Classes
Primary: At primary age, we operate mixed age classes. Learning takes place predominantly with the class group, however there are many opportunities throughout the school day to mix with different age groups. Young people can choose different options and learning opportunities throughout the week that mean they move around the school.
Class 1: Reception
Class 2: age 5-7 (Year 1 - Year 2)
Class 3: age 7-9 (Year 3 - Year 4)
Class 4: age 9-11 (Year 5 - Year 6)
Secondary: At secondary age, young people are taught in single year groups with a low teacher:child ratio. Each year group typically stays with the same form tutor so they can build relationships over the 5 years of secondary school, but they have different subject teachers.
Curriculum
All classes up to KS3 have a timetable of lessons in line with the National Curriculum, group projects and time for self-directed learning. A range of GCSE’s is offered for 14-16 year olds. Supporting young people to develop as critical thinkers is key to our approach to teaching.
All young people work closely with their teacher and parent/carer, to support their learning choices, pick up on any difficulties, and ensure their needs are being met within the classroom.
At the end of KS3 the form tutor and subject teachers help each young person to construct their learning programme and to choose their GCSE’s or route that best supports their interests and next steps.
We have around a day a week of Self-Directed Learning where young people are encouraged to concentrate on skill development and choose their own projects to focus on. Self-Directed Learning is planned, recorded, and evaluated in a My Learning Plan. This is document in which young people, staff and parents collaborate to monitor the journey of the projects, to understand a young person's strengths, and to support the development of their executive functions and other learning, social and emotional skills.
Additional educational needs
Although we have a mainstream demographic, we work to meet the needs of the whole class and adapt and accommodate the learning and the environment accordingly. This takes a profound shift of mindset that moves away from the typical developmental path considered the ‘norm’, and instead works on the basis that the ‘norm’ encompasses a wide range of difference and diversity.
Our focus on relationships, routines and participation, does not mean some young people don’t need additional support, but our belief is that the school environment should not exacerbate the challenges young people face.
All too often school ‘success’ depends on how teachers recognise and reward the cultural skills, understandings and habits which children from dominant social classes bring with them, while denying cultural learnings of others. As a staff body it is essential that we continually educate ourselves, critically reflect and listen to external ‘critical friends’ who provide accountability, as we constantly work to ensure equity in the classroom.
Assessment
Our assessment model tracks academic data, as well as data related to the social and emotional development of our young people. This helps us triangulate information to support our excellent knowledge of our young people.
We have personal qualification pathways which empowers us to hold a nuanced approach to qualification outcomes - while impressive grades are always wonderful and we are able to stretch the most able to achieve this, we also believe they are not the full picture, and some young people need a different approach to understanding their success.
Teaching
Our flattened hierarchy supports our relational approach. This means all staff are known by their first names to all; we have no uniform rules; where we can, we make decisions together and we have sociocratic decision making processes to help support this.
We have sociocratic decision making systems for staff and for young people to support strong teams, to ensure all voices are valued, and to create a strong sense of care for our environment, our learning and each other. Small class sizes support excellent relationships and increase opportunity for the personalisation of learning.
A flexible approach to curriculum, and teaching and learning allows our staff to ensure that learning is engaging, meaningful, and personalised where it can be.