Belief and Direction
A community day special school for 102 pupils aged 3-19 years with severe learning difficulties
This school subscribes to the beliefs set out in ‘Every Child Matters’ that children and young people have a right to:
- be safe and be healthy;
- experience enjoyment and achievement as they grow;
- have the opportunity and encouragement to contribute to the society in which they live;
- and the prospect of economic stability, an income and decent place to live.
Our plans and actions seek to contribute to securing these things.
Our Aims for our work are:-
- To prepare pupils well for each successive stage of their development and to benefit from those experiences, opportunities and responsibilities that help build maximum independence in adult life.
- To provide a curriculum that is broad and balanced and also appropriate to the physical, emotional, developmental social and spiritual needs of the individual.
- To provide an environment that is safe yet stimulating, supportive and yet promotes independence and has strong community values whilst recognising the individuals needs for autonomy.
- To provide an education which discourages prejudice, discrimination and unequal opportunity based on such things as race, religion, class, sexuality or disability.
- To enable pupils to participate in mainstream experiences and to build a relationship with mainstream schools so that at every suitable opportunity, and wherever appropriate, awareness of the wider world is encouraged.
- To work holistically with other children’s services, both within and outside the school, to benefit the whole child and its family.
Location
The school is temporarily located on a split site at Woodlands for pupils in the sixth form, and Balby for all other pupils. The school will move to its new building in January 2009. The permanent location of the new building shares a site with a local secondary school, North Doncaster Technology College (1500 pupils aged 11 to 18 years), in the centre of a large village, approximately 5 miles to the north of Doncaster town centre and 1 mile from the A1(M). The School is a brand new purpose built, mostly single storey development.
The Location Plan is available to download below:
The Building
The new school is built in a ‘T’ shape with separate wings for primary and secondary and with halls and kitchen facilities taking up the other wing.
The school will provide 11/12 class bases with numerous small withdrawal/teaching rooms and specialist curriculum facilities for technology, food technology, science, art and ICT. The early years provision provides two teaching bases and a shared wet activity area and dedicated, partially covered, outside play space. The post 16 provides a large, welcome multi-functional space with separate quiet room. The design benefits from two inter-connecting halls providing a smaller space for music or similar activity and dining and a larger hall for assembly and games. A kitchen will be attached for the production of the school’s own meals.
The staff and meeting room facilities are located on a second storey over the generous entrance and will be accessible by stairs and a person lift. The facilities include a separate staff room, toilets and staff work room, administration, mentor room, outreach base and meeting room. Space is provided within the entrance for a Headteacher’s office, reception, medical/therapy room and a parents’ room.
The primary and secondary wings have their own secure outside hard and soft play space with appropriate shading and play equipment. Each outside area will have an outside classroom space and an area for the development of a wildlife/environmental/kitchen garden.
The Floor Plan is available to download below:
The Pupils
North Ridge is a school for 102 pupils aged between 3+ years and 18+ years, that is from the start of the term after their third birthday and leaving at the end of the academic year in which they attain 19 years of age. It is likely that the gender balance will run at around 30% girls and 70% boys.
Pupils join the school following a multi-professional assessment and determination of needs and appropriate provision. Most need extensive support before they reach school age although trauma, infection or changes because of maturity can be the cause of later referral.
Pupils join the school from anywhere within the Doncaster borough. The majority attend on a full time basis, though some pupils in the early years may only attend the school for shortened weeks or part days. Older pupils may begin attendance on a part-time basis at the local college or with a specialist training provider. Some pupils may be dual registered with a mainstream school and every pupil has an Inclusion Plan showing how they access learning and social experiences alongside their wider peer group outside the school.
Some pupils begin their education, because of parent choice, in other settings, for example in resourced provision on a mainstream school site, and transfer at some time during their Foundation or Key Stage One/Two years.
Distribution in year groups and across the key stages varies year on year. However, the low numbers in each year group, with a range between 0 and 11 pupils per year group, means that flexible grouping arrangements are used to ensure appropriate programmes, taking account of age and maturity, are provided.
The range of special educational needs at North Ridge is wide. Most pupils, amongst the younger age group, demonstrate performance below Level One of the National Curriculum (usually at P level 4 or above). Some pupils, at the completion of their statutory education, will be able to live independently and work in well-supported places of work. Most will require services, throughout their life, to access and participate effectively in work and in the community.
North Ridge Community School sets out to help pupils achieve independence in their learning but most also need to learn how to use the support available to them effectively. All require a well-pitched and carefully prepared curriculum provided at an appropriate pace in an environment where support is easily available. They also require programmes with very small planned steps so that they can make good progress in their learning and some pupils need, and receive, carefully planned programmes to improve social awareness and manage their behaviour.
Some pupils have medically diagnosed conditions that have an effect on their learning. There are also pupils who, because of a complexity of needs, require support that is additional to and different from that which can be provided in other settings so that they can make good progress with learning. They are placed at the Woodlands site because of the skills of staff and the tailored learning environment available in the school.
The school complements, but is different from, the provision at Coppice School, Hatfield and Heatherwood School, Leger Way. Its work overlaps and links with these similar providers. There are also links with others who make specialist provision for those with severe learning difficulties and disabilities at ages of 19 and above, both within the maintained and private sector.
The school shares skills in providing programmes for those pupils with special learning needs across the authority and act as a focus for continuing professional development in areas associated with speech and language and independent living skills. It is also available as a source of support for mainstream schools where they are creating and delivering programmes for pupils with severe learning difficulties.
Admissions
Combinations of the following indicators will be evident:
- Normally 3+ to 18+
- Have a Statement of Special Educational Needs naming the school placement.
- Significant learning difficulties across at least two areas of development.
- Development such that parents are not confident that a mainstream school can respond effectively to meet needs.
- Requires high level of support to structure their learning and/or development of social skills.
Programmes
The National Curriculum is adapted through programmes of study and the organisation of groups and full use made of the flexible approaches available.
Planning draws on the nationally developed framework produced by the Equals organisation to encourage breadth and balance for our pupils whatever their learning needs.
A very high value is placed on Personal, Health and Social Education and an understanding of Citizenship at a level that our pupils and students can understand and participate in. We stress the contribution that pupils and students can make to the community and emphasise the strengths they bring to activities when expectations are high.
For older students, the school works extensively with parents and carers, Connexions Careers Consultants, colleges and workplace providers to develop and deliver courses appropriate to the needs of an individual and promoting the greatest possible level of independence. We look for nationally accredited outcomes to support high expectations and effective transition.
The school works in partnership with a range of other professionals from Health and other children’s services to promote the interest and development of students. It also promotes a strong internal Professional Learning Programme for our own staff based on a well-structured Performance Management process so that the teaching is at the forefront of specialist provision.
The development of expertise will make the school a suitable resource for the whole Borough so that staff from other schools and services can draw on knowledge and understanding of practical techniques to respond to special educational needs.
Communication and Language Development
At North Ridge we promote spontaneous and independent means of communication throughout. Many of our students benefit from multi-sensory approaches to learning and communication. We therefore make full use of sign and symbol to support speech so that pupils can draw on a wide range of cues to support their understanding.
Where students have emerging speech and language development we will nurture the development and extension of these skills.
ICT
The school is well equipped with computers, and teachers use information technology to prepare and deliver teaching programmes in all areas of the curriculum. There is a distinct ICT curriculum structure that promotes skills in using information technology, but, for many of our students, ICT is used as a tool that can extend their ability to find a means of self-expression and communication.
Health and Sex Education
The school has established a clear policy for the delivery of health and sex education that has been agreed with parents and is taught at levels to match the age and understanding of the pupils throughout the school.
Drugs Education
There is a full programme of Personal Social Health and Citizenship Education that includes both awareness and measures to combat any attraction a drug culture might hold for pupils.
Religious Education
The school works in line with the curriculum agreed and revised in the Local Guidance from SACRE.
Work Related Learning
The school develops and uses a wide range of contacts and services so that pupils have access to knowledge and understanding of work as they progress through school through enterprise and related activities leading to work experience appropriate to their level of ability and understanding towards the end of their full time education.
Extended Resource
The school holds a range of resources, both conventional and digital, that are available for to support parents and families as they contribute to the learning of their children. Resources are also available for other schools to borrow and evaluate in their own settings.
Journeys and Residential Experience, Educational Visits
The headteacher and staff have developed a range of visits and experiences outside school that enhance the curriculum, We also expect to make a residential visit available to each child so that they can gain in learning and social skills through that experience.
Behaviour and Discipline
Our behaviour policy is linked to our Home School Agreement and emphasise our positive approach to managing behaviour.
Anti Racist Policy
The governors and staff have a zero tolerance approach to overt or covert behaviour that discriminates in any way and, if it appears in school, expect quick intervention through raising awareness, applying sanctions and, in serious or persistent cases, involving outside agencies including the police. We will also examine our own practices in an attempt to ensure that we do not inadvertently use or perpetuate racist behaviour but promote inclusion and harmony.
Accessibility Scheme
The new school has been designed with external advice and through consultation with the community of children, parents, carers and staff to develop an accessibility scheme so that all who use the school can access premises, curriculum and information according to their needs and to benefit the pupils.
Records and Reporting
The school reports, as all other schools, through the provision of Annual Reports for students and, where appropriate, results from national assessment processes. The governors also emphasise the need for close and regular contact with parents both on an individual basis and through parents’ interest groups and parents’ evenings.
Teachers and mentors will develop personalised plans for pupils and these will be frequently discussed with parents when targets are changed significantly.
The programme of Annual Review is rigorously pursued and pupils, parents and carers are involved fully with staff in carrying out those reviews.
Relationships with Other Agencies
The school continually promotes networks and links with other agencies so that the resources that are available can be targeted effectively and a wide range of skills, knowledge and understanding brought to the support of pupils.
Partnership with Other Schools and Outreach
The school acts as a resource for other schools. The nature of support will normally be through outreach work and consultation. For example, where the school has staff skilled in the development of language and communication, this will be offered as a resource for training and the generation of solutions to teaching and learning needs in neighbouring mainstream schools.
The outreach functions will be operated on a Partnership Agreement between the school and the Local Authority on behalf of all other Doncaster schools. The agreement will establish clear referral routes, detail expectations for delivery and establish robust success criteria.
Further Information
Further information using the contact details at the top of the page, or by visiting the school website
North Ridge Community School
