APTCOO - A Place to Call Our Own

APTCOO - A Place to Call Our Own is a registered charity based in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, working to improve the life chances of children, young people and their families who experience a wide range of barriers created by having special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These barriers include conditions affecting social, educational, development and behaviour. Young people may experience neurological conditions and physical disabilities too. At the earliest opportunity we provide a wide range of information, advice, and access to a personalised range of specialist health, care and education support services for children and young people with SEND and their whole family unit. We work as equals with young people and their families to help create better opportunities to succeed in life.

APTCOO is an Ofsted registered Independent Special School and specialist alternative education provider using highly innovative and creative practical strategies that turn opportunities into real and successful change. We work in partnership with Nottingham City and Nottinghamshire local authorities, and local schools, to deliver flexible alternative education provision that will ultimately improve young people's well-being, attendance, and achievement together with confidence to re-engage back into mainstream school. We can offer unique, safe, and accessible spaces catering for small numbers of children with complex needs, including physical and behavioural.

Our services are delivered across various sites, at Mansfield, Budby and on the Thorseby Estate, each having its own unique specialism and based within the local communities; we work closely together with the commissioning school and the family providing parent/carer and sibling support, this can help when problems which may include getting from home into school. 

We are a one-stop resource centre, open 7 days a week where families feel safe and are supported to improve their health, education and wellbeing within an all-inclusive community hub setting. Parent carers can also undertake training and development to learn new skills, build greater resilience and feel more empowered to make informed choices about their family.

We provide information, advice, support, and guidance from pre-birth through childhood and adolescence to adulthood, with the aim of ensuring the young person has the most independent and fulfilling life possible. We support families to make informed choices and works together with a wide range of complementary partners to provide - access to the right services, at the right time, with the right people.