Welcome Message From the Headteacher
The governors, staff and I are delighted to introduce you to the work of our school.
The Pilgrim School is a Community Special School (Hospital School). We act on behalf of Lincolnshire County Council to fulfil their duties under Section 19 of the 1996 Education Act. This means that our school provides education for pupils who are not in their mainstream school because of a decision made by a medical practitioner.
We passionately believe that a child’s history is not their destiny; that a person’s current circumstance does not dictate their future. As a school we actively plan for and promote a child’s resilience and post traumatic growth – remembering that success in school is a powerful resilience factor in itself.
The school prides itself on its ability to personalise learning and support so that pupils make rapid progress, especially in English, Maths and Science (including IT) and in their emotional well – being, as well as a wide range of other subjecs.
We teach and support pupils so that they are able to make a successful reintegration back into their mainstream school or to their next phase of learning.
As a hospital school we are not a school of choice; parents cannot apply for their child to come here. The decision of need rests with a medical practitioner but referrals are either sent in by a pupil’s school or through the county education out of schools team.
I hope that you find the website informative and interesting as it begins to describe the complex, but rewarding work the school does.
Steve Barnes, B.A. (Hons), MSc
The school was last inspected in February 2018. To view the report please follow the hyperlink on the ‘Links’ page. Alternatively, please call the office to request a hard copy. To contact The Pilgrim School, please call 01522 682319 or e-mail enquiries@pilgrim.lincs.sch.uk Please ask to speak to the headteacher - he is the person who deals with queries from parents or other members of the public.
Celebrating Success
Evie Toombes Story
Evie Toombes was taught in the home. She suffers from Spina Bifida and has a number of associated illnesses including gastric problems. Evie left us in the summer of 2017 having completed her GCSEs with us. She was recently nominated to receive a ‘WellChild’ award and got to meet the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the awards’ ceremony. She presented them with a book she has written that helps educate on hidden disability. A character in the book is a nod to the support offered to her by our member of staff noted in the story below. Evie spends part of her time educating young people about hidden disabilities and lives by the motto ‘Find a way, not an excuse’. What an inspiration!!
Evie Explains...
When I first joined he Pilgrim Hospital school I was in and out of hospital frequently, attempting to juggle numerous subjects with little help and support from my main stream school. A decline in health left me falling behind (especially in maths) and with little motivation to continue when my school was unable to offer sufficient resources to get me back on track.
My first few lessons with Paul, an enthusiastic and engaging teacher helped reintroduce me to finding my subjects fun and built my confidence to manage schoolwork efficiently when in hospital or away from home.
A day I'll never forget is when my teacher Paul, who I'd merely met twice before travelled to my hospital to teach me. My mum gave Paul the all clear to come, not knowing the distressing morning I'd had with my health and treatments earlier that day. I proceeded to lock myself in the bathroom, feeling overwhelmed by so many things going wrong and not wanting to do maths for 2 hours. Paul spent 2 hours talking to me through the toilet door, not about school or homework but just helping me to realise there is no pressure, some teachers do really care and that the hospital school is about more than working from a textbook.
I went on to sit and pass my GCSE maths paper a year early just 2months later thanks to the ongoing support, help and teaching at Pilgrim Hospital school. It not only gave me confidence but also the tools to manage schoolwork when poorly, knowing it's okay to take a break and that with the right support so many things are possible.
Dogs For Good - Family Dog Service for Parents and Carers of Autistic Children aged 3-16
Kate Easton - Training Department Support Officer @ Dogs For Good
I am writing from the Family Dog service at the assistance dog charity Dogs for Good. This service is for parents and carers who have a child with autism between the ages of 3 and 16, who are either looking at getting a dog or who want to train their own pet dog to help their child. The service consists of 3 workshops followed by unlimited email and phone aftercare.
London Trip - Educational Visit
An educational trip to London was organised and offered out to all pupils in base. It was an overwhelming success with pupils and staff indicating that they really enjoyed it and that they got a lot out of it. This has involved 40 of our pupils some of whom have never been to the capital. It had been an enormous undertaking and a huge thanks goes to CN and BL and everyone who pulled together to make it happen. It was simply brilliant to observe our young people meeting, travelling, sharing experiences etc. showing true resiliance and demonstrating how far they have come from their individual starting points with us.
Celebrating Success - News about past pupils!
A pupil MG, who attended the Louth group, has been in touch to pass on her thanks to the school as she has just been offered a place at Bristol University to study Criminology.
HB from the Lincoln base has been offered a place at Nottingham Trent University to study Music Production.
EB formerly of the Boston base is now a Case Support worker.
Well done everyone. News about past pupils is always the best news!
News about past pupils:
A pupil, CS, who attended the Lincoln base has been voted apprentice of the year at Lincoln College.
JJ from the Louth base is actively engaging in his placement.
KK, also from the Louth base, is successfully accessing his CLIP placement.
AS from the Sleaford base has successfully completed a work placement as part of her college course and this has led to her being offered a part time job.
Kinema in The Woods School Trip - Ralph Breaks The Internet
We had a very successful cinema trip with over 70 pupils and staff in attendance. Pupils and staff were treated to a showing of 'Ralph breaks the Internet', the sequel to 'Wreck It Ralph'. Everyone, of all ages, really enjoyed the film, even though some of the oldies did not understand what half of it was about! The pupils were amazing and represented themselves and the school perfectly.
Procedure for Parents should we experience Bad Weather.
Pupil of The Week -
Quote of the week..
A 'to do' list will get you through the day, but a 'to be' list will get you through life.
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