Newingate School has been founded on the vision of providing a safe and nurturing environment for young people with Autism to learn, progress and achieve for a positive future.

Our school is deliberately small to help meet individual learning and developmental needs; to reduce anxiety; provide safety; and focus on positive relationships so that we can all progress together.

We emphasise and prioritise the development of our students social communication skills above all else, so as to support and nurture academic progress at a pace and level to suit each student

We offer a broad curriculum that reflects a traditional model of education with opportunities for personalisation and specialisms to be pursued where appropriate so that students gain what they need for a positive future into adulthood.

Our Director, David Carden, explains more...

Admissions

We’re currently more than happy to discuss potential admission directly with parents and carers who are looking to find the right setting for their child or young person.

Parents and Carers are also advised to talk with the SENDCo at their child’s current place of education.

The SENDCo (along with the parent/carer) can then request for the Local Authority to consult with us regarding the placement process.

For admission, children and young people:

Will be aged between 11 – 18 years (secondary age, or transitioning to secondary phase)
Will be referred by their local authority (most likely Kent or Medway)
Will have an education, health and care plan (or will be under assessment)
Will have a diagnosis of an autistic spectrum condition
May have social, emotional, mental health needs as well
May have specific learning difficulties such as Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and Dyscalculia
Will benefit from the school’s therapeutic and relational approach to education and learning.

If you’d like to know more, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Our Admissions team will be happy to discuss you and your child’s needs in more detail. Please contact office@newingateschool.co.uk

Admissions Enquiries

News!

January 2026

With the potential for adverse weather conditions being forecast, we have provided details with regards to emergency closure and adverse weather conditions.

Click on the image to access this information.

It can also be found on our Parents/Carers Info page.

January 2026

STEM Challenge

️Year 8 got stuck into a STEM challenge during Personal Development this week – and it was great to see them in action.

They started by looking at different bridge designs and watching a short clip to get ideas flowing, before being set the challenge: build a bridge using just five pieces of paper and one roll of sellotape.

Working in pairs with classmates they don’t usually work with, students had to talk things through, make decisions together and keep going when things didn’t quite work first time. With very little help from adults, students showed loads of perseverance, teamwork and problem-solving skills.

A really positive session and a great example of students learning from and with each other. Well-done everyone

January 2026

Exploring Climate in Forest School

Despite colder temperatures and constant rain, this week’s Forest School sessions were full of fun and discovery.

Students collected natural materials off-site to examine under the microscope, and had great fun exploring thick ice, experimenting with how it changed when handled and played with.

Back at Forest School, students used a phenology wheel to learn about seasonal change, weather patterns and temperature differences.

A fantastic week of hands-on learning and scientific curiosity!