We aspire for all our students to love learning and achieve excellent academic outcomes. We want them to develop in to happy and healthy adults who contribute positively to the local and global communities. Students understand that “safe, engaged, kind” is what we want for them, what we expect of them, and what we support them to become. We expect these things of our students, and adults in the school model them in their behaviours.
As part of the Leaders Curriculum we explicitly teach students how to behave, the routines that will enable that, and how we support them to do that. Our messaging around safe and kind behaviour around school is consistent and is promoted through assemblies, form time Leaders Curriculum sessions discussing particular scenarios, and in behaviour conversations and reflections between adults and students. Positive contributions to our community are recognised and celebrated.
We expect students to be engaged in their learning and our dedicated praise system recognises their efforts in every lesson and over time through verbal feedback, praise points, postcards home, Work of Wonder sessions, awards evenings. Key Stage 3 graduation and Tea with the Principal. Praise makes learning enjoyable and builds confidence.
Student confidence and enjoyment is built further when they know they are making progress in their learning. Our schemes of learning are ambitious and carefully sequences to build knowledge over time. Regular referral to learning journeys, Why This Why Now slides which make links between prior and new learning, and live feedback in lessons help students identify that progress in their learning. Aside from academic knowledge, schemes of learning are designed to consider the development of cultural capital when selecting the hinterland knowledge to be taught. Departments identify opportunities to for SMSC development, teaching of British Values and links to careers.
A common learning cycle makes behaviour at different times of a lesson explicit to students. The requirement to engage in independent apply activities each lesson, supported by scaffolding which is removed over time and prompt feedback, helps build resilience in our learners.
Where behaviour is unkind, unsafe or disengaged, we have systems which is consistently applied by staff across the school. Students understand the consequences of not meeting expectations.
Our co-curriculum and end enrichment programme is extensive. We provide students with opportunities to visit places they have never been before, do things they have never done before, and develop their interests and passions over time, all the time building their social skills and wider world knowledge as they do so. All students access the enrichment opportunities made available to them so that even students with responsibilities at home or in the community get the chance to develop themselves in a direction of their choosing during the school day.
All students have equal access to all aspects of the academic, intrinsic and enrichment curriculums regardless of their differences. We have developed a school community where everyone feels valued and respected and where everyone has a sense of belonging by considering carefully the variety of the hinterland used in lessons, by listening to pupils and responding to their requests for enrichment activities, and by educating all our pupils to be kind, engaged and safe. Our curriculum accessible by all regardless of physical abilities.
Differences between people in our school community are actively celebrated. We educate pupils on the protected characteristics, on the need to be tolerant and respectful of those differences, and of the different decisions people make about their futures and their lives. Votes for Schools sessions include elements on protected characteristics and allow students the opportunity to develop the skills to listen and respond to others respectfully.
We regularly engage in poverty proofing to ensure that disadvantage is not a barrier to participation. The day starts with free breakfasts for any students who want one, and ends with free activities as part of Kenton Extra.