ACTIVEWELLBEINGSCHOOL

Contact Uswww.activeresilience.co.uk

E: info@activeresilience.co.ukT: 07975823214

Visit UsLongsdon Memorial Hall

Leek RoadStoke-On-Trent

ST9 9QF

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'Freedom to Flourish'@activewellbeingschoolstoke

@activewellbeingschoolstoke

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I am extremely proud to be the Head Teacher of Active Wellbeing School and I am delighted to lead it into the next stage of development. Our dedicated staff team work tirelessly to ensure that our students receive the best quality of education and care. We provideour students with an engaging, broad and balanced curriculum that meets their individual needs andensure that students receive the support they require to help them reach their full potential. We recognise that mainstream education is not for everyone and, through our carefully plannedcurriculum and excellent pastoral support, we offer students the chance to thrive, achieve and improvetheir life chances. Students at Active Wellbeing School have the 'freedom to flourish' as we place greatemphasis on the importance of physical and mental wellbeing. We treat every student at ActiveWellbeing School with the same consideration, commitment, patience and kindness that we wouldwant for our own children. We understand that a positive, well-rounded education goes far beyond theclassroom and our dedicated team of staff are passionate about developing the character strengths ofthe students as well as aiming for academic success.

All staff, volunteers and students are encouraged to conduct themselves in such a way that reflects ourvalues and ethos. We promote resilience, respect, honesty, courage and empathy in our environmentand we aim to foster these values in everything we do. At Active Wellbeing School, we have highexpectations of our students' behaviour based on a very simple concept, that every child and adult usemanners, takes responsibility for their actions, and knows the difference between right and wrong.

We are extremely proud of our setting within the community and feel fortunate to be able to deliver our curriculum in such a beautiful location, surrounded by nature. This attributes to the overall feeling of wellbeing that our students experience when they enter our school.

Thank you for taking the time to look at our prospectus, but I would urge you to visit our school and experience a warm and lively Active Wellbeing welcome! We look forward to seeing you.

A Welcome from Clare Marsh, Head Teacher

Our Vision and Values

Resilient- to embrace challenges positively and with determination, learning from their mistakesand accepting feedback as a way to move forward.Respectful- to behave in a way that shows care towards others, themselves and the world in whichthey live.Honest- to tell the truth, despite the consequences, to act with integrity and behave in atrustworthy way.Empathetic- to sense other people's emotions and imagine how someone else is feeling. Courageous- to aim high and strive to be the best that they can be, having the confidence to workindependently and ask for help when needed.

At Active Wellbeing School, we aim to give students a positive experience of learning. We understand that a well-rounded education goes far beyond the academic success in the classroom. We believe in educating the whole child, and our core values are at the centre of everything we do. They underpin our teaching and learning and provide an environment that empowers our students as confident, responsible and emotionally intelligent citizens who are readyto thrive and succeed in the 21st century.

We place great emphasis on resilience, respect, honesty, empathy and courage as we believe these arethe qualities that foster life-long social interaction skills and enhance academic achievement.

We actively promote these core values and encourage students to be:

Connect (to form and sustain positive relationships)Be Active (to take responsibility for overall physical health by considering the impacts of diet,exercise, screen time, adequate sleep, drugs (legal and illegal) cigarettes and alcohol)Take Notice (to practise mindfulness and be present in the moment)Keep Learning (to develop a growth mindset and embrace challenge as a way of moving forward)Give (to make a positive contribution to society)

At Active Wellbeing School, we offer full and part time educational sessions which focus upon improving the mental health, physical health, wellbeing and attainment of children in our care. Following a broad and balanced age appropriate curriculum, our provision is suitable for children aged between 4 and 11 years.  

We are passionate about our non-clinical therapeutic approach which empowers students to stabilise emotionally, enabling them to positively engage in educational programmes and achieve academic attainment and progress. Our student-centric curriculum isplanned carefully to ensure that the individual needs of our students are being met. Every student isprovided with a subscription to an online portal which we use  to improve, monitor and track theirmental and physical health -achieving overall wellbeing. Reports are produced for each student to showthe distance travelled in relation to improvements in their mental health.

Students work alongside fully qualified teachers and wellbeing mentors to engage with our AR Portaland will benefit from a range of planned experiences relating to the 5 ways to wellbeing (adopted bythe NHS and Mind the mental health charity). Students will have access to a programme of plannedactivities, relating to increasing physical activity engagement, connecting with others positively, learningnew skills, giving back to others and being mindful. Our staff bring a wealth of experience to the settingand students will benefit from working alongside educators and mentors who are also trained asNeuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) practitioners, Art Therapists and certified Life Coaches. 

The learning opportunities we provide are planned and delivered around the 5 ways to wellbeing (asidentified by MIND, the mental health charity) we positively promote the importance of physical activityfor improving not only good physical health, but good mental health too. We actively encourage ourstudents and staff to:

As our children’s mental health and wellbeing improves so does their readiness to learn. We prideourselves on our Positive Education approach, which draws upon  individual strengths and personalmotivation to promote learning and academic achievement. We offer a fast paced and variedcurriculum (with national curriculum coverage) which matches the current level of attainment for eachstudent. In addition, our students benefit from learning life skills such as basic nutrition, eye-contactand positive coping mechanisms. Our aim is to develop resilient, respectful citizens who areempowered to lead a positive and healthy lifestyle.

Our Learning Offer

Intent, Implementation, ImpactCurriculum Intent

To provide children with a broad and balanced curriculum within a safe and nurturing environment, empowering them to reach their full potential.

To implement learning opportunities which focus on improving the physical and mental wellbeing of children so that they are equipped to maintain a positive lifestyle approach.

As children come to understand how to maintain good mental health and wellbeing, their readiness tolearn can be maximised as we eliminate mental and emotional barriers to learning.

It is our aim to shape our students into well-rounded, mentally healthy and resilient young citizens whoare equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to flourish during the next stage oftheir educational experience.

Curriculum ImplementationFollowing a carefully orchestrated timetable, children are exposed to a range of subjects which makeup a broad and balanced curriculum. Our staff ratios are high and create an environment which isconducive to maximising progress.   Children each have a subscription on our purpose-built AR Portal, which facilitates the progress theymake in terms of their mental health and wellbeing.

Our unique cultural capital curriculum involves regular educational visits which reinforce self-development and British values.

Curriculum ImpactUsing a range of formative and summative assessment strategies we measure the mental, emotionaland academic progress of our children.  Banks of evidence are collated using the ‘AR Portal’ and ‘Seesaw’ applications. The ‘AR Portal’ allows usto monitor and track the mental health and wellbeing of our students. ‘Seesaw’ produces learningjourneys which allows evidence to be derived from multimedia sources. Individual feedback and nextsteps can be recorded on the application so students and teachers can refer back to it at any time.  Through the use of smart targets and daily reinforcement we ensure small step progress is being madeand evidenced. Student voice is at the heart of the curriculum we deliver, and it informs ourassessment for learning cycle.

Provision for EHC Plans

We specialise in providing high quality education for children with a range of communication and/or learning difficulties with related anxieties and behaviours, between the ages of 4 to 11 years.

Initial enquiries and informal visits are always welcome. Referrals may also come to us directly from the child's local authority.

Applications are considered by our admissions panel and a non-prejudicial visit will thenbe arranged. Following this visit a place may be offered to students whose needs can be fullyaddressed by the school. Fees will then be agreed with local authorities. There will be an assessment period followed by a Post-Admission Review meeting after 10 to 12 weeks. Referrals can be made throughout the academic year.

If you wish to discuss making a referral please contact Emma Abbotts, Team Manager of SEN,Assessment and Monitoring for the Local Authority on Emma.Abbots@stoke.gov.uk

We can accommodate students who have an Education, Health and Care Plan. We strive to provide aspecific, bespoke curriculum to meet each child's individual needs through careful setting of studentcentric support/intervention, daily structure/routine and through detailed assessment procedures.

Each student has an Individual Education Plan (IEP), reviewed half termly, which highlights their specificobjectives to support progress and achievement. We have a multi-disciplinary team consisting of teachers, pastoral care staff, teaching and learningassistants, a mental health practitioner, a neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) practitioner, an arttherapist and a certified life coach. We also work in conjunction with other agencies where necessary.

Admissions

Pupil behaviour is supported by a simple system of rewards and  consequences which is understood by all students and staff and which can be easily adapted to the individual needs of specific children. Every child has a Positive Behaviour Support Plan and an individual risk assessment which helps identify anxieties they may have and how we can reduce such anxieties.

Due to the nature of our students' difficulties, there may be times when rewards and consequences are ineffective in promoting good behaviour and, on such occasions, children mayplace themselves or others at risk of harm. We use a holistic approach to behaviour management asoutlined by positive behaviour support and Team Teach. All of our staff are fully trained at induction andreceive refresher training on a half termly basis. The expertise of our staff and their knowledge andunderstanding of the individual child’s needs promotes de-escalation of potentially volatile situationsthrough the use of verbal and non-verbal strategies. As a last resort a continuum of gradual and gradedphysical techniques and strategies are used to support children in keeping themselves and others safe.On a half termly basis we analyse incidents requiring the use of physical intervention, with any patternsof behaviour identified and appropriate intervention strategies put in place.

A copy of our positive behaviour support policy is available on request.

ExclusionsPermanent exclusion is seen as a last resort, because of the negative psychological effects and the lossof educational continuity to the child.

Referring to another, more appropriate education facility is preferred. If this is not possible, referral isimmediately made to the Exclusion and Education Otherwise Panel.

The family and other involved agencies are immediately informed of the exclusion and reasons for it.We pride ourselves on the accepting, tolerant and inclusive environment that we have fostered at Active Wellbeing School.

Behaviour Management

EAL (English as an AdditionalLanguage)

On admission, a child’s need for additional support is identified. Appropriate provision is then established prior to the student's start date. One to one support from a bi-lingual support assistant will be provided if this is an identified requirement.

Details of Complaints ProceduresIn accordance with the Children’s Act 1989, all children at Lakeside School have access to aComplaints Procedure. Informal complaints or concerns will be addressed by the class teacher orteaching assistant. Formal complaints directly from the child or via a parent/carer or member ofstaff should be reported directly to the Head Teacher, Mrs Clare Marsh or Mrs Heidi Stair, Chair ofGovernors.Complaints or concerns arising from adults also follow set procedures. Firstly the concern should beaddressed informally with the school.

Our Safeguarding Mission StatementActive Wellbeing School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of our childrenand young people. We believe in the importance of working with partner agencies to ensure that children and young people are kept safe, happy and healthy. All staff working here are made awareof the need of protection and how to respond to these concerns.

Where we suspect that a child has been abused or neglected, we have a statutory duty to make areferral to relevant agencies. Where local procedures allow, we will inform the parent[s] of thereferral. The school will share any information relevant to the referral with those agencies and willcontribute to any assessments being undertaken.

We have a Child Protection Policy and all staff are supported by our Designated Safeguarding Lead,Mrs Clare Marsh.

Copies of these policies and procedures can be found on our websitewww.activeresilience.co.uk

Pastoral Information The Active Wellbeing School experience is much more than teaching and learning;

it aims to help each student become aspirational and reach their full potential. We hope to instil attitudes and values into our students that will stay with them throughout their lives.

We offer a thorough induction to help the student to get to know the school and to allow us to get to know the student. Our strong pastoral care and support system links with thehome and family, and includes individual personal learning guides and mentoring for the students. Thisbuilds upon Active Wellbeing's strengths of behaviour management.

Our Ethos• A space that allows students the freedom to flourish within a warm and nurturing environment. • Provision which is open to children of all backgrounds.• Small class sizes with a high level of pastoral support.• A proven behaviour management system.• Strong input into personal, social and emotional development through the use of our purpose builtportal• A community environment that encourages an appreciation ofpeople with different backgrounds and abilities.• High value – of self, others, community and environment.

Term Dates

Term Dates for Active Wellbeing School are in line with the school holidays as published by Stoke-On-Trent Local Education Authority and

are proposed as follows

First day of Autumn Term 1- Tuesday 01 September 2020

Autumn Half-Term Break- Monday 26 October 2020- Friday 30 October 2020(Inclusive)

First day of Autumn Term 2- Monday 02 November 2020

Winter Holidays- Tuesday 22 December 2020- Friday 01 January 2021 (Inclusive)

First day of Spring Term 1- Monday 04 January 2021

Spring Half-Term Break- Monday 15 February 2021- Friday 19 February 2021 (Inclusive)

First day of Spring term 2- Monday 22 February 2021

Spring Holidays- Friday 02 April 2021- Friday 16 April 2021 (Inclusive)

First day of Summer Term 1- Monday 19 April 2021

Summer Half-Term Break- Monday 31 May 2021- Friday 04 June 2021 (Inclusive)

First Day of Summer Term 2- Monday 07 June 2021

Summer Term Ends- Thursday 22 July 2021

Location Active Wellbeing School is situated in a rural location on Leek Road in

Longsdon.

Our links with the local community mean that Active Wellbeing students benefit from using the sport and physical activity facilities at the Hardman Centre in Stoke, affording them the opportunity to benefit from a multitude of wellbeing activities.