St Giles’ School has been named “Croydon Special School of the Year” at Croydon Council’s civic awards.

St Giles’ senior staff at the awards ceremony (from left): Caroline Horgan (deputy head), Virginia Marshall (head teacher), Fiona Bell (head of secondary)

St Giles’ was nominated by the council’s education department, who praised the rich and varied curriculum provided to the pupils at the school on Pampisford Road in South Croydon.

St Giles’ is a local authority maintained community school for pupils aged from 4 to 19.

The profile of St Giles has changed over recent years, with more pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD) and very complex needs. The school has met the resulting challenges by adapting the environment to support access and care, training staff and curriculum-planning to support appropriate teaching and learning opportunities.

A spokesperson for the school said, “St Giles’ is committed to providing a rich and varied curriculum for all pupils, ensuring they participate in borough-wide events, and extracurricular programmes.

“We are delighted and proud for the school’s hard work to be recognised with this award.”

The school has regular open days and visitors comment on the positive relationships between staff and pupils and the warm and caring atmosphere.

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