At Arbour Academy each young person’s provision is bespoke to encourage them to re-engage with education, develop social skills and learn to manage issues related to their mental and/or physical health; each young person has an individual provision map which is regularly shared and evaluated with them and their parents. All academic work is planned by teachers, taking into account robust baseline assessments. When necessary, young people will receive one to one tuition in literacy, numeracy, behaviour management and emotional regulation. Work will be well differentiated and all barriers to learning will be taken into consideration. We ensure that children taking exams have, where appropriate, special dispensation applied to them to give them every opportunity to succeed.
Class sizes are considerably reduced to accommodate the needs of pupils and are rarely above 8 per class. Classes are taught by experienced teachers accompanied by dedicated support staff, all of whom receive regular SEND training. All staff are Team Teach trained and practise de-escalation techniques. A wide range of ICT is used to encourage and support learning within classes and around school. Learning Outside the Classroom is encouraged by senior staff. This year, the Centre has introduced the Zones of Regulation programme, which helps young people to recognise and regulate their feelings and emotions.
Arbour Academy works closely with CAMHS, sharing information which can be used to enhance each young person’s learning experience. Arbour Academy leads in Salford on the Mindfulness in Schools Project. Several staff have completed Mindfulness training and its use is established in the school day. Teaching Assistants and a Learning Mentor will work closely with pupils to support reintegration into mainstream where appropriate.
Home tuition may be offered as a short term option to build relationships with young people and their family and develop a young person’s confidence before bringing them onsite. Every young person on home tuition has a key worker who tracks the young person’s progress via home tuition records, discussions with teaching staff, pupil feedback and liaison with their mainstream school.
