Oak Lodge School in Wandsworth is an outstanding residential and day school for students aged 10-19
Oak Lodge is a residential and day school for children aged 10-19 with hearing, communication, speech and language needs.
01/06/2026
On Tuesday 19th May 2026, our year 7 students explored London via an UberBoat on the River Thames. They were able to see lots of the famous landmarks we have been learning about during our Humanities unit on the city of London. It was a great adventure!
18/05/2026
The Ideals group visited Katakata Deaf Cafe in Brixton last Friday for our travel training. It was so good seeing Chijoke our ex student of OL working there. He took our orders - easier communication. He looked so confident. Well done Chijoke.
13/05/2026
Last week 9B visited Vauxhall City Farm for an exciting school trip. The students had a fantastic time meeting a variety of animals, including sheep, goats, rabbits, a llama, guinea pigs, and pigs. They enjoyed feeding and petting the animals and showed excellent behaviour throughout the visit. It was a lovely opportunity for the students to learn more about farm animals and develop their confidence and communication skills outside the classroom.
05/05/2026
We are once again running our in person BSL Level 1 & Level 2 Signature accredited courses. These courses will be starting in October 2026 and run every Tuesday evening until June/July 2027. Please email [email protected] if you are interested in joining or finding out more.
8SK took part in the Wandsworth Schools Para Basketball competition at Battersea Sports Centre, playing against Year 9-10 students from other schools which was a big challenge for our students! They tried their best and worked hard! They finished 3rd overall! Well done!
22/04/2026
Last week residential welcomed the students back after the Easter break, and they’ve settled in really well. We’ve already been making the most of the warm weather by spending plenty of time outdoors. We visited Battersea Park, and we also played basketball on our courts.
We enjoyed some cooking and baking activities, and we had a lovely visit from Charlotte and her trainee therapy dog, Coco, who joined us for our Yoga session.
Before the Easter break a group of our students represented Oak Lodge at the FIRST UK Robotics Competition, and they were nothing short of exceptional. Throughout the day, they demonstrated a brilliant mix of skills:
resilience as the robot wasn’t working and needed fixing and they never gave up;
problem solving, as they were fixing the robot with the support of FIRST UK engineers;
team work as they organised themselves, communicated clearly, and supported each other through each task;
ownership as they confidently explained their work to the panel of judges;
sportsmanship, as whether they won or and lost a challenge, they were always in good spirit and encouraging and respectful towards other teams.
They were fantastic ambassadors for our school and we are very proud.
Congratulations to:
Artem, Laurenia, Sumaya, Kery, Ibrahim, Aaleyah, Fatoumata, Abdellah, Mehul.
To know more about FIRST UK: https://firstuk.org/
23/03/2026
Sign Language Week: 16–20 March
Last week, we celebrated Sign Language Week, an important opportunity to honour Deaf culture and raise awareness about the importance of communication access.
We were delighted to welcome Rebecca Mansell, Chief Executive of the British Deaf Association (BDA), as our special guest in assembly. She shared a brief history of the BDA and led some fantastic sign language games that both pupils and staff thoroughly enjoyed.
It was wonderful to see the whole school wearing blue to mark the occasion! With a suggested £1 donation, we are proud to announce that we raised £130.40, beating last year’s total of £88.20. All funds will go directly to the BDA to support their ongoing projects, including providing free BSL courses.
Throughout the week, our pupils have also been taking part in the Fastest Fingerspelling Challenge, which they absolutely loved!
Thank you to everyone for your enthusiasm and support in celebrating this important week.
We want to keep you informed about the proposed staffing changes at Oak Lodge School and what they mean for your child. Over the past few years, our school has changed and grown. We now support deaf children and young people with a wider range of communication and learning needs. To keep providing the best possible education, we have been reviewing how our school is organised and how staff are deployed. Why changes are being proposed
• Our pupils’ needs have changed, and we want to make sure we have the right staff with the right training in each part of the school.
• We need a staffing structure that is flexible and supports our personalised curriculum, which now includes Skills for Life and
additional qualifications.
• We must ensure the school remains financially sustainable for the
long term.
If we do not make changes, the school is forecast to have a significant financial deficit by 2029–30, which would affect our ability to maintain high-quality provision.
What the proposals include
• A small reduction in teaching posts, based on pupil numbers and curriculum needs.
• Adjustments to Teaching Assistant (TA) hours so they match the pupil funding the school receives for classroom support.
• Updating some staff roles to reflect the needs of today’s pupils.
These changes are part of a careful and long consultation process with staff, which began in November 2025. About the NEU strike action. The NEU union has taken strike action in response to the consultation. While we respect every staff member’s right to take part, we want to reassure parents that:
• The school has followed a full and lengthy consultation process.
• We have made all information accessible, including through BSL
interpretation.
• We continue to hope we can meet with union representatives once strike action has been removed or postponed to discuss the situation. We are committed to positive, ongoing communication once this has happened.
• Our priority at all times is the wellbeing, safety, and education of our pupils.
What this means for your child:
Teaching and learning will continue as planned. Our aim is to ensure that
any changes made support:
• better alignment of staff skills with pupil needs
• a stable, financially secure school
• the continued delivery of a high-quality education
Next steps
The consultation concludes on 27 February 2026 for teachers, and the proposed new structure would begin from 1 May 2026. Some final decisions have been made, and we will continue to listen to staff throughout the process. We understand that change can be worrying, and we are committed to keeping you informed. If you have any questions, please contact the school office.
Kind Regards,
Caroline Rowlandson
Headteacher.
We want to keep you informed about the proposed staffing changes at Oak Lodge School and what they mean for your child. Over the past few years, our school has changed and grown. We now support deaf children and young people with a wider range of communication and learning needs. To keep providing the best possible education, we have been reviewing how our school is organised and how staff are deployed. Why changes are being proposed:
- Our pupils’ needs have changed, and we want to make sure we have the right staff with the right training in each part of the school
- We need a staffing structure that is flexible and supports our personalised curriculum, which now includes Skills for Life and additional qualifications
- We must ensure the school remains financially sustainable for the long term.
If we do not make changes, the school is forecast to have a significant financial deficit by 2029–30, which would affect our ability to maintain high-quality provision. What the proposals include:
• A small reduction in teaching posts, based on pupil numbers and curriculum needs.
• Adjustments to Teaching Assistant (TA) hours so they match the pupil funding the school receives for classroom support.
• Updating some staff roles to reflect the needs of today’s pupils.
These changes are part of a careful and long consultation process with staff, which began in November 2025.
About the NEU strike action
The NEU union has taken strike action in response to the consultation. While we respect every staff member’s right to take part, we want to reassure parents that:
• The school has followed a full and lengthy consultation process.
• We have made all information accessible, including through BSL interpretation.
• We continue to hope we can meet with union representatives once
strike action has been removed or postponed to discuss the situation. We are committed to positive, ongoing communication once this has happened.
• Our priority at all times is the wellbeing, safety, and education of
our pupils.
What this means for your child
Teaching and learning will continue as planned. Our aim is to ensure that
any changes made support:
• better alignment of staff skills with pupil needs
• a stable, financially secure school
• the continued delivery of a high-quality education
Next steps
The consultation concludes on 27 February 2026 for teachers, and the proposed new structure would begin from 1 May 2026. Some final decisions have been made, and we will continue to listen to staff throughout the process.
We understand that change can be worrying, and we are committed to keeping you informed. If you have any questions, please contact the school office.
Kind Regards,
Caroline Rowlandson
Headteacher.
| Monday | 8:30am - 3:30pm |
| Tuesday | 8:30am - 3:30pm |
| Wednesday | 8:30am - 3:30pm |
| Thursday | 8:30am - 3:30pm |
| Friday | 8:30am - 3:30pm |