King Edward VII Academy Prospectus

Prospectus

Welcome to King Edward VII Academy

As of 1st September 2021, we joined the Inspiration Trust family of schools – we share a belief that every child deserves an excellent education.

Our school has a rich and prestigious history; thousands of students have walked the halls of our magnificent building all in pursuit of the same excellence that we strive for today.

We want all of our children to be happy, confident and secure, and to enjoy the most formative years of their lives. We want them to be supported and challenged in equal measure, so they achieve their goals and realise their dreams

At King Edward VII we pride ourselves on ensuring high ambitions and expectations of all of our students. We expose them to a challenging curriculum and encourage them to work hard, be committed, conduct themselves well and treat fellow members of our learning community with respect. By the time our pupils have completed their seven-year learning journey they have developed the cultural capital, resilience and drive to embrace all life has to offer.

Although our website is full of information about the school, our biggest ambassadors are our students. Should you wish to find out more, please contact the school to arrange a visit; they would be more than happy to show you around.

Ms. S. Hartshorn, Principal

Welcome to King Edward VII Academy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Statement of Teaching and Curriculum Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Reasons to Choose This School. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Mental Health and Wellbeing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

House System, Student Leadership and School Structure. . . . . . . . . . 10

SEND Provisions and Safeguarding Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Statement of Teaching and Curriculum Info

'In doctrina horas crescat' – Let him hourly increase in learning.

At KES Academy we are passionate about the power of a knowledge rich curriculum as the foundation for education. The curriculum is ambitious for all, yet inclusive and accessible. It focuses on engaging, rigorous teaching with a high level of literacy and seeks to inspire our students through the delivery and mastery of powerful knowledge Subject curricula are sequenced so that knowledge is built not only hourly, but weekly, termly, and across students' time at KES so that foundations are secure and students can apply this knowledge to any context We value academic excellence, and our students are rewarded for this both within the Academy, and outside, with our highest-achieving A-Level performer having the opportunity to meet the King

Our taught curriculum is underpinned by eight House Values – Empathy, Determination, Creativity, Self-belief, Passion, Teamwork, Honesty and Respect. This allows us to ensure that all students move to their chosen destination equipped to take their place in the modern world as responsible and thoughtful young people who can make a difference. We value personal excellence as equal to academic excellence, and our students are given a wide range of opportunities to excel, through the curriculum and our extensive enrichment offer. Our enrichment offer includes House competitions across all disciplines, and many opportunities for educational visits both in the local area and beyond. Community is important to us, and we seek to reflect on and challenge our local context through the activities we provide in school.

Our curriculum covers a broad range of subjects at KS3, including STEM subjects and the Arts alongside core subjects of English and Mathematics. This allows students to discover their strengths and passions before choosing from a range of GCSE and vocational qualifications at Key Stages 4 and 5.

Reasons to Choose This School

KES Academy has an excellent record of supporting students' destinations. For the past two years 100% of students exiting Key Stage 5 have gone on to employment or further study when graduating, and in 2021, 99% of students were still in learning after exiting Key Stage 4. This is well above the local and national averages. Our progress and attainment are improving, which is a major factor in this, but there are two further key reasons for this success

The first is that we ensure that our curriculum offer is tailored to both students, and the local and national employment arena We offer a wide range of subject options, giving students the chance to develop skills in a range of areas We review these courses regularly to ensure the offer is still relevant Recently offered courses include:

Art Photography Engineering

Design Technology

Hospitality and Catering

Health and Social Care

Physical Education

Sport and Coaching

Performing Arts

Business Studies

Economics Sociology Geography History

Religious Studies

Computer Science Psychology Criminology

French Spanish German English Language English Literature Mathematics Biology Chemistry Physics Science

The second reason for our successes is the support we offer students. At all transition points they are given appropriate support to make decisions for their future. All students have a one-to one careers interview during Years 9, 11 and 13 to support with information gathering and applications. In addition, students have access to university workshops, presentations about apprenticeships and a variety of encounters with local employers, ensuring that they are well-informed and prepared for their next steps

KES Academy has a strong commitment to the added value of learning outside the classroom and beyond the academy's premises. It will seek to provide a broad & balanced range of 'learning outside the classroom' opportunities for all its students

Each year the academy will arrange several activities that take place off the academy site and out of academy hours, which support our aims. The range of activities to which the governing body has given its approval includes:

Out of-hours clubs (music, drama, art, science, sport, homework, etc.)

Sports teams

Regular local visits (places of worship, swimming, other local amenities)

Day visits for particular groups

Residential visits

Overseas visits

Adventure activities

The Duke of Edinburgh Award

The Duke of Edinburgh Award is the world's leading achievement award for young people. It aims to create a world where young people can reach their full potential whatever their circumstances. The ethos is to enable every young person of every background to do their DofE and succeed, regardless of any barriers

What do we do?

The Duke of Edinburgh Award provides a balanced programme of activities that develops the whole person –mind, body and soul – in an environment of social interaction and teamworking.

Taking part builds confidence and develops self-esteem. It requires persistence, commitment and has a lasting impact on the attitudes and outlook of all young people who do their DofE. Participants are aged between 14 and 24

How is it done?

The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is delivered under a special licence by over 400 partners (Licenced Organisations). Our partners support nearly 11,000 DofE centres including youth clubs, voluntary organisations, schools, colleges, Young Offenders Institutions and businesses to run DofE programmes and accredit their young people.

New students joining KES Academy in Year 7 enjoy a structured programme of transition days

During this time, parents also have the opportunity to come along to meet the students form tutors and staff members

We offer an intensive support programme that includes school visits, tours of KES, and opportunities for additional transition.

The purpose of the transition period is to:

Introduce students to their form tutors and key members of staff

Find out about high school and begin to understand the differences between KS2 and KS3.

Reassure students and parents alike that they will be well cared for when they arrive at the academy

Ask academy staff any questions whether they are pastoral or academic.

We aim to work with parents and carers to help our students flourish and develop into accomplished, cultured young adults over their time with us

Our new students have:

An allocated pastoral support adult

An allocated SEND key worker

Opportunities to partake in the house system at KES prior to starting in September

All new pupils will work closely with existing pupils within the academy during their transition period and into their first term at KES.

ship with Pa

We work in close partnership with parents and provide regular access to progress data as well as the opportunity to come into school to meet and speak to teachers about the progress their child is making. Communication between school and home is critical to ensuring the right support is given to enable the student to make outstanding progress.

Throughout the year, we organise specific year group events to keep you informed of progress. We also arrange events to coincide with important times when students are making choices about the subjects they study as they progress towards the GCSE exams at the end of Year 11.

Pastoral

Every student matters as an individual and we ensure we identify and support each and every student's needs. Our pastoral system provides clear support for each child, from their form tutor to the senior leader in charge of removing barriers to learning. Academic mentoring is provided to students to help them to achieve their goals

Students

We support our students to be kind, work hard and take pride in formal structures that include the students form leaders, and prefects. Our view is that it is important that students enjoy and engage in their learningand have their views listened to

Uniform

Our uniform is smart and traditional. We encourage our students to take pride in their appearance and to be proud of belonging to KES Academy and so to represent the school by their uniform in the wider community outside school.

Mental Health and Wellbeing

At KES Academy we are continually developing and improving our child-centred approach to emotional health, wellbeing and mental health. We aim to foster an ethos that promotes mutual respect, learning and successful relationships among young people and staff. We strive to create a culture of inclusiveness and communication that ensures all young people's concerns can be addressed (including the concerns of those who may be at particular risk of poor mental health) to provide a safe environment which nurtures and encourages young people's sense of self worth and self efficacy, reduces the threat of bullying and violence and promotes positive behaviour.

The curriculum provides young people with the information they need to make good decisions about their health and wellbeing, recognise issues in themselves and others and, when issues arise, seek support as early as possible from appropriate sources. Through our PSHE programme and our daily seminar time, we promote positive behaviour and enables our students to develop empathy and British Values, understand healthy relationships and reduce disruptive behaviour and bullying. We are passionate about the role physical health has in supporting mental wellness, as part of the Rise Above project we further develop leaders to support peers. We have a strong and vibrant Anti-bullying Team and promote inclusivity through our LGBTQ+ services and Young Carers group

The Pastoral Team has a key role to play in providing a framework for behaviour. At KES Academy we aim to provide a structured school environment with clear expectations of behaviour which are regularly reset to ensure clarity, understanding and consistency. We have well- communicated social norms and routines, which are reinforced with highly consistent consequence systems which ensure support is available at all times

Supporting students in school and improving close working partnerships with families to promote emotional health and wellbeing is our priority

Our staff bring a wide range of experience and skills, to share in planning, training and supervision.

Mental Health Professionals support our team and can provide guidance, training, resources and signpost support from their particular experience of working with children and young people.

At KES Academy, we use our best endeavours to support young people and we are committed to reducing the

House System, Student Leadership and School Structure

We are proud of our House system which has developed a diverse and broad range of events on offer in combination with the traditional sporting offer. Our four houses at KES Academy are Lancaster School, Edinburgh York, Keene Thoresby and Gloucester Windsor

At the heart of KES Academy lie our House Values which are integral to Academy life. Our shared values are Teamwork, Empathy, Passion, Creativity, Determination, Self Belief, Honesty and Respect and all students are provided with opportunities to excel in all these areas throughout their educational experience. Our values are strengthened by the wide range of Leadership opportunities we provide from Form Leaders to Prefects to Sports Captains and many more. We are fortunate in having an extensive and ever-increasing range of clubs available from Art to Chess, homework club and Karaoke on a Friday, all of which serve to develop our students' sense of self, sense of belonging and enable them to gain character and cultural capital.

House Art & Design challenges have proved very popular additions with GoGo Dinosaurs this year enabling our students to create 'Doris' as part of the Norwich trail. House Maths Challenges get high levels of participation and are created by older students. New events introduced include dodgeball, handball, 'gaming', designing, raising money for charity events, and science experiments! Annual events totalling nearly one hundred, are the substance behind our House System belief of "giving all students the opportunity to have a moment" Each half term, we reward achievement, progress and excellence. The House system ensures regular contact for pupils and access to competition, across the year groups.

Weekly seminar slides introduce career ideas and opportunities to all pupils from Years 7-11. Careers interviews focus on supporting pupils to independently access the platform START to track their career journey through education and support transition points. A wide range of Student Leadership opportunities ensure our young people can develop wider skills and support their community in a variety of ways from prefects to anti-bullying and we are a member of ABA and LGBT+ Norfolk. Pupils also choose to regularly collect food donations for the local food bank and support local charities and the wider community.

Our school week is made up of 28 taught periods of one hour, plus break and lunchtime. Each day begins with a 25-minute seminar time where key messages are shared with students. On Monday and Friday students have five sessions, and on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday there are six taught sessions.

SEND Provisions and Safeguarding Statement

SEND Provisions

At King Edward VII Academy we are committed to ensuring that learners with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) are fully included in the life of the school and are able to thrive academically and socially.

If your child has an identified special educational need or an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), the first step is to talk to our SENCO, Assistant Principal Mrs Micarla Holmes who can give you an overview of the kinds of reasonable adjustments and provisions which are typically made for learners with SEND at King Edward VII Academy to ensure that they can access the curriculum and enrichment opportunities

Once your child's place at King Edward VII Academy is confirmed, we will discuss your child's barriers to learning with you and your child in detail. We will also talk to your child's current school and any other professionals working with your child. Together we will draw up a plan with short-term targets focussed on your child's special educational needs. The plan will include provisions that reduce your child's barriers to learning as well as strategies that your child's teachers can use in lessons. Learning Plans, provisions and targets are reviewed on a termly basis with both you and your child and adjusted as needed to reflect their changing needs. If your child has an EHCP, the short-term targets will be linked to the EHCP outcomes

For more detailed information about what our academy does to support learners with SEND, please read our SEND Information Report on our website.

Safeguarding Statement

At King Edward VII Academy we are committed to keeping staff, pupils and visitors safe and happy. Our Designated Safeguarding Lead ensures that effective support is provided to pupils that need it and our strong pastoral system ensures that all pupils are well known and their needs understood.