Ashcroft School

Ashcroft School is a specialist school in Stockport that supports students aged 8 to 18 who have social, emotional and mental health difficulties. Students may also have other difficulties such as school phobia, anxiety, depression, or have diagnoses of ADHD, foetal alcohol syndrome, acquired brain injury (ABI) or autism. 

Every child should have the chance to shape their future through learning. Ashcroft offers the right balance of personalised learning and intensive support to help every student break through barriers and reach their potential. Every day our students build their self-esteem, learn new skills and move towards a happy and fulfilled future. Trust us to help you get there.  

Our approach  

Our students are at the heart of everything we do. We listen to their hopes and dreams, help them see, understand and overcome their barriers. And give them the support to love learning again. 

We base everything we do around the six nurturing principles. This helps our students feel secure, supported and positive about their learning environment. Accredited by the Nurture Group, Ashcroft holds the prestigious Marjorie Boxall Quality Mark Award, awarded to us at the highest level. 

• Children’s learning is understood developmentally 

• The classroom offers a safe base 
• The importance of nurture for the development of wellbeing 
• Language is a vital means of communication 
• All behaviour is communication 
• The importance of transition in children’s lives 

When a student first joins us, we use the Boxall profile to assess their social skills and any challenging behaviours. This helps us to really understand what’s going on beneath the surface. It also helps us to set targets towards positive change. 

From here we develop a tailor-made plan for each individual learner, making sure they’re involved in the process and their needs are met.

Our curriculum  

Our curriculum is broad, balanced and adapted to meet every student’s individual needs. They’ll get to build their skills, tackle any gaps and improve their literacy and numeracy. As well as work towards recognised qualifications. We have a strong track record of student’s receiving:  

• Unit Awards 
• Entry Level Certificate (Entry Level 1, 2, 3) 
• BTEC Firsts (Award, Certificate, Extended Certificate, Diploma) 

• BTEC Nationals 
• GCSE 
• A Level 

Students love our outdoor learning programme. These activities help young people develop their communication, leadership skills and teamwork. Activities include: 

• Climbing 
• Kayaking 
• Bushcraft 
• Sailing 
• Orienteering 
• Duke of Edinburgh Award 

 As well as getting outdoors, students can join in lots of other fun, creative activities. We focus on projects that have a track record of engaging hard-to-reach young people, such as drama, music, cookery, film and photography. 

Our award-winning film projects have helped students explore issues in a safe and non-threatening way. As well as share their stories with the community through North West film festivals and performance events. 

Watch Emma’s story and hear how Ashcroft got her hope back for the future: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qczize7PLCc