Welcome to Chatten Free School.

The comment that jumped out at me from the Chatten Free School Ofsted report which I read when first taking an interest in the school, is ‘pupil’s faces light up when interacting with those running the school’.  Upon first visiting our amazing school, I saw this absolutely to be the case. Children love coming to Chatten and staff love greeting them at the start of a day of hard work for all.

I joined the school in the summer of 2026 and had the privilege of taking over the headship in September 2027.  I walk around the corridors and see pupils who are thriving, having never found the right place for their education until Chatten Free School opened.  It is our mission to help them discover their place in the world beyond this building.

Chatten Free School is a highly specialist day school providing a radically different approach to education in a radically different ‘classroom’, for pupils who cannot access education in other SEND settings. Our pupils have an autism diagnosis and comorbid associated complex needs which often include complex and challenging behaviour. We provide a fully individualised approach (and timetable) supported by a multidisciplinary team which includes ABA professionals as a core part of our offer.

The majority of our pupils have already attended a SLD school and have found that that way of learning simply doesn't work for them. Often, this has led to them being out of education for an extended period of time prior to them accessing Chatten Free School. It is clear, that for these young people a radically different approach is needed and that is what we provide.

At Chatten, we believe that through a consistent, individualised curriculum and timetable, using effective and evidence-based learning techniques, we can ensure that our pupils leave us as independent as possible and with life-long socially significant skills which will enable them to access the world around them in a rich and meaningful way. What this looks like for each pupil will be unique because each of our young people is also unique.

Our vision for Chatten pupils is both simple and vital, that they achieve Happiness, Independence and Respect.

We have high expectations of our pupils and believe that they can achieve great things.  Our primary focus is to provide all our pupils with an effective form of communication which they can use throughout their lives.  We also aim to teach them important tolerance, life and academic skills which will be functional in their real lives beyond school.

Chatten's provision includes access to individualised curriculums based on input in the areas of: applied behaviour analysis (ABA), speech and language therapy (SALT), occupational therapy (OT) and qualified teacher (QTS) level educational interventions.  We use evidence-based interventions and monitor progress meticulously to ensure that methods are effective for the pupil.

Most importantly of all, we will have a staff team who all share the same vision for our school and the young people who attend here.  Our strongest shared desire: to enrich our pupils lives with the shared aim of Happiness, Independence and Respect.

Thank you for showing an interest in our journey.

Kate Finch

Headteacher