ISP Schools

ISP schools strive to help each and every single one of their pupils and young people to reach their potential in a safe and supportive learning environment.

The schools offer a safe, calm and nurturing learning environment. Their holistic, therapeutic approach promotes positive relationships, self-discipline, self-esteem and resilience, enabling pupils to make excellent progress in line with their learning needs and individual starting points. ISP schools are attachment and trauma-informed and work sensitively to enable pupils to feel safe, included within the school community, and attend regularly.

ISP Battle opened in 2021 and provides specialist education for 7-16 year olds with social, emotional, and mental health difficulties (SEMH), communication and interaction, cognition and learning needs.

“This is a new school with high aspirations and a fast-developing ethos of nurture and respect. Pupils are playing their own important part as routines become established and traditions are built. Thrice-daily community meetings ensure that important key information is shared between staff and pupils alike. Pupils often enjoy the responsibility of chairing these communal gatherings themselves. Older pupils see this as part of their own contribution to building a community where expectations are high and successes are celebrated”

ISP Teynham

ISP Teynham is situated on a tranquil farm and provides specialist education for 7-16 year olds with social, emotional, and mental health difficulties (SEMH), communication and interaction, cognition and learning needs.

ISP Teynham’s last inspection in 2021 rated the school Good in all areas.

ISP Whitstable

ISP Whitstable (also known as Polar re-start centre) is a multiple resource centre designed to support a range of young people whose primary need is Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as well as Social Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs. Opening in September 2022, this is the most recent of our ISP schools to open.

The school offers a safe and nurturing environment which enables pupils to achieve their potential. During the time the young person attends the centre, they complete a learning to learn programme which fully equips them in their transition, where appropriate, to their next educational provision. The centre only accommodates 12 young people at a time and in 2022 has provide a specialised and individualised education to 4 young people. The school was rated Good by Ofsted in 2022.

North Lakes- Kirby Moor

Kirby Moor School has two sites where children aged 7-18 are educated. Pupils are supported by individual programmes and planning. There is comprehensive assessment and tracking system so pupils are taught at a level which leads them to thrive. North Lakes believes education is about developing the whole person. Planning engaging activities helps pupils develop knowledge and skills, resulting in self-confident pupils ready for more independent futures. We are strongly focussed on Careers related learning to help develop skills and aspirations for future life goals.

North Lakes- Herdley Bank

Herdley Bank site is a specialist annex to Kirby Moor School. The focus is educating pupils whose social, emotional and learning needs require a high level of nurturing approach. This dedicated learning environment aims to stimulate each pupil’s readiness to learn and make social, emotional and academic progress through incremental steps. The pupils enjoy a highly nurturing and rural environment.

The focus of teaching is on encouraging pupils to be ready to learn. Creative approaches are taken to engage pupils by utilising diverse resources and learning spaces (inside and out); this enables teaching staff to match learning objectives with individual abilities and meet each pupil’s emotional and educational needs. Building up personal resilience levels in pupils underpins our teaching methods. The children at Herdley Bank benefit hugely from positive encouragement.

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Children In 2022

Easthorpe School is based in Nottingham and is the newest school addition forPolaris, opening in October2022. Easthorpe School provides specialist education for7-18yearoldswith social, emotional, and mental health difficulties (SEMH). Easthorpe Schoolwelcomed its first pupils in 2022 and in 2022 provided an education to 3young people.We all believe this school is a valuable addition to the Polaris community.

Apple Orchard School is a very important part of Apple Orchard and complements the work done by the care and therapy staff in the residential homes. The Head teacher leads the experienced team of teachers and part-time educationalists. Between them they offer a wide range of subjects which covers all of a modified National Curriculum. Small classes, high staff to student ratios and supervision levels allow the students to feel

£706.22 for various charities including, Help for Ukraine, Cancer Research and Brain Tumor Research

GCSE Results – 2022

• GCSE Maths 100% achieved at grades 1 to 5 (22% grade 4 and above)

• GCSE English Language 89% achieved at grades 2 to 3

• GCSE English Literature 80% achieved at grades 2 to 4

• GCSE Combined Science 100% achieved at grades 2:1 to 5:5 (57% grade 4 and above)

• All Year 11’s achieved at least 5 GCSE’s, with most achieving 6

• PE, Art, History and Geography all had a pass rate of 100%

• 100% ofYear 11 have gone onto FE colleges (supported) or an apprenticeship

Nick McPartlan Executive Head of Polaris Children’s Services

For Polaris Children’s Services (PCS) the year started in recovery from Covid, as all local authorities recovering from the pandemic, commissioners were unable to create or tender for new work. However, PCS was still able to see growth and development and was successful in re-winning emotional, health and well-being contracts in Essex, Cheshire West and Chester as well as the extension to contracts in Knowsley and Wirral. We also saw growth in British Forces Social Work Services Overseas with contract amendments in Gibraltar, British Islands Overseas Territory and Nepal. As the year came to a close, commissioning behaviour appeared to change, new contracts and tenders became available and PCS was successful in winning another Sendiass service in Richmond & Kingston which we are due to mobilise in 2023.

I am proud to be part of Polaris, where quality is paramount. Despite PCS not being a regulated service and having that external validation of quality, I know PCS strives to hold themselves by these standards. I’m proud to continue to report indicators of quality through the use of distance measured tools, meeting and exceeding key performance indicators and feedback from our commissioners, parents and carers and most importantly children and young people in receipt of our services.

2022 has been very rewarding with a number of indicators of quality and success, two of my particular highlights being the continued preferred provider of choice for the Ministry of Defence and therefore the ongoing success of the British Forces Social Worker Services and secondly, Turning the Tide North Somerset Social Impact Bond which continues to demonstrate very successful outcomes for children, young people and families. The social impact bond which is independently evaluated has been able to demonstrate cash avoidance/savings of over £9m to date to North Somerset Council.

I feel privileged to be part of Polaris and look forward to this report showing the impact and outcomes for children and young people right across the community.