Newbury Manor School, formerly Farleigh College, is a mainly residential

special school Special education (known as special-needs education, aided education, exceptional education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, or SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates th ...

for pupils with

Asperger syndrome Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's, is a former neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in Interpersonal relationship, social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted and re ...

, situated at Newbury, near Mells, seven miles from

Frome Frome ( ) is a town and civil parish in eastern Somerset, England. The town is built on uneven high ground at the eastern end of the Mendip Hills, and centres on the River Frome. The town, about south of Bath, is the largest in the Mendip d ...

, in the English county of

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

. It previously occupied

Farleigh House Farleigh House, or Farleigh Castle, sometimes called Farleigh New Castle, is a large English country house in the county of Somerset, formerly the centre of the Farleigh Hungerford estate. Much of the stone to build it came from the nearby Farleig ...

Farleigh Hungerford Farleigh Hungerford () is a village within the civil parish of Norton St Philip in the Mendip District, Mendip district, in Somerset, England, 9 miles southeast of Bath, Somerset, Bath, 3½ miles west of Trowbridge on A366 road, A366, between Trow ...

, a few miles to the north, from which it took its former name. The school is

co-educational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to t ...

, fully approved by the

Department for Education The Department for Education (DfE) is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for child protection, child services, education (compulsory, further and higher education), apprenticeships and wider skills in England. A Department ...

, and accepts students between the ages of 11 and 19. A team of some ninety members of staff caters for approximately 48 students, of whom about one fifth are girls, and the school also accepts part-time students. Newbury Manor School is run by the

Priory Group The Priory Group is a provider of mental health care facilities in the United Kingdom. The group operates at more than 500 sites with over 7,000 beds. Its flagship hospital is the Priory Hospital, Roehampton, which is best known for treating c ...

. It also holds the

Investors in People Investors in People is a standard for people management, offering accreditation to organisations that adhere to the Investors in People Standard. From 1991 to January 2017, Investors in People was owned by the UK government. As of 1 February 20 ...

Award.

History

The school has its origins in

Ravenscroft School Ravenscroft School is a coed independent school located in Raleigh, North Carolina. The school enrolls students between PreKindergarten and 12th grade, and serves 1,239 students. The school has three divisions: Lower School, Middle School an ...

, founded at Yelverton,

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

, in the 1930s and later moved to

Beckington Castle Beckington Castle is a historic house in the village of Beckington, Somerset, England. It is a Grade II* listed building. It was built in the early 17th century on the site of a medieval building. It has been home to various nobility and local bu ...

and then to

, near

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

. This began as a prep school, but in the 1970s it found a new role as a special school specializing in teaching dyslexic children, and in 1996 it was re-organised as Farleigh College, a new institution which took over its staff, pupils, and premises. Farleigh College was launched in September 1996 with forty children, of whom thirty were dyslexic and ten had been diagnosed with

Asperger's Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's, is a former neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and nonverbal communication, along with restricted and repetitive patterns of behavio ...

, and at the outset it had a five-year lease on Farleigh House.Bradshaw, Stephen (2012) ''Asperger's Syndrome-that Explains Everything''. Jessica Kingsley Publishers, London. . p. 16 The name of Farleigh College was kept after September 2000, when the school moved to Newbury House, near Mells, an 18th-century Grade II*

listed Listed may refer to: * Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm * Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic * Endangered species in biology * Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...

country house An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...

. In 2013, the name of the secondary school was changed to Newbury Manor School, while the "Farleigh College" identity was kept for the later years.

Farleigh Further Education College

Originally launched in September 2000 on the Farleigh House site to meet the needs of young people with Asperger's, a year later Farleigh Further Education College moved to

. It is still operated by the Priory Group as a Further Education College for students aged 16 to 19 (upon entry) with Asperger syndrome and associated disorders. This is registered with the Learning and Skills Council and is a full member of the National Association of Specialist Colleges of Further Education (NATSPEC). The main boarding house is North Parade; others are Tallowood, Maple, Ashleigh Grove, Sandusky Mews, Bridgwater and Delta Close.Accommodation-and-facilities
at priorygroup.com Students go to a mainstream college during the day, choosing their course during their enrolment before the start of year one. Most students go to

Wiltshire College Wiltshire College & University Centre is a tertiary college of education founded in 2002 by the merger of Chippenham Technical College, Lackham College and Trowbridge College. Consolidation was completed with the merger of Salisbury College, whi ...

Trowbridge Trowbridge ( ) is the county town of Wiltshire, England, on the River Biss in the west of the county. It is near the border with Somerset and lies southeast of Bath, 31 miles (49 km) southwest of Swindon and 20 miles (32 km) southe ...

, where there is a base room solely used by Farleigh Further Education College. Other college choices are

Strode College Strode College is a tertiary institution and a further education college situated in Street, Somerset, England offering Sixth Form education as well as Higher Education courses. In October 2014, the college was rated as "Outstanding" by Ofste ...

and

Bath College Bath College is a Further Education college in the centre of Bath, Somerset and in Westfield, Somerset, England. It was formed in April 2015 by the merger of City of Bath College and Norton Radstock College. The College also offers Higher Edu ...

References

External links

Newbury Manor School Official WebsiteOfsted Report 2006
{{authority control Special schools in Somerset Special secondary schools in England Frome Independent schools in Somerset

History

Farleigh Further Education College

See also

References

External links