Welcome to Our School

The Loddon School® - since 1988

The Loddon School is home for children and young people aged 8-19 with autism, severe learning disabilities and complex behaviours.

Person-centred

Positive actions

A genuine home

365 days a year

Highly trained staff

24 hours a day

Ofsted Outstanding

Across all areas

Life at Loddon

See what life at Loddon looks like

Take five minutes to meet the remarkable young people, dedicated families, and passionate staff at the heart of The Loddon Foundation. This short film steps inside our unique living and learning environment, capturing the everyday moments and first-hand stories that make our tailored approach to care and education so uniquely effective.
Video thumbnail: ponies grazing in a field in front of The Loddon School's red-brick main building, with a play button to watch the film

Who Loddon is for

Children who need a highly specialised and focused approach.

At The Loddon School we support children and young people who require a highly specialised and focused approach. Ours is a specialist residential placement with a holistic approach to learning, for children whose needs sit beyond what mainstream and most special schools are set up to meet.

Children and young people with autism

Very limited verbal communication; high sensory needs; established repetitive and self-stimulating behaviours. Typically:
  • EHCP in place
  • Struggling to learn and reduce restrictive behaviours in current setting
  • Unable to live at home safely and enjoy community experiences

Severe learning disabilities

Working below the UK National Curriculum and following a bespoke pathway.
  • Personalised PLLUSS® curriculum
  • Inclusive communication environment
  • Speech & language/Occupational therapy embedded

Restrictive behaviours

Self-injury, aggression toward others, environmental damage. Behaviours that have led to exclusions or hospital admission elsewhere.
  • PROACT-SCIPr-UK® approach
  • Non-aversive, positive support
  • Daily, individualised behaviour plan

Our Approach

Behaviour is communication.
We listen first.

Our approach is built over thirty-seven years of practice and refined into two pieces of work: PROACT-SCIPr-UK®, the proactive, non-aversive framework for responding to behaviour that challenges, and The PLLUSS Curriculum®, an individualised curriculum for learners working below The National Curriculum.

What that means day to day: teams who know children deeply, who plan proactively for the day ahead, who can support during those difficult moments, offer alternative strategies and teach replacement skills.

01

Know the child

Regular observations and analysis by a behaviour support team, wellbeing monitoring, sensory and communication passports created and personalised plans developed and shared.

02

A Meaningful Day

PLLUSS® supports children and young people to develop functional skills in calm, comfortable settings, reducing restrictive behaviour and creating greater opportunities for learning.

03

Building positive relationships

Children and young people live in houses alongside suitable peers with a small, consistent team. Long-tenure staff are the quiet engine of what we do.

04

Family, not visitor

Parents and carers are part of the team. Calls, photos, visits home and family visits in school all year round maintain those important family links.

A day at Loddon

A full and enjoyable day

School doesn’t end at 3.30pm at Loddon – children live here, so we plan the whole day. Cooking together, walking and playing in the grounds, art and music activities extend into the evenings.
The progress our child has made here is remarkable. The staff's warmth and creativity give them the confidence to thrive every day.
Sarah M
Parent of a current pupil
A staff member and a child at The Loddon School sitting together on a bright orange sofa, engaged in reading the children's book 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt'. Both individuals are wearing glasses and looking attentively at the open pages held by the staff member, who is wearing a staff lanyard. On the wall behind them is a framed noticeboard displaying visual communication symbols.

Inspections & oversight

Outstanding in
every judgement

Loddon is inspected as both a school and a children’s home. Across our most recent Education cycle, every judgement was outstanding. The Care Ofsted judgement was outstanding also, and all reports can be seen below.

School · overall

Outstanding

Quality of
education

School · overall

Outstanding

Behaviour and
attitudes

School · overall

Outstanding

Personal
development

School · overall

Outstanding

Leadership and
management

School · overall

Outstanding

Sixth-form
provision

Last inspection · March 2025 · Ofsted URN 116548 · ISI accredited

Don't take our word for it

In the parents' own words.

Quotes shared with permission. Family names have been kept short to protect the privacy of the children we care for.

It was like she came back to life. It was a really magical moment for us as a family to watch her make so much progress, become happy again and have a quality of life again.
It isn’t just a team, it is a family. The passion of the staff and their commitment to making this a great place for the children is really important.
I couldn’t ask for a better school for my daughter and her happiness. She’s just such a bubbly girl now, and I’m so proud of her and the school.

Latest from the school

Stories from across our school community.

News, updates and reflections from across school life. Where families or pupils are featured, names may be shortened to help protect their privacy.

A photo collage of candid moments from the summer term at Loddon, including cooking, music, art, Sports Day, gardening and crazy golf

September 2026 Newsletter: Community, Creativity and Celebration

Sports Day, Wildmoor Festival, Prom 2026, Arts Week, the Staff Awards and more!
Three individuals standing outdoors during a building opening ceremony at The Loddon School. In the centre is Richard Kennett, CEO, wearing a blue suit and patterned shirt, holding notes and speaking. To his left stands a smiling woman with red hair in a black leather jacket and vibrant purple trousers. To his right is another woman in a patterned red and black jacket, wearing a large silver civic medal on a blue ribbon. A red ribbon stretches across the space behind them in front of a modern red brick building decorated with green and white bunting.

June 2026 Newsletter: Celebrating Progress and Achievement

Highlights from across the school community, including successes, activities and upcoming events.

Part of something larger

The Loddon Foundation

The School is one of three arms working as a single team for the same children and the families who love them.