Description
Poplar Adolescent Unit is a small, specialist education provision situated within Rochford Community Psychiatric Hospital, near to Southend on Sea. The Unit is an acute in-patient CAMHS ward for young people aged 11 to 18 with accute mental-health conditions which prevent them from attending their local schools, colleges or employment. The Unit is funded for 16 places.
The education team comprises an Executive Head, Acting Headteacher, Acting Deputy Headteacher, three full-time teachers, 2 HLTAs, 2 university placement students and a part-time School Business Manager. Alongside the principal focus of maintaining home school and college curriculum links, we strongly encourage involvement in the arts, music and physical activity as part of our personal development curriculum alongside a range of 'life skills' based activities.
We work in partnership with the ward multi-disciplinary team which includes doctors, nurses, a social worker, occupational therapists, clinical psychologists, an Art Therapist, and a family therapist and we have significant partnerships for each pupil with community teams beyond the unit.
The young people remain on the roll of their home school during their admission and are supported to re-integrate back into that setting as discharge from Poplar approaches. Additionally, those young people who are NEET, are helped to explore the next steps in their future planning.