The David Ross Education Trust

David Ross Education Trust schools create a rich and exciting learning environment that inspires students to become their confident, academic best.

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Charles Read Academy

We seek to broaden the horizons of each and everyone of our students encouraging academic excellence and transferable life skills enabling all to become effective members of our 21st century society.

Mental Health

Statement of Mental Health and Pastoral Intent 

Moral Purpose

We are ambitious for every child, no matter what their background, prior attainment or needs. We are very proud of our community and believe we engender a culture that genuinely cherishes individuality, aims to instill creativity and independence and celebrates open-minded thinking. Underpinned by our values, confidence, resilience, ambition, courage, respect and aspiration, which we encourage all students to embody,we are student focused. We believe that there are no limits for outstanding learning and outstanding achievement. We have high expectations of our students and staff and hold high aspirations for and demonstrate complete belief in, all our students. We are committed to a broad and balanced curriculum and are dedicated to providing a wide range of opportunities that allow students to excel at what they are good at and enjoy as well as developing new talents, supported by excellent pastoral care. We want students to gain transferrable life skills and they will know that they can positively shape their lives through choice not chance.

  • We want students to know how to be effective communicators. We want them to be able to write successfully in a range of contexts, and know how to be effective orators, knowing how to debate, to develop an argument and a discourse.
  • We want them to know how to solve problems using metacognitive strategies and to become independent learners.
  • We want each student to have a broad range of declarative and procedural knowledge in relation to various subject areas. Competence in the core building blocks of these subjects will give students confidence and they will have the courage to use their knowledge appropriately and effectively.
  • We want students to become resilient by developing the 7 Cs of resilience (competence, confidence, character, choice not chance, coping, contribution, communication), to know how to form healthy, respectful relationships, to have positive mental health, to be inclusive, culturally aware and to become responsible members of society.
  • We want students to be ambitious and engage in a range of enrichment opportunities increasing their cultural capital. This will help them to develop and flourish as well-rounded individuals. In a nutshell we want confident, respectful, young people who have a good character and good skill set which enables them to progress to the next phase of education or into the world of work and prepares them for their adult lives.

Our working definition of mental health at CRA:

Mental Health is our emotional, psychological and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel and act. It impacts how we deal with the opportunities and everyday challenges of everyday life, how we interact with others and the choices we make.

At CRA we believe positive mental health means being in a place where anxiety or negative thoughts are not impacting your ability to function effectively and being able to think, feel and act in ways that brings positive experiences into your life.

What Inclusion and Effective Mental Health Interventions Means To Us

  • The child stays at the centre of every conversation.
  • We prioritise those who need our help most, but we intervene with all.
  • Attendance matters. When young people are here, we can support and educate them.
  • Young people learn best when there are clear rules and simple consequences. 
  • Staff teach best when there are clear rules and simple consequences.
  • Students respond well to routines, clear expectations and being informed about change.
  • We use evidence-based practice for our interventions.

Attendance

Expectations of Each Other 

  • Notes are kept up to date on safeguard, on the SEN passports and GAP/GASP documents.
  • Tutors work closely with the students in their tutor group in relation to attendance, aspirations and pastoral care.
  • Staff have read and understood section one of Keeping Young people Safe in Education.
  • Staff are committed to our disruption free learning and using WMR, our behaviour policy, consistently.
  • Staff respond to requests for information in relation to students whose learning is vulnerable.
  • Speak to students, staff and each other with courtesy, respect and understanding.

Safeguarding

  •  Safeguarding students comes above everything else we do.
  • All staff across the academy have training annually with reminders throughout the year at briefings, staff meetings and inset days.
  • All new staff have safeguarding training as part of their induction.
  • All staff at the school recognise that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, that they should have read and understood section one of Keeping Young People Safe in Education 2021, that early intervention is key and that context matters.
  • All notes are securely kept on Safeguard.
  • The Pastoral Managers and DDSL are supported by the Assistant Principal Pastoral, Principal and Regional Director

Attendance

  •  All staff have a role to play in ensuring each child attends school.
  • Support begins at tutor level, with support from the Attendance Lead and Heads of House.
  • Tutors, Heads of House, Pastoral Managers and SLT work to remove barriers to good school attendance.
  • We work together with external agencies to address and remove barriers to school attendance.
  • We priorities students who are classed as vulnerable, however, we are passionate about providing the same support to all students irrespective of background.
  • We follow protocols which are on place, acknowledging that each child and situation is different and adjusting as required.

Behaviour

  •  Good behaviour and disruption free learning allows for teachers to teach and students to learn.
  • We have a moral obligation to prepare young people for the rigours of work and life beyond education. 
  • We are here to educate the whole child, helping with their moral and personal development.
  • We apply the protocols for each student, acknowledging that each child and situation is different, adjusting as required.
  • We priorities students who are classed as vulnerable, however, we are passionate about providing the same support to all students irrespective of background.
  • We make reasonable adjustments for students with special educational needs or vulnerable students. 
  • When appropriate, support is put in place with students when their behaviour has warranted a sanction.
  • We involve parents in supporting their child to improve their behaviour.
  • A good partnership between home and school is important if secondary schooling is to be as effective as possible.

Pastoral Care/Mental Health

  •  Pastoral support is driven by our moral purpose – see previous page
  • We do not give up on students and constantly look for ways to support them.
  • Our interventions are directed by evidence-based practice.
  • Our SEN and pastoral team are keen to improve their expertise in the area of SEMH and mental health. 
  • Students may be put on SEN if requiring something ‘additional to and different from’ in the classroom. 
  • We work with numerous external agencies to support our students.
  • We recognise that early intervention is vital.
  • We involve parents as appropriate in the support which we put in to place.
  • Our interventions are assessed and evaluated using entry and exit assessments.
  • We provide and ethos and environment that promotes respect and values diversity.
  • Our work on ‘character’ promotes resilience and supports social and emotional learning.
  • Positive mental health is central to all we do.
  • Our House system, which is the bedrock of our community enables students to have a sense of belonging.

 

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