Barnstaple

Head Teacher

Jon Lisle

01271 372269

A Section 41 Approved School

On Track Barnstaple - Learning Through Trust and Respect

This is a good school – OFSTED 2018

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The Headteacher and staff make this their daily number one priority…Promoting the welfare, health and safety of pupils is the number one priority of all staff. Staff know how to keep pupils safe, and they do so – OFSTED 2018

Keeping our students safe is the most important part of our job. We have a highly-trained staff team who understand the safeguarding risks that our young people face. We are aware that some young people make choices that put them at risk, and we work proactively with our students, their families and other agencies to help them avoid putting themselves into unsafe situations. Details of the safeguarding team can be found in the Safeguarding and Child Protection Policy lower down the page.

Academic Learning

As pupils’ confidence and trust in the staff increase, so does their progress… re-engaging with life and learning. An increasing proportion of pupils undertake accredited courses, including English, mathematics and science. The most able pupils successfully take GCSE examinations, with a view to continue their studies at A Level – OFSTED 2018

We have been open since September 2015 and we now occupy three sites in Barnstaple. We provide a bespoke curriculum and a personalised education experience for each of our students, designed in collaboration with the young people, their families and other agencies. We believe in treating our students with trust and respect to support them to understand the cause and effect of inappropriate behaviour and safety choices so that they can learn to focus on academic learning. Our students have the same right and entitlement to opportunities for academic success as all other young people. We believe that academic qualifications are a crucial part of moving on to the next phase of their lives.

Our Approach to Teaching

Teaching is good and effectively promotes pupils’ learning and development in all areas of the required curriculum…The curriculum is rich and varied. It covers all the required areas of learning… Each pupil and student has an individually designed curriculum that meets their individual needs successfully. – OFSTED 2018

We know that students will not achieve to their potential if they do not feel safe and understood in a school environment. We aim to support every student to believe they can succeed in learning, whatever their previous experiences in education. It is important that all of us, staff and students, accept that getting things wrong presents an opportunity to improve what we do. The 1:1 teaching our students receive, along with the planning that is bespoke for each individual, allows us to address the exact learning needs of each student and to deliver lessons in a style that suits them.

Emotional Development

The school’s agreed approach is based on current accredited neuroscience, attachment theory and child development research…Pupils make good personal progress, especially in relation to their social and emotional development…The relationships that staff establish with pupils, especially the pupils’ ‘key workers’, are fundamental to getting the pupils to re-engage with education. – OFSTED 2018

Every one of our students has a bespoke, individually-planned programme designed to support their emotional development which is delivered in timetabled time and Thrive Days with their Key Worker. We use the latest research to help our young people to understand why they may react in a certain way and to support them in finding the most socially appropriate possible way of expressing their emotions and anxieties. In order to move on to further successes in the next phase of life we believe that emotional development is central for the young people we are lucky enough to work with.

Our Staff

Well-trained staff help to reduce pupils’ levels of stress and anxiety… In lessons, adults focus on pupils’ learning. However, the adults are astute at noticing the signals that pupils’ emotional stability might be slipping. When this happens, staff calmly support the pupils, following their individual risk-assessed behaviour plan, until they are ready to learn again – OFSTED 2018

We are proud of the high quality of the staff team. Without the hard work and dedication they show every day, we could not support our students to achieve. Our team is made up of people from a variety of backgrounds; our qualified Teachers have worked in a range of settings before joining us and the Support Team includes people with backgrounds in special education, residential care, outdoor pursuits, water-based activities, gym instruction, equine care and sports coaching to name but a few. We try to use the strengths and specialisms of every colleague to develop the provision we can put in place for the students.

Key Features

1:1 or very small group teaching

Personalised behaviour management and support for each individual student

Outreach intervention and tuition services provided for other schools

Partnership working with FE provider to ensure equality of access to appropriate courses in a mainstream environment

Key Workers with a holistic view of each student

Work Experience provision in KS4 and KS5 provision where appropriate

Focus on pathways into work

We are a Trauma Informed and Trauma Sensitive school

We are proud to be part of Operation Encompass

On Track Policies

School Information

Copies of all On Track policies including the Complaints Procedure can be obtained on request from Head Office or the School.

Keeping your child safe online - https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/

Links to services available from local authorities:

Devon Local Offer.

https://new.devon.gov.uk/educationandfamilies/special-educational-needs-and-disability-send-local-offer

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Barnstaple, North Devon

Head Teacher