A SCHOOL for children with special needs at Bere Alston is celebrating after receiving a prestigious accolade‚ the first of its type to be awarded in the county.

Chelfham Senior School, part of the Priory Group, has become the first school in Devon to receive an award from Every Child Matters (ECM) for its outstanding contribution to specialist education.

Chelfham Senior School provides education and care for young people with autistic spectrum disorders and associated challenging behaviour, including emotional and behavioural difficulties.

The ECM Standards Award is in its third year, with only 20 establishments achieving the standard during 2009-2010.

Chelfham Senior School, which also has a site at Kilworthy in Tavistock, has recently changed its special educational needs designation from emotional and behavioural difficulties to autistic spectrum disorders with emotional and behavioural difficulties.

The school offers placements for young people aged seven years and above and to meet the ever increasing demand in the area, is now accepting girls for the first time.

John Steward, principal at the school said: 'It is a great achievement for the school to receive this award, and testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone at the school.

'Chelfham Senior School has undergone a number of positive changes recently, the most significant being the placement of girls as well as boys.

'It is a fantastic achievement for the school to be the first in Devon to win this prestigious award and I look forward to it continuing to go from strength to strength.'

Rita Cheminais from the Every Child Matters award programme said: 'It was a real privilege to work with Chelfham School and an even greater pleasure to visit the school to assess its Every Child Matters good practice.'

Chelfham was given the Award following an assessment that covered all aspects of education provided by the school. The categories covered included the school's ethos, the environment provided for pupils, leadership and management, the curriculum, personalised learning and professional development for staff.

The process was led by Chelfham's Michelle Fisher and a core strategy group formed to review the process. The final assessment took place recently and included an evaluation of the portfolio of evidence and a full on-site visit, meeting key stakeholders and observing good practice.

The award will be presented at a special ceremony on September 9.

The award was the latest in a number of commendations for Chelfham, including Sportsmark 2008, Devon Healthy Schools award, Investors in People and Investing in Careers.