscalculia and dyspraxia. The school is accredited by the Council for the Registration of Schools Teaching Dyslexic Pupils (CReSTeD). In 2012, 2015 and 2023 the

Independent Schools Inspectorate The Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) is approved by the Secretary of State for Education – under section 106 of the Education and Skills Act 2008 – to inspect independent schools in England. These schools are members of associations, w ...

rated the school "excellent" in all areas, and in 2018 all standards were met in the Regulatory Compliance inspection. In the Independent School Awards, Appleford was shortlisted in 2014 and 2015 in two categories, won the Award for Outstanding Sport (Small School) in 2018, and was shortlisted in 2019 for the Outstanding Provision for Learning Support Award. In 2021 Appleford won the Bronze Lockdown Hero Award for Learner and Community Support in the Pearson National Teaching Awards, and in 2021 and 2022 was shortlisted for the Small Independent School of the Year in the Independent School of the Year Awards.

General information

Appleford takes a whole-school approach to dyslexia using research-based multi-sensory programmes and resources. It has a maximum of 10 pupils per class with high levels of LSA support. It employs a range of staff, including specialist teachers and therapists. The school gives access to qualifications including

s (with options at Year 8) and

BTEC BTEC may refer to: * Begumgonj Textile Engineering College, a college in Bangladesh * Biomass Thermal Energy Council, a US advocacy organization * Business and Technology Education Council, a British body, now part of Edexcel, which awards vocationa ...

Vocational and Functional Skills Certificates. It takes pupils on a day, week or full

board Board or Boards may refer to: Flat surface * Lumber, or other rigid material, milled or sawn flat ** Plank (wood) ** Cutting board ** Sounding board, of a musical instrument * Cardboard (paper product) * Paperboard * Fiberboard ** Hardboard, a ty ...

basis. Former pupils are known as Old Applefordians. They are invited to attend an annual reunion at the school each year, known as 'Old Applefordians' Day'.

Houses

The school is split into five houses: Maddington House, Willow House, Elm House, The Beeches and Oak House. All boarding houses are on the main school site, except Maddington House which is in the nearby village of

References

External links

* Private schools in Wiltshire Educational institutions established in 1988 1988 establishments in England Special schools in Wiltshire {{Wiltshire-school-stub