Nestled in between Rothbury and Netherwitton and flanked by the River Font; the Nunnykirk Centre is a school proud of its history. Set deep in the Northumberland countryside this centre of excellence for Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and ASD has been constantly evolving since its earliest days
as a manor house.
Designed by the noted architect and town planner John Dobson; Nunnykirk Hall has been a monastic community, a family residence, a training site for a Grand National winner and for the past forty years it has been the home to a specialist centre for students with specific learning difficulties. But this Ruby anniversary is not for looking back, Headteacher Barry Frost sees this as a milestone for future development and success for this inspiring learning environment: The Ruby anniversary is about celebrating the achievements that Nunnykirk has made and then setting goals for the immediate and long term future of our school’.
Barry is an experienced practitioner having led schools and teaching centres throughout the UK as well as working within higher education settings. There is no doubting this school leader’s dedication to young people with special educational needs and additional needs. So what was it about Nunnykirk that inspired him to relocate his family and begin this adventure almost two years ago: Throughout my career I have always been committed to young people with special needs and unlocking the potential in those people offering them a sense of belonging which raises self-esteem and leads to self-actualisation. I saw a great challenge in embedding these beliefs within a school with Nunnykirk’s reputation’.
When asked about his vision for the school Mr Frost was clear in his reply: to ensure that the guiding principles of optimum teaching and learning are in evidence across all elements of school life’.
This vision is felt in every corridor of the Nunnykirk Centre and the students have bought in to the wider school mission with staff and students growing together. Claire Forrest is a fourteen year old student from Berwick-Upon-Tweed. She did not have the best of experiences in her previous school but she admits she has been changed by her first year at Nunnykirk. I am finally learning that I can be clever and have talents’ she confidently states and the teachers have given my space to find my learning style’. Claire is currently following multiple GCSE courses and is excited by the chance of studying her favourite subject, Art, at A-level.
The centre revels in it’s location and staff and students alike use the stunning countryside that surrounds the twenty acre site to learn about their community, share their learning and to develop the individual’s self-esteem and self-confidence. All students have weekly opportunities to go climbing, drive go-karts, visit the cinema, play laser quest in addition to a range of individual and team sports. The range of choice is designed to offer every student- to quote the centre’s mission; a chance to make substantial progress in learning and thinking…[while] achieving physical and emotional health well-being’.
Whilst the majority of students who attend the Nunnykirk Centre have a diagnosed special educational This innovative approach has led to a growing student role that has young people from all over the North East attending the school as either a day student or as part of the boarding family. Tammy Casey is a parent of a child who has recently came on to role at Nunnykirk through an initial twenty week bursary. She feels indebted to the school and says that the bursary gave that one thing that all families that have a child with my son’s difficulties need; hope. Hope for an education, hope for friends and relationships and hope for the future’.
Nunnykirk respects learning and achievement. The students who come to the centre should expect to be challenged, enthralled and nurtured to achieve outcomes that will lead to lifelong success. Many of the staff at Nunnykirk have an SEN background and have vast experience of delivering a range of courses from the Primary Framework to A-levels in Core Subjects such as Maths and English. Thomas Mcowie, a year eleven student, began at Nunnykirk in September 2016. This young man’s chest is pumped with pride as he speaks passionately about his achievements in English and ICT over the past two terms, his hopes for upcoming exam series and about his Mechanics Teacher Mr Patton who treats [him] like an adult in the workshop’. All students have been challenged by Mr Frost to get the best set of results Nunnykirk has ever seen this Summer and the students are working hard to achieve this goal and are appreciative of the support offered throughout school to aid their success. However it’s a clear that Barry Frost wants to see the school successful every year so what does he believe that others will say about this period in Nunnykirk’s history? And what will be the legacy of his time as Headteacher? When asked this question Barry takes some time to think and replies by the time of the Golden Anniversary we will be a centre with the scope of offer that will allow our growing cohort to achieve personally and educationally while retaining the strong therapeutic bias that has always been within our community’. Here is to the next decade of success!need; 18 months ago the senior leadership team recognised that there was a number of young people in the North East who were not being fully served by their mainstream provider who could benefit from a programme of learning provided by Nunnykirk. Their response was the creation of individual learning bursaries. This entails the student fees for a potential students being paid for by a special fund set up by the centre for 20 weeks in order for parents, carers and other agencies to understand about the centre and arrange funding for their child moving forward.
