Alternative Learning ProjectPark View Academy - Welling

PROSPECTUS

Offering young people a different approach to teaching and learning within an Ofsted registered setting

FOREWORD FROM OUR HEAD TEACHER

“ Welcome to our school. In exciting and fast changing times, offering well rounded education is imperative in allowing young people to achieve success through learning. School should be fun and memorable where students are happy. We at Parkview Academy inspire our students through providing an alternative, innovative and inclusive curriculum. We care about the individual and pride ourselves on ensuring our school community allows students to feel valued and achieve their best.”

Richard JohnsonHead Teacher, ALP Park View Academy

Park View Academy aims to create flexible,

individualised programmes of learning

support for children and young people

who, for a variety of reasons, are unable

to access mainstream education. From the

point of referral, we focus on the special

educational needs and disabilities (SEND)

of the learner and on family support, in

order to provide the most effective and

appropriate educational intervention.

Working closely with the Local Authorities

and local schools/academies we provide

outcomes that are in accordance with the

individual needs of each learner.

We specialise in emergency, short,

medium and long term education

placements of young people with SEND

including (but not limited to) Autistic

Spectrum Disorder, Emotional

Behavioural Difficulties, challenging

behaviour and mental health difficulties.

Our overall aim is to reintegrate learners

into suitable, long term education, training

or employment. To achieve this, Park

View Academy provides a more informal

and nurturing approach to teaching and

learning where dedicated staff develop

a close working relationship with the

learners and their families.

OUR VISION

HISTORY

ALP Schools, previously known as ASD Learning are currently on an exciting journey of establishing quality, alternative learning provisions across the country. To date, ALP Schools have created three Ofsted registeredschools:

• ALP Leicester, Birstall, Leicester• Parkview Academy, Welling, Kent• Pierview Academy, Gravesend, Kent

Park View Academy was established in June 2013. During our Ofsted Inspection visit between 1st and 3rd March 2017 the Academy was found to meet all standards for independent schools and was set some clear targets to become the ‘Good’ school that we aspire to be.

The company was established in 2007 by Phil Hoppenbrouwers who initially educated the first two referrals from a log cabin in his back garden. As the demand for short term alternative provision grew, an ASD Learning Educational Centre was established in Gravesend and more centres were to follow. Secondary provisions were established in Kentish Town and Welling, a primary centre in Woolwich and a secondaryprovision in Lewisham, which was exclusively for girls.

With only two of these centres establishingthemselves in a sustainable capacity, the company expanded to Leicester where co-proprietor Ray Waring opened ALP Willows in September 2012. Rapid growth in Leicester led to the schools moving to a larger premises in April 2016.

The management structure at Park ViewAcademy changed in April 2017 with theappointment of new Head Teacher,Richard Johnson. He along with two DeputyHeads lead the school, which is sectionedinto designated areas for each key stage.All learners have an individualised timetable to meet their specific needs.

Our Managing Director, David Cowell whobecame a Member of the British Empire inthe 2015 New Years’ Honours list for hisContribution to Vocational Education has been working with the senior management team to implement his vision for a school that is modelled on Foundation Learning. The Managing Director and Senior ManagementTeam are working on a common approach within the group of schools with the sharing of best practice.

Our school is also home of Park View Radio, which includes a unique radio and music production suite. Staff and students alike are enthused to work with professionals from the world of music and radio. The suite wasopened in July 2015 and continues to be a well-used resource and a key link to local community groups.

OUR APPROACH

Park View Academy provides for young people who have experienced difficulties in other educational settings. As a result of their previous experiences they have often become disengaged from the education system. This is likely to have impacted on the quality of family life which we recognise requires our understanding. Our alternative provision offers young people a different approach to learning, with a flexible outlook, designed around the young person’s individual needs.

Educational programmes are agreed for learners with multiple difficulties needing small groups, one to one, two to one or intensive support. We work with schools, parent and carers, multi-agency professionals and our learners to ensure success in core entitlement via appropriate delivery strategies, ensuring better outcomes for pupils.

We recognise that our learners may need additional support before they are ready to fully engage in the curriculum. Therefore, we typically follow a progressive step by step approach as summarised in the mnemonic; ARRRTT

A

R

R

R

T

T

ATTENDANCE Focus on improving each learner’s attendance level to ensure they give themselves the basis to achieve

ROUTINETutors help learners to gain a routine that is adapted to pupils individual needs to ensure they feel comfortable in the educational environment

RELATIONSHIPSLearners are assisted in developing sound relationships with tutors and other service users

RESPECTWorking with learners and families in a holistic manner to maximize their life-chances and educational potential

TRUSTWhen a pupil feels more secure and understood

TEACHINGA formal, academic curriculum takes place

“Parents would recommend the school; one described it as a ‘saviour’ for their child”

Ofsted 2017

KEY FEATURES OF OUR PROVISION

Flexible, short, medium and long term educational packages for pupils on the autistic spectrum who are out of school

Individual, flexible and creative learning environments

Calm and low arousal approaches to challenging behaviours

Development of a positive home / school relationship

Delivery of GCSE’s in English, Maths, Science, Art and History.

Daily evaluation reports, supporting termly and annual reviews

Proactive working with families

A quick response to emergency referrals

Flexible timetabling according to needs

Home visits

Outreach

Partnership working with multi-agencies

Vocational courses delivered within school and in partnership with specialist providers

Support at the point of transition

A focus on Personal and Social Development and Well-Being.

Personal and individualised timetables that meet the learners’ needs and interests

A registered centre to deliver GCSE’s, NCFE and Asdan qualifications

A kitchen space shared by learners so they can develop independent living skills

Bespoke educational plans for pupils

An empathetic approach to Special Educational Needs

Support and positive relationships with families

Exclusions used only as a last resort

Support learners’ progression into schools, colleges and work.

A focus on developing enterprise and customer service skills

OUR EDUCATIONAL OFFER

CURRICULUM

Our curriculum is tailored around the needs of our pupils. We use the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) which is a comprehensive, thematic and creative curriculum. It has a clear process of learning with specific learning goals for every subject, for international mindedness and for personal learning.

The IPC’s detailed learning materials provide our learners with all the content they need for all the foundation subjects and science which are mapped against the outcomes of the new National Curriculum.

The IPC has been designed to ensure rigorous learning, but also to help our staff make all learning exciting, active and meaningful for the pupils. Learning with the IPC takes aglobal approach; helping pupils to connect their learning to where they are living now as well as looking at the learning from the perspective of people in other countries. The IPC is used by schools in more than 90 countries around the world.

At Park View Academy we understand the diverse and ever changing needs of our pupils and are therefore prepared to differentiate the curriculum to suit each individual pupil. Our skilled staff work in collaboration with the senior management team to ensure that each pupil is receiving the most relevant foundation of essential knowledge and skills, enabling them to grow into well-educated citizens.

Our secondary curriculum is based around a model of foundation learning which ensures an element of Functional Skills, vocational learning and personal and social development within their timetables.

“Pupils make significant progress socially, emotionally

and personally”

Ofsted 2017

PERSONAL AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

Our focus on Personal and Social Development (PSD) means we come up with imaginative ways of supporting young people in:• Becoming confident individuals who are physically,

emotionally and socially healthy

• Being responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to society and embrace change

• Managing risk together with their own wellbeing as well as introducing them to new activities and personal challenges.

• Our Personal and Social Development can lead to young people receiving recognised accreditation at various key stages:

• Stepping Stones – a skills development and PSHE/Citizenship programme aimed at our younger learners.

• Key Steps – encourages learners aged between 10 and 14 to develop their personal skills and take responsibility for their own learning through engagement in citizenship based challenges.

• Short Courses – provide a range of flexible programmes to accredit young people’s activities when aged between 13 and 19.

FUNCTIONAL SKILLS

These are essential skills needed for English, Maths and ICT which are vital for young people and adults to participate in life, learning and work.

Functional Skills feature in most educational and training choices. They are an essential, compulsory element in two main qualification routes for young people from 14 to 24, in apprenticeships and in the foundationlearning tier, as well as being stand-alone qualifications in their own right at Entry Level (1-3), Level 1 and Level 2.

The development of Functional Skills is seen by the Government as essential to address employers’ concerns that young people and adults are not achieving a firm enough grounding in the basic education and life skills. At Park View Academy we recognise that Functional Skills strengthen and bring consistency to learning routes.

VOCATIONAL LEARNING

Vocational learning is used to equip learners on their journey towards a particular trade or craft. Within the school environment we are ableto deliver a variety of creative studies, including music technology, radio production, DJ skills and drama. We are also able to offer vocational qualifications in a variety of sport and leisure activities, cookery and enterprise.

In addition, we have developed working relationships with local alternative education providers who deliver a wide variety of practicallearning, thus enabling us to be flexible to the desires of the individual. This includes, but is not limited to, construction, animal care, mechanics, hairdressing, beauty therapy, cookery classes and more.

Park View Academy is an approved NCFE, AQA, OCR and Asdan centre which allows us to ensure that our learners work towards accreditedqualifications in their vocational choices.

• Bronze/Silver/Gold Personal Development Programmes – provide challenges over 13 modules of topics such as Sport, World of Work, Beliefs and Values and Healthy Living.

• PSHE – to allow our learners to develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to keep themselves healthy and safe and prepare for life and work in modern Britain.

• Well-Being – covering modules in Alcohol Awareness, Sexual Health Awareness and Substance Misuse Awareness and more.

• Towards Independence – which provides a framework of activities through which personal, social and independence skills can be developed and accredited for those with severe learning difficulties (SLD) and profound multiple learning difficulties (PMLD).

OUR STAFFING STRUCTURE

CURRICULUM LEADSLeading in teaching and learning at Park View Academy. We have qualified teachers leading on the planning, delivery and assessing of a range of subjects and qualifications associated to the schools’ approach to learning. Thus inspiring our team of Assistant Teachers to deliver a holistic approach.

CAREERS INFORMATION, ADVICE AND GUIDANCE OFFICEROur internal careers service is offered across all three schools to guide and support our learners at bothprimary and secondary level. We recognise that careers advice should start at a young age. Therefore, wework in partnership with external carers agencies to ensure all of our learners receive appropriateinformation, advice and guidance in relation to their key stage..

SPEECH AND LANGUAGE THERAPISTSOur in-house speech and language therapy service works with our learners to improve their communicationskills. This includes a variety of approaches to allow learners to use non-oral responses to show their thinking and understanding. Our therapists support staff in ensuring the classroom environment is language-rich and has well organised displays to support learning in all areas of the curriculum.

BEHAVIOUR SUPPORTWe prioritise the management of behavior in our school, with a Deputy Head and a Behaviour Specialist dedicated to the cause. We support and guide the staff with Team Teach strategies, the writing of positive handling plans for students and the regular analysis of behavior within the school. This ensures our school has the best behavior systems in place to allow for a positive teaching and learning environment.

PARK VIEW FM RADIOWe are proud to have our own radio station and to allow each of our students to have involvement in media production. We have created our own studio and learners have the opportunity to compile music, graphics, sound effects, voice overs, DJ skills and more in a working studio environment. This is led by an international DJ and our work can be seen at www.parkviewacademy.co.uk

OUTREACH SERVICEWe recognise that some learners do not feel comfortable to enter the school environment. In response tothis, we offer an outreach service where our curriculum is delivered within the home environment or at avariety of community provisions that meet the needs of the learners. Our outreach service aims to createlearning environments that encourage the learner to engage and progress

OUTDOOR ACTIVITY AND PHYSICAL EDUCATIONTwo afternoons a week we utilise local facilities to provide a variety of physical education. In addition, the school operates a caravan on the site of Haven Holidays in Allhallows. In the appropriate seasons this allows our team to conduct full day or half day outing to utilise the facilities. This includes but is not limited to access to the beach, indoor and outdoor swimming, golf, horse riding and a variety of indoor and outdoor craft activities

Our school has identified a structure that caters for the diverse range of needs of our learn-ers. We are proud to have specialist staff who complement our team of Assistant Teachers and Learning Support Assistants. Our specialist team includes:

“Pupils say that they feel safe. This is because the designated safeguarding leader, supported by a staff

team who care deeply about the pupils, works tirelessly to ensure safeguarding is effective”

Ofsted 2017

How to find us

Proprietor: Philip Hoppenbrouwersphilip.hoppenbrouwers@alpschools.org

Finance: Naagii Lamjavnaagii.lamjav@alpschools.org

Head Office:42-46 Harmer Street, Gravesend, Kent DA12 2AX Tel – 0203 1373630

Visit our website: www.alpschools.orgwww.pierviewacademy.co.uk

We work closely with our providers and are happy to arrange meetings to discuss potential referrals.

Initial point of contact can be made via direct correspondence using the details listed below. Alternatively, we have an electronic referral form on our website:

www.alpschools.org

Click on the referral icon, complete the required details and click the ‘Submit’ button. We will respond promptly to your request and do all we can to assist.

Managing Director:David Cowell MBEdavid.cowell@alpschools.orgTel - 0116 326 2624

Head Teacher:Richard Johnsonrichard.johnson@alpschools.orgTel - 0203 137 3630

Deputy Head Teacher:Julie Woodcockjulie.woodcock @alpschools.orgTel - 0203 137 3630

Deputy Head Teacher:Emma Chatzispyridouemma.chatzispyridou@alpschools.orgTel - 0203 137 3630

ALP Welling Park View Academy

146-148 Parkview RoadWelling

Greater LondonDA16 1SR

Tel – 0203 137 3630