We would like to wish huge congratulations to our friends and co-developers at Charlton Park Academy for achieving a rating of ‘Outstanding’ in the recent Ofsted inspection of their residential school provision.

Rix Research & Media have worked closely with Charlton Park Academy, a residential special school in South–East London, for many years. Our UEL Social Work students are placed at Charlton Park as part of their ‘Readiness for Practice’ module. They work with young people at the school with the aim of developing their self-advocacy skills.

To enable this communication the young people develop Rix Wikis, on which they capture important information they want to share and can use to rehearse their message in preparation for reviews. This helps the young person to then advocate with confidence and take a more active part in their own review meeting.

Charlton Park Academy are trailblazers in their innovative use of technology to assist communication and person-centred planning. They run an annual conference for assistive and inclusive technology called ‘Communication Works’.

The school have been working with Rix Wikis since 2012. As early adopters of the Wiki system they have played a critical role in its development and refinement. Charlton Park have pioneered the integration of Wikis into the curriculum and became the first school in which every student has their own Rix Wiki. This practice was commended and the benefits highlighted in the ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted report:

‘Students have access to the latest technology to assist their communication. This has led some to make remarkable achievements in how they can communicate with others and express their preferences. All students continue to make very good use of their personal ‘wiki’ diary on tablet computers. This provides students with a safe platform to communicate their wants and needs and to share their experiences. Parents and staff can also contribute to this. This ensures that students have a voice and that adults listen to them.’

Charlton Park Academy Social Care Inspection Report

You can find out more about how students at Charlton Park use their Wikis by watching Charlie’s case study video.

The Ofsted report also highlighted the student-centred focus at Charlton Park, the outstanding leadership and overall experience of children and young people, as well as the effective actions taken by the school that ‘contribute to significantly improved outcomes and positive experiences’ for them.

We hope that we can continue building on our work with Charlton Park Academy and learning from our valuable co-productive relationship with this innovative and person-centred school.