We maintain positive
relationships with all
agencies involved.
We strive to build and maintain positive relationships with all agencies involved in a child’s placement.
Joining our school
Following this meeting, we are then able to make the decision as to whether we are able to meet the child’s needs within our setting.
The child is given an information pack, which includes information about the centre, our ethos, and their placement. It also includes ways to contact us if they have any further questions. Parent/carers are provided with a full prospectus, and encouraged to communicate with any queries.
Pathways
If current pathways have not already been clarified, we then conduct baseline assessments during the child’s first weeks/months of placement. We are flexible with our approach to baseline assessments, as many of our students come to us having had negative experiences within school settings. We are conscious and sensitive to this, and we ensure that our priority within the first few weeks is developing positive relationships and trust in our approach and staffing.
Students attending
additional settings
In case of a part-time student still attending on roll or at another alternative provision, we communicate with the other setting to inform them that we welcome reports or recommendations of specific areas which require additional practise based on their own assessments, to ensure we plan appropriately and to avoid overlapping.
Recording information
Each child has their own Pupil Chronology, on which we record communication with workers or contacts to ensure that we have a record of any developments connected to that child and that no communication or incident is missed or overlooked. Often, behaviour incidents which are reported on here are fed back to parents/carers and a detail of their response is noted. We use CPOMS for secure reporting of safeguarding concerns.
Links with external agencies
We have numerous links to services including Early Help, CYPS, social workers, etc. When informed a child is receiving support via an external service, we add them to our contact list and ensure we update with any concerns or issues to best support the child. We attend care/TAF/SEN meetings as appropriate, and we support with EHCP applications by providing reports, welcoming Educational Psychologists, or completing paperwork as required. If the rare eventuality that we cannot attend a meeting, we compile an individualised report including comments from the Headteacher and tutor to ensure that the child’s education with us is appropriately represented in our physical absence. Our Headteacher is a qualified SENDCO and makes necessary referrals and arrangements for children requiring additional SEND support or for EHCP applications.
Reporting
During our weekly and termly reporting, we feedback to the referring party with advice on appropriate examinations for the child based on their assessments. We accept and respect their input to our discussion about next steps and goals. Our student needs can be complex and academic pathways need to be weighed carefully in conjunction with emotional and physical needs. Students who have missed a substantial amount of education may have previously been on track for GCSE but are now pragmatically more suited to a Functional Skills pathway. Alternatively, we have found that some more able students are relieved to finally be able to access GCSE tutoring in a supportive one to one context that works for them. The work we complete with students at Rosewood Independent School fills gaps in knowledge whilst aligning to appropriate pathways.
Commitment to young people
We aim to be there and care; we have been praised numerous times for the time and commitment to our young people that we have demonstrated, even outside of school hours. Some examples of this would include escorting a Hearing-Impaired student to an event to meet other students from the deaf community; the tutor organised this in liaison with Sensory Support and parents. Last summer we also put on additional revision sessions during the half term break for a GCSE student who required continuity before the examinations.
We regularly host visits from external organisations involved with our children or their families. For example Family Support Workers, SORTED, Sensory Support and parents. This is to maximise support we are offering students and to facilitate communication and student ownership of progress.
In a school run by a team of very dedicated and passionate educators, our lines of communication are never fully closed. Support is being there and being human, recognising where mistakes have been made, accepting them, and improving. We are strong advocates for improving education for young people, and are firm believers that our young people deserve the chance to make better choices. We pro-actively communicate with the Local Authority and Government to voice any concerns to ensure that our children are not unjustly labelled or given less opportunity or less access to quality teaching than peers in mainstream school settings.
Leadership
We have a School Development Plan and Self Evaluation document. These documents provide details of our objectives, progress towards our objectives and our goals. The documents are updated at least termly and are shared regularly between staff. Previous action points are reviewed and new action points are highlighted as a focus for coming weeks.
We review student progress through regular work sampling, followed by staff training inputs on the use of formative and summative assessments as a response. We use student progress to reflect on our own School Development. For example, by initiating early Careers Advisor intervention in the 2019-2020 academic year as an alternative provision.
Open communication
Signposting allows us to recommend appropriate agencies for further support. In practice, this has involved us meeting with parents and recommending charity support (such as Mind or Samaritans), and making referrals to Early Help/ CYPS/ Primary Mental Health/SORTED. Successful signposting at agency level allows us to promote a variety of support options when a problem arises. Good practice at Rosewood Independent School has follow-up enquiries made to ensure progress is being made. Effective communication with our students allows them to understand options available and to get the best level of help the first-time round. It allows a choice- whether by setting behaviour expectations and informing of potential sanction, or through feedback/reporting on objectives and next steps.
Bespoke services
We use student, staff, and parent/carer feedback and knowledge to constantly strive to improve our service. We also request testimonials from referring parties. We value student voice and actively seek student feedback. We offer regular named and anonymous questionnaires to students and parents. We read responses and respond where appropriate, and keep the questionnaires on file. This includes a ‘leaving interview’ with Year 11 students. In Primary, pupil feedback is sought using a pupil voice approach. We keep a ‘complaints and compliments’ box in our main office, and during induction sessions, ensure children are aware of how to make complaints or seek advice.
Within the community
We are proud to be a partner school to the Hands Up charity in Kenya, which is Founded by our Proprietor and provides education to vulnerable children. Our students enjoy sharing pen-pal letters and helping to come up with fundraising initiatives. Their overseas links also help to enable our students to acquire an appreciation of and respect for their own and other cultures. Our students also enjoy participating in events to fundraise for charities such as Comic Relief and Macmillan.
We welcome external visitors to help our children respect the civil and criminal laws of England, such as Police officers and solicitors. Our Key Stage 4 students are supported to find links in the local community to support their careers guidance, with the goal of securing a work experience placement.
Social Values
We support our students to become involved in the local community through interactions with local settings. For example, our Primary children hand delivered invitations to local businesses to invite them to their Christmas performance. On a more global scale, our partnership with the charity in Kenya allows our students to interact by letter and video chat with children in Kenya. This gives them the opportunity to understand similarities and differences and explore a new culture and country through positive relationships and real life interactions. We also invite visitors into the centre, including Police officers and Army officers. Our students are given the opportunity to visit off-site establishments such as places of worship. We have a Visitors Policy to ensure any visits are safeguarded.
As a business, Rosewood Independent School has a high staff to student ratio. This means that there are many job opportunities becoming regularly available, providing economic value to the local community. Although we require an initial level of experience and qualifications, we also offer continuous personal and professional development and promote a mentally healthy workplace.
In the school, we encourage students and staff to reduce their carbon footprint by engaging in environmentally friendly activities, such as recycling, and using online systems to reduce printing and use of paper. Students are educated about the world and their impact upon the environment through their PSHE lessons.
We are pleased to use BonCulina as our school meal provider, due to their commitment to reducing food waste and providing meals to children in Africa. Please see more on our Healthy School Meals page, linked on the Footer.
We are a trauma-informed provision
Operation Encompass
Operation Encompass directly connects the police with schools to ensure support for children living with domestic abuse in their homes when there has been a police attended incident of Domestic Abuse. Rapid provision of support within the school environment means children are better safeguarded against the short-, medium- and long-term effects of domestic abuse.
Operation Endeavour
Operation Endeavour is a joint operation between Northumberland County Council Children’s Services, Northumbria Police and the Police and Crimes Commissioner to safeguard children and young people at risk of harm from going missing. Children who go missing from home are at risk of significant harm and they may be vulnerable to sexual exploitation, violent crime, gang exploitation, or to drug and alcohol misuse.
Anti-Weapon Statement
Parents and carers have a responsibility for ensuring that their child receives appropriate guidance, which should include educating them about the dangers of weapons. As well as stressing to young people that they should never carry a weapon, Rosewood staff should urge parents to encourage their children to share information when they know someone else is carrying a weapon.
Rosewood Independent School has an Anti-Bullying Policy which is regularly reviewed to reflect local and national guidance and support the development and resilience of pupils
Operation Endeavour
In all incidents of violent behaviour (where harm or significant damage is caused), we assess the child's needs on an individual basis and consider the antecedent, the behaviour, and the outcome. We communicate and work alongside the Local Authority/referring party, parents/carers, and the students directly whilst making any decisions regarding the future of the placement. Any continuation of placement will only occur with cooperation of parents/carers to create a Positive Handling Plan and with the student to develop a solution-focused approach to behaviour.
We promote the use of de-escalation and restorative approaches to behaviour at all times, and we strive to create and sustain a nurturing and calm setting. Our staff and students have a right to learn and work in a safe environment. Therefore, if we experience sustained episode/s of violent behaviour where our staff or students are at risk of harm or significant damage is caused, we will be unable to continue the placement and this will result in a fixed term or permanent exclusion from our setting.
We are within our rights to call the Police if we experience episode/s of violence within our setting.
