Cambian Whinfell School

Make no mistake this place IS what you might consider "a naughty boys school", (and to be crystal clear, the school was like this both before and after Cambian acquired the place) often by no fault of the students, and any statement to the contrary is a blatent lie! Had an awful time there as a student/resident as a direct result of uncompassionate, poorly trained and even outright vile staff. Was supposed to be an Autism school first and foremost but a majority of the staff seemed clearly more orientated and even dependent on a generic "challenging behaviour" approach aimed at convicted offenders i.e. those with EBD, PDA, ADHD (as per their website) to deal with ASC individuals. Autism isnt even so much as an after thought. Their approach clearly substituted their overall lack of understanding and knowledge of my actual diagnosis.

The powerpoint-grade training care and teaching staff did receive was totally ignored in favor of their own basic personalities, as they relied heavily on invoking a threats and consequences culture in a blunt attempt at burying issues I was experiencing rather dare to so much as even ask about the root causes. In the end I left there in a much worse state than I was when i first went there, having experienced a sustained high level of stress and anxiety, feeling like I had no one around me I could truly open up to or trust, which also led to significant weight loss, disorientation, anxiety, depression, brain fog, almost no quality of life and a negative impact on my grades at the time, especially in my last year. The deputy head was absolutely hell-bent on promoting the schools image, and over-ruled the schools in-house psychiatrists recommendations at a time that I urgently needed rest and support whilst being pushed beyond breaking point trying to attend a college course which, due to previous gaps in my education, was impossible to keep up with or understand. I'd therefore be left in a constant state of burnout, unable to function, on top of apathetic care staff who further compounded the destruction of my physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. I'd never felt more ignored, isolated, and demonised than I did in 2016 by almost every last person who was involved in my education and care. I will always resent every last one of you.

This is who Whinfell were, and no doubt still are.

They were especially dangerous towards severely autistic people in there. (Note: they are more likely to be sent to another site within Whinfell, 'Shap Road' nowadays, ran by the same, reckless staff that occupy the main site) Staff arrogance, self-pity and inability to de-escalate and communicate resulted in one pupil being violent to the point of restraint several times a day, exacerbating the risk to himself and others which no doubt contributed to his eventual sectioning. His meltdowns and self-harming tendencies were also openly spoken about in front of other students. There was also one account of him being physically assaulted by a member of care staff. Another pupil who was more verbal was consistently mocked for his traits, including by someone who went on to become the registered manager there. (Fair warning he has a tendancy to harass ex-students online using fake accounts when he doesnt like what he sees, flanked by his predecessor/successor) But oh no, its fine for you to wave the mental health flag when the going gets tough and hide away in your little startup in Carlisle, best just forget about how you yourself treated and taken the piss out of severely disabled young people right? Hypocrite. Like the other young person, he was constantly belittled and tormented for simply needing a routine, structure, and a staff team that valued who he was.

Plenty more where that came from too so if any more vigilante ex-management/staff/human garbage want to challenge what happened be my guest! Obviously, I have no job and very limited finances, so your more than welcome to launch a libel case that cannot ever be paid back. If you are a parent, guardian, social worker, member of a SEN panel or a judge and considering sending your child/client there, be warned your not only further endangering their present day well-being but also their future prospects, let alone wasting £250,000 per year of tax payer cash on ill-performing leechers.

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