Presfield High School and Specialist College

Presfield High School changes lives. We are a National Autistic Society accredited, oversubscribed school situated in Southport, Merseyside. All students have an EHCP  with ASC as their primary need. We are advocates of Dr Stephen Shore’s belief that “If you have met one child with autism you have met ONE child with autism”. This underpins all that we do and we are committed to challenging the stereotypical views that are often associated with Autism.

We passionately believe in empowering our students and their families to advocate for their individual needs to support them to make meaningful contributions to society and to gain employment if that is their chosen destination. This is demonstrated in our diverse curriculum that promotes an aspirational academic and social pathway.The school catchment area is predominantly Sefton with some students travelling from Lancashire.

We place as much emphasis on progress in social development as we do in academic progress. Our primary focus is to support students to increase their employability and  quality of life opportunities. Our curriculum changes with each cohort and is bespoke to the students needs. Several students follow individualised timetables. Our qualification suite continues to expand and includes Entry Level, Level 1, Level 2 and  GCSE qualifications. Extensive work is undertaken to prepare students for the rigours of public examinations whilst maintaining our emphasis on developing life skills. 

The school receives additional support from a Speech and Language therapist, Parent Support Advisor, School Nurse and Occupational Therapy/Mental Health/Sensory Specialists. All students have a  sensory need assessment upon entry to the school. On a case by case basis, we run intervention programmes to support emotional and mental health issues, reading recovery, dyslexia, anger management and self esteem. We also have a dedicated Behavioral/Pastoral Support Team.