Willow Vale School

Willow Vale School is a newly established and forward‑thinking provision created from the former Bridge School Sedgemoor and Taunton Deane Partnership College (TDPC). Spread across six specialist sites in the Bridgwater and Taunton areas, we provide flexible, personalised education for children and young people with a wide range of needs.

Our work is guided by three core values that shape everything we do:
Be Safe. Be Kind. Belong.
These values underpin our culture and ensure every learner feels supported, respected and part of a community where they can thrive.

Students join Willow Vale through several pathways.  Our main remit is to work with and support young people who are not able to access mainstream schools, for a variety of reasons. Whatever the route, our aim is to provide high‑quality, highly personalised programmes that rebuild confidence, re‑engage learners and prepare them for their next steps.

Our Sites & Provision

We currently have 2 primary sites; Cossington in the Bridgwater area and Deane Discovery Centre in the Taunton area.

We also have 4 secondary sites:  Albert Street and New Prospects in the Bridgwater area and Northfields and Holway in the Taunton area.  The aim is always to meet need and place students where there is a best fit. 

As well as these 6 sites, a variety of other spaces are used to ensure each student, whether they are primary/secondary, Medical/permanently excluded/at risk of exclusion/Hard to place has a fully personalised package.

In addition to our physical locations, we offer online and outreach programmes run by teachers and support staff, so that every student can access some form of provision.

All pathways include:

• Careers guidance
• Preparation for next steps
• RSHE education

This ensures every student has the confidence, direction and skills to transition positively into adulthood.

The school also has classrooms in Musgrove Park Hospital and a forest school which is based just outside Taunton at Otterhead.