iMap Barrowmore School provides term-time education up to the age of 19 for both day placement students and young people placed in our residential services.
Melissa Molloy - Principal & Designated Safeguarding Lead
Christine Merrick - Deputy Head & Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
With our company ethos being “through understanding we will empower each individual to achieve their aspirations”, we shorten this to Understand, Empower, Aspire and display these icons as reminders across all services. Nowhere stands out as a better example of this ethos than our school.
Education at iMap Barrowmore School is bespoke and tailored to each individual’s needs, preferences, qualities, abilities, interests, challenges and learning style. With a low arousal structured school environment, we provide learning spaces adapted to meet sensory preferences that are personalised for each pupil. We take the utmost care in the personal well-being of each student and members of our school community.
This is because our specialist trained staff have a technical knowledge and Understanding of evidence-informed approaches associated with good autism practice, and we are able to adapt these approaches so that we can provide our bespoke, person-centred support and education.
This Empowers them to excel in whatever strengths that they have and supports them through any difficulties. With a focus on long term results and success, we encourage reflection with the students on their past achievements as well as future achievements and Aspirations.
We understand each individual is different and has different aspirations, and from an outside perspective, someone may judge that one aspiration is better than another. At iMap we understand that an aspiration is an aspiration, whatever it may be, and it is important and valuable to that individual, whether it is getting into higher education or just being capable of living more independently we will support that individual to achieve it and never disqualify their ambitions in life, yet we will always encourage them to aim as high as possible.
Our school is part of the iMap Centre group, it is based in a beautiful 84 acre site in Barrowmore, rural Cheshire. The school provides high quality inclusive education for young people with Autism, complex learning, communication and sensory integration needs. The curriculum support is personalised to ensure that each student can achieve their academic, social and life skills potential. We offer education provision from the age of 7 to 19 for up to twenty pupils.
We promote excellent personal development and academic achievement alongside progression in communication skills, choice, independence and social skills. Our education team work to create a structured learning environment where students can reach their full potential.
The school strives to provide a curriculum that is diverse and stimulating, and often having to find new ways to engage learners. School aims to engage with the local area as much as possible, and this has been explored through coffee mornings, charity fun days and work experience.
We aim to create levels of independence for all pupils, and therefore work on upskilling them in their living skills, from cooking, paying bills, applying for jobs, to even creating a mock polling station to allow them to votes
iMap Barrowmore School Prospectus >
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- Local Offer
- Our Vision
- Admissions Policy
- Anti-bullying Policy
- Behaviour Policy
- Complaints Policy
- Curriculum Policy
- Data Protection & GDPR Policy
- Equality & Diversity Policy
- Suspension & Exclusion Policy
- First Aid Policy
- Administering Medication Policy
- IMAP School Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy from September 2025
- SRE for young people with Autism Policy
- School Health and Safety Policy
- Social, Moral, Spiritual & Cultural Policy
- Special Educational Needs Policy
- Careers Guidance Policy
- Location Risk Assessment
- Missing from Education Policy
- RSHE Policy
Complaints received:
2025-2026 - 0
2026-2027 - 0
Intent
At iMap Barrowmore School, we believe that every pupil deserves a curriculum that is ambitious, personalised and matched to how they learn, not to their age or a fixed set of expectations.
Because our pupils' needs are so varied, we offer four curriculum pathways, each designed to meet pupils where they are and to help them build the knowledge, skills and independence they need for their next stage of life.
Our curriculum aims to:
— Empower every pupil to achieve their aspirations.
— Enrich learning through a broad and balanced curriculum.
— Provide the skills, knowledge and understanding pupils need to succeed.
— Achieve progress against each pupil's individual EHCP outcomes.
— Prepare pupils for life beyond their education at iMap Barrowmore School.
A pupil may move between pathways over time as their skills and confidence grow, so that their curriculum always reflects their current stage of development rather than the year group they happen to be in.
Our four curriculum pathways:
Primary Curriculum.
Combines an early years structure with a primary curriculum delivered at each child's own developmental level, with a strong focus on phonics, handwriting, and personal development.
Pre-Formal, Informal & Semi-Formal Curriculum.
Drawn from the Equals framework, for pupils with complex, severe or profound learning needs, and for those ready to build on early skills through a blend of adult-led and child-initiated learning, with accreditation where appropriate.
Formal (Lower Secondary) Curriculum.
A subject-based curriculum for pupils ready to build the knowledge and independence they need for the Post-14 curriculum, closely linked to each pupil's EHCP targets.
Post-14 & Qualifications Curriculum.
Accredited qualifications, independent living, personal development and careers education for pupils preparing for adulthood and the transition to college.
Implementation
Across all four pathways, learning is paced and pitched to each pupil's individual starting point rather than to age-related expectations. Personal development, wellbeing and pastoral provision are woven through every pathway and are directly linked to each pupil's EHCP outcomes, so that progress is always personal and purposeful, alongside any subject or qualification-based learning.
Our approach to teaching and learning
— We are adaptable, catering for a wide range of abilities across the school population.
— We are person-centred, intuitive and responsive to individual need, including pupils' 'spikey profiles'.
— We provide full access to the National Curriculum, scaffolded appropriately so that it is achievable for all.
— We deliver and monitor learning through highly qualified teaching staff and teaching assistants.
— We provide routine, use concrete language and direct teaching, and keep sensory stimulation to the minimum a pupil needs.
— We provide frequent, regular opportunities for pupils to repeat, retrieve and generalise knowledge and
skills across contexts.
— We create opportunities for the real-life application of knowledge and skills, to prepare pupils for increased independence.
— We are sensitive to differences in sensory processing and communication.
— We recognise and build on the strengths that come with neurodiversity.
Breadth of learning
Across all four pathways, we ensure pupils have access to learning across the seven areas of learning required by the Independent School Standards:
1. Linguistic
2. Mathematical
3. Scientific
4. Technological
5. Human and social
6. Physical
7. Aesthetic and creative
Accreditation across the curriculum
Where appropriate to the individual pupil, and as they move through our pathways, pupils can work towards a range of nationally recognised qualifications and awards, including:
NOCN Functional Skills English and Maths (entry level 1- level 2)
NOCN Digital Functional Skills
NOCN Vocational courses to meet individual interests
ASDAN life skills qualifications
AQA Unit Awards to meet individual interests
Duke of Edinburgh's Award
Impact
A constant cycle of plan, do, review informs our intent, implementation and impact. Assessing our impact is essential to understanding how well our intent and implementation are working in practice, and we do this through a range of measures, including:
— The success of accreditation and qualifications where appropriate to the individual pupil.
— Confidence and self-worth, assessed through pupil voice and multidisciplinary meetings.
— Communication skills gained, evidenced through regular pupil review meetings.
— Life skills, measured by the opportunities our pupils access after leaving iMap Barrowmore School.
— Emotional regulation, identified through our PBS-informed tracking systems, with guidance from our clinical lead.
— Progress against each pupil's individual EHCP outcomes, reviewed formally at annual reviews.
— Progression whether moving between curriculum pathways as skills and confidence grow, or transitioning to the next stage of education, training or adult life when ready.
Together, our four curriculum pathways ensure that every pupil at iMap Barrowmore School, whatever the complexity of their needs, is known, understood, and supported to make genuine, sustained progress towards their next stage of life.
Additional useful resources:
National Autistic Society (autism.org.uk)
How to help your autistic child with day to day life - NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Fun English games for kids | LearnEnglish Kids - British Council
Here at iMap Barrowmore School, we fully recognise and readily accept that we are entrusted with both a moral and statutory responsibility to safeguard and promote the welfare of all our children.
We strive to always provide a safe, welcoming environment where our students are both respected and valued. We are always on the lookout for the obvious and the less obvious signs of abuse and neglect. We always follow our tried, tested and proven procedures to ensure that children receive effective support, protection and justice.
If you have any concerns about a young person in our care, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Our designated lead for Safeguarding and Child Protection is:
Melissa Molloy - Principal
melissa.molloy@imapcentre.co.uk
Our deputy lead for Safeguarding and Child Protection is:
Christine Merrick - Deputy Head
christine.merrick@imapcentre.co.uk
Our Governor for Safeguarding and Child Protection is:
Helen Thornton - School Governor
helen.thornton@imapcentre.co.uk
If you have concerns about a child’s welfare or feel that they may be being abused or neglected, please call the Integrated Access and Referral Team (iART) or the Emergency Duty Team (EDT) for help and advice. Alternatively, you can call the police.
Telephone: i-ART - 0300 123 7047
The team can be contacted 8.30am to 5pm from Monday to Thursday and 8.30am - 4.30pm on Friday.
If you have an urgent concern outside these hours, or over a bank holiday, please call the Emergency Duty Team (out of hours) on 01244 977277
Alternatively call Cheshire Police: 101 for non-emergencies or 999 in an emergency
Feedback from Regulators
- iMap School Unit 4a Barrowmore Estate, Barnhouse Lane, Great Barrow CH3 7JA
- 01829 741 869
- schoolenquiries@imapcentre.co.uk