I am delighted to welcome you to The Smith Foundation. A vibrant community, existing with fluidity, across three sites and providing outstanding education, care, health and therapy. Scaffolded by relationships and steeped in trauma infused knowledge and practice that looks beyond presenting behaviour, we are proud of a workforce who take responsibility for the why. We place our children and young adults at the heart of everything we do and the decisions we make; we have a workforce who appreciate the advantages and value of continuous learning, embedding a workplace culture that encourages and prioritises continuous improvement.
As the CEO of the foundation, I believe that education is a most powerful force, it opens our minds to possibilities, and helps us face life’s challenges with optimism. Yet, firstly and crucially, our job is to provide our children and young adults with a safe and nurturing hopeful place of being, a place where they belong, a place where mistakes are our opportunity to learn; where meaningful relationships, compassion and curiosity are non-negotiable.
Our learning experiences and environments are rich and support our children and young adult's happiness; only when we are happy and supported, can we thrive and become the best we can be. A strong culture and leadership with true authenticity is a mantra I hold strong; we work and live to support our children, young adults, their families and our supporting staff, and where we can reach out and support beyond we will.
Sue Ackroyd
CEO/Executive Principal
The Smith Foundation currently have three provisions;
Our three provisions are located within a 5 mile radius of each other in West Yorkshire, in between Huddersfield and Halifax.
An Outstanding day and residential special school for boys aged 5-19, affected by SEMH challenges, offering bespoke education, care and therapeutic services.
A specialist day college for young adults aged 16-25, who have additional SEMH needs. Offering varying levels academic and therapeutic support to enable participation in study programmes and college activities.
A 52 week therapeutic children's home, providing care for up to 4 boys aged 5 -12 on admission, who may have a range of complex needs and SEMH challenges.
The Smith Foundation functions as a mutually beneficial community, where children, young adults and staff experience everyday life alongside each other (we raise thousands of pounds each year for our chosen charities). We are passionate and committed to sharing our practice and providing school to school support. Further publications, conference appearances, teaching commitments and research related to ACE’s (Adverse Childhood Experiences) and trauma are current projects.
Beyond our doorstep, the school has a presence as a national and international centre of excellence within the SEN sector. We regularly present at conferences and universities in the fields of Education and Mental Health. Our Psychotherapy and Family Support team has a wealth of experience in working with complex and developmental trauma.
We are heavily involved with national memberships such as Engage, and NASS and have been active in setting up and hosting the NASS Teaching and Learning peer review group across the North. We make a valuable contribution, including consultancy, specialist training and support to schools requiring improvement and, advice to other social care provisions locally, regionally and nationally.
