Welcome to The Village School

It takes a village to raise a child

It is a pleasure to welcome you to The Village School, a  special needs school in the London Borough of Brent. 

Our school supports the needs of children with complex needs, cognition and learning difficulties. The school is a learning community of five villages, serving pupils aged 3 to 19, with a total enrolment of 315 students.

The Village School school curriculum is our progression model and supports, challenges and encourages each young person so they are active participants at every stage in the learning journey with a real zest for experiencing all aspects of life to the full!

The Village School aims to develop personalised pathways for each student to meet their individual needs and aspirations. Each pathway responds to the needs of individual learners and promotes student engagement, enjoyment, confidence and the acquisition of life skills.

Parents, Carers and Guardians are actively encouraged to work in partnership with The Village School's teachers and multi-professional teams to secure positive outcomes, always with an unrelenting focus on equipping learners for the next in life and adulthood.

The school operates across three sites: -31 classes are based at the main site, The Village School; five classes are based at the neighbouring Kingsbury High School - The Kingsbury Village; and two classes are located at The Futures Village.

All students at the Village School have an education, health and care plan, and many of them have additional complex medical conditions or are diagnosed with Autism. The student body comprises learners from various ethnic backgrounds, cultures and faiths, reflecting the diversity of our local community. The proportion of pupils supported through the pupil premium is higher than the national average.

The Village School believes in a transdisciplinary approach focusing on developing communication skills, independence, and physical and artistic development. The school also provides enrichment opportunities for the students, with a clear focus on preparing them for adult life. 

Karol Stelmaszczyk
Headteacher
The Village School

Ofsted 2023 - "Outstanding"

Don’t Worry About a Thing

It’s a hot Tuesday afternoon. Imagine this. It’s school council time. A bright, spacious, vibrant room opens its doors to a kaleidoscope of ways to be heard, to speak. Here, we listen with our eyes.

It’s a special school in north-west London. The classroom is full. Thirty young people, some ambulant, others profoundly dependent, all luminous in their own way. The room hums with joyful noise: a cacophony, yes, but a constructive one – a choir of movement, sound, and delight.

Teaching assistants,120% attentive, move with practised grace, responding not just to need but to personality. They know every child. Every tick, twitch, sign, and smile. We’re signing the words to Three Little Birds. Bob Marley fills the air.

To our surprise, a boy who barely moves shouts a single word: ‘Marley’. The room bursts into applause. Nearby, another child bounces from chair to chair – their connections to people, to books, to life itself run deep. They weren’t always understood. But the adults in that child’s family kept going. Their investment in their child matched the school’s commitment to them. Valued attention that ran both ways. The school helped turn frustration into calm, assertive advocacy.

This school sees that child. They understand them. And they make sure others do too.

The session ends, but the mood lingers. Before leaving, we all sign the three words these pupils know by heart – happy, love, fun.

Because here, at last, they are.

Dr Antony Edkins,

Challenge Partner Lead Inspector 

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