Silverwood School (formerly Rowdeford School and briefly North Wiltshire School) is a

special needs In clinical diagnostic and functional development, special needs (or additional needs) refers to individuals who require assistance for disabilities that may be medical, mental, or psychological. Guidelines for clinical diagnosis are given in ...

community school, near

Rowde Rowde () is a village and civil parish in the English county of Wiltshire, on the A342 about northwest of Devizes. The parish includes the hamlet of Tanis. History The village now mainly consists of modern brick-built houses, but a number of 1 ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

, England, for young people with complex needs and

autistic spectrum disorder The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

s (ASD) aged between 11 and 16. The school caters for 130 pupils. In 2008 the school was awarded specialist status in communication and interaction. The school is run by Wiltshire Council with additional support from Rowdeford Charity Trust, an independent charity that is focused on the advancement of education for young people with disabilities and special needs. The school is built around Rowdeford House, a two-storey country house built in 1812 for

Wadham Locke Wadham Locke (1779–1835) was an English banker and politician. Life Locke was born at Brownston House, Devizes, Wiltshire, the only son of Wadham Locke II and his wife Anne Sutton, daughter of James Sutton. He was High Sheriff of Wiltshire in ...

, later MP for Devizes. Weekday boarding places were provided for 23 children but this was reduced to 16 places in September 2016 and Wiltshire Council withdrew funding for these in March 2018 causing the boarding to be shut down in July 2018. In 2020 Rowdeford School formally merged with Larkrise School in Trowbridge and St Nicholas School in

Chippenham Chippenham is a market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village ...

to form North Wiltshire School. The school currently operates over the three former school sites with a unified management structure. The former Rowdeford site acts as the headquarters of the school. In 2021 the school was renamed Silverwood School. The former Rowdeford site is in the process of being completely rebuilt and will (when completed) be the only site for the whole school.

References

External links

Silverwood School official website

Rowdeford Charity Trust
{{authority control Special schools in Wiltshire Community schools in Wiltshire Special secondary schools in England