Due to the vulnerable nature of our children, we will ensure we deliver information on an individual and small group basis, working with all our students to help them to understand the social, emotional and legal aspects that are associated.

Each young person will be considered on an individual basis.

• Educate U admission criteria:
• Referred by education authorities, social workers, parents, foster agencies, schools
• Aged between 5 – 16
• School anxieties, Trauma, attachment
• Health issues
• EHCP

We will consider placements to young people who have a history of physical abuse to staff and other young people; this will be subject to a full assessment during which the outcome may identify the need for an alternative educational option to be sourced.

Accessibility Plan 2023-2026

At Educate U, we provide an inclusive education to children and young people who need a trauma informed education placement. We do this by implementing our values of empowerment, collaboration, choice, trust, and safety. We want all students to enjoy and participate fully in school.  We do this by taking account of pupils’ varied life experiences and needs. We offer a broad and balanced curriculum and have high expectations for all children. The achievements, attitudes and well‐being of all our children are our highest priority.

Purpose of Plan

This plan shows how Educate U School intends, over time, to increase the accessibility of our school for disabled pupils, staff, parents/carers and visitors.

GDPR and Data Protection Policy

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and The Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA) is the law that protects personal privacy and upholds individual’s rights.  It applies to anyone who handles or has access to people’s personal data.  This policy is intended to ensure that personal information is dealt with properly and securely and in accordance with the legislation. It will apply to personal information regardless of the way it is used, recorded and stored and whether it is held in paper files or electronically.

The school as the Data Controller will comply with its obligations under the GDPR and DPA.  It is committed to being concise, clear and transparent about how it obtains and uses personal information and will ensure data subjects are aware of their rights under the legislation. All staff must have a general understanding of the law and understand how it may affect their decisions in order to make an informed judgement about how information is gathered, used and ultimately deleted.  All staff must read, understand and comply with this policy. The Information Commissioner as the Regulator can impose fines of up to 20 million Euros (approximately £17 million) for serious breaches of the GDPR, therefore it is imperative that the school and all staff comply with the legislation.

Concern or a complaint

At Educate U we work closely with our prospective families, families, children, agencies, professional and have an clear channels of communication with the school to discuss with any issues as they arise. We strongly believe that open dialogue is the best and most effective way of working through difficulties, but we do also recognise that it is important to have a transparent and effective formal way of raising concerns or making a complaint.  We take all complaints and concerns seriously and make every effort to resolve them quickly and efficiently.

A ‘concern’ may be treated as ‘an expression of worry or doubt over an issue considered to be important for which reassurances are sought’.

A complaint may be generally recognised as ‘an expression or statement of dissatisfaction however made, about actions taken or a lack of action’.

If you have a concern or complaint, please speak to the headteacher or other members of the Senior Leadership (Deputy Headteachers) who will endeavor to work with you to resolve the issue, but if this is not possible, please follow the Complaints Procedure.

Anyone can make a complaint about our provision or services that Educate U provides.

Complainants will be given the opportunity to complete the complaints procedure in full, unless we possess clear evidence that the complaint meets the serial complaint criteria.

Fire Policy

• Fire Risk assessment on file
• Fire and monitoring folder kept in office
• This policy works within the Fire Precautions The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005

Admissions and attendance registers

The ‘responsible person’ for the independent school is Kerry Simmons it is their responsibility to ensure the following is adhered to:

• To carry out a fire risk assessment (formally recorded and regularly reviewed so as to keep it up to date); copy attached.
• To produce a fire risk policy which includes the elimination or reduction of risks from dangerous substances.
• develop fire procedures and provide staff training (repeated periodically where appropriate);
• ensure the safety of staff or anyone else legally on the school premises.
• carry out fire drills and contact emergency services when necessary.
• appoint one or more competent persons (with sufficient training, experience and knowledge) to assist in taking preventive and protective measures (including firefighting and evacuation);
• have a suitable system for the maintenance of clear emergency routes and exits (with doors opening in the direction of escape), signs, notices, emergency lighting where required, fire detectors, alarms and extinguishers (the maintenance should be by a ‘competent person’ (for example, ISO9001 certified or BAFE approved);
• provide staff and any others working on the school site with fire safety information.

Introduction

This RSE policy has been precisely shaped in alignment with Educate U’s distinct vision, values, and curriculum policy. The development process involved thorough consultation with key stakeholders, including staff, pupils, and parents. The steps included a full review of relevant national and local guidance, staff consultations, parent/stakeholder meetings, and pupil engagement to understand their perspectives on Relationship and Sex Education (RSE).

This policy outlines our school’s commitment to provide effective Relationships and Sex Education for all students in support of that offered by parents and carers, who are the first educators of their children in this area. It has been written with regard to the DfE Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education guidance 2019 and other relevant guidance documents and statutory requirements. The Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education and Health Education (England) Regulations 2019 made under sections 34 and 35 of the Children and Social Work Act 2017 make Relationships and Health Education compulsory for children receiving secondary education. The RSHE teaching in this school contributes to our statutory duty to safeguard children and prepare them for the responsibilities and experiences of adult life. RSHE is taught in an age-appropriate manner throughout the school and tailored to the individual needs of our pupils.

Trauma Informed Positive Behaviour Policy

At Educate U, we wholeheartedly acknowledge and embrace the unique needs of our students, understanding that they may have encountered trauma, attachment issues, ADHD, ASC, anxiety, or other challenges. Our commitment to providing a safe and nurturing environment is evident in our trauma-informed behaviour policy, which is carefully crafted to cultivate positive personal relationships. EducateU has the following mission statement “Empowering Students. Creating Possibilities”. This is because our school fills a need for inclusive education for children with complex trauma and special educational needs.  Our school values have been developed to be trauma informed: Safety, Trust, Choice, Collaboration, Empowerment. These 5 Trauma informed values underpin our school’s Mission statement and act both as a supportive, progressive framework for our children and guiding principles for our staff. These also tell the story of how we work with our children at Educate U to our children, families and to other professionals. From this, we model empathy, respect, resilience, self-regulation, and kindness, recognising that all behaviour is a form of communication, especially for our most vulnerable children. In line with this understanding, we take on the responsibility to respond in a trauma-informed, and attachment-aware manner.

Whistleblowing Policy and Procedure

Educate U is committed to conducting its business with honesty and integrity and expects all staff to maintain high standards in accordance with their contractual obligations and the School’s policies and procedures. However, all organisations face the risk of things going wrong from time to time, or of unknowingly harbouring illegal or unethical conduct. A culture of openness and accountability is essential in order to prevent such situations occurring or to address them when they do occur. This procedure is not a substitute for normal line management processes but an addition to them. Staff should always first consider using normal line management for raising concerns. This procedure is only for the purpose of raising concerns about wrongdoing and is not a substitute or alternative for existing procedures such as the Grievance Procedure, Disciplinary Policy for staff or the Complaints Policy.

This procedure should only be used where all other existing internal procedures are felt to be inappropriate or when a member of staff, for whatever reason, feels inhibited in going through the normal line management. As an example, therefore, if a member of staff has a personal grievance, then it must be raised through the grievance procedure; it would not be appropriate for it to be raised through this procedure. The existence of this procedure does not prevent staff from raising concerns through their trade union if they so wish. The procedure is therefore not a route through which employees can raise concerns about mismanagement which may arise from weak management rather than malpractice.

This policy recognised that many cases would have to proceed on a confidential basis. This confidential reporting policy is intended to encourage and enable all staff to raise serious concerns within a school rather than overlooking or “blowing the whistle” outside.

1.      Aims and objectives

Our special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) policy aims to:

• Make sure Educate U fully implements national legislation and guidance regarding pupils with SEND
• Set out how Educate U will:
  • Support and make provision for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities
  • Provide pupils with SEND access to all aspects of school life
  • Help pupils with SEND fulfil their aspirations and achieve their best
  • Help pupils with SEND become confident individuals living fulfilling lives
  • Help pupils with SEND make a successful transition into adulthood
  • Communicate with pupils with SEND and their parents or carers and involve them in discussions and decisions about support and provision for the pupil
• Explain the roles and responsibilities of everyone involved in providing for pupils with SEND
• Communicate with, and involve, pupils with SEND and their parents or carers in discussions and decisions about support and provision for the pupil
• Make sure the SEND policy is understood and implemented consistently by all staff

Touch Policy

Rationale

At Educate U, touch is recognised as a fundamental form of communication, especially for pupils in the early stages of development. While physical contact should be appropriate to professional roles and codes of conduct, a complete “no touch” approach is impractical and sometimes inappropriate. Physical contact should be responsive to the pupils’ needs, age, stage of development, and cultural background. Staff must exercise professional judgment when determining the appropriateness of physical contact. All instances of physical contact should be transparent, child-centred, and never for the personal gratification of the adult.

Open Door Policy

The purpose of our Open-Door Policy is to encourage open communication, feedback and discussion. We value the input parents make to the school. If parents/carers have any worries or concerns about their child’s education, then we believe that it is far better that they come into school and discuss them – in the first case with the class teacher or Parent Connection Lead, then with a member of the Senior Leadership Team and then the Head Teacher. Following this process allows issues to be resolved and explained.

Social, Emotional and Mental Health Policy (SEMH)

Introduction

The Department for Education (DfE) recognises that “in order to help their child succeed, schools have a role to play in supporting them to the resilient and mentally healthy.”

The World Health Organisation’s definition of mental health and wellbeing “a state of wellbeing in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her own community.”

Pupils with SEMH experience a wide range of social and emotional difficulties which manifest themselves in many ways. These may include becoming withdrawn or isolated, as well as displaying challenging, disruptive or disturbing behaviours. These sometimes reflect underlying mental health difficulties such as anxiety and depression, self-injury, substance misuse, eating disorders or physical symptoms that are medically unexplained. Other pupils may have disorders such as attention deficit disorder (ADD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or attachment disorder.

At Educate U we recognise that transition is a process, not an event. This policy has been devised to ensure that students transfer seamlessly through each phase of their education; thus, contributing to a positive learning experience for every child. Care and attention are given to the transition of individual pupils as they transfer to, through and beyond our School.

Definition:

In this policy, the term ‘transition’ is used to describe the movement that takes place from one familiar setting (including the home) to another.

Educate U is committed to encouraging equality and diversity among our workforce and eliminating unlawful discrimination.

The aim is for our workforce to be truly representative of all sections of society and our customers, and for each employee to feel respected and able to give their best.

The organisation is also committed against unlawful discrimination.

The policy’s purpose is to:

• provide equality, fairness and respect for all in our employment, whether temporary, part-time or full-time

• not unlawfully discriminate because of the Equality Act 2010 protected characteristics of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race (including colour, nationality, and ethnic or national origin), religion or belief, sex (gender) and sexual orientation.
• oppose and avoid all forms of unlawful discrimination. This includes in pay and benefits, terms and conditions of employment, dealing with grievances and discipline, dismissal, redundancy, leave for parents, requests for flexible working, and selection for employment, promotion, training or other developmental opportunities.

At Educate U we promote that student who have English as an Additional Language fulfil their potential. They need to feel, safe, settled, accepted and valued in order to learn and develop.

We recognise and value their home language and heritage, making sure that all students feel welcome and ensuring the students and their families from minority ethnic backgrounds have the same access to information and support as all other students and parents. As a school, we are aware that bilingualism is an asset and that EAL students have a valuable contribution to make. We take a whole school approach, including ethos, curriculum and education against racism and promoting language awareness. We have several staff members who have EAL and are able to celebrate their culture and language with the students.

1. Aims

Educate U aims to:

• Provide and maintain a safe and healthy environment
• Establish and maintain safe working procedures amongst staff, pupils and all visitors to the school site
• Have robust procedures in place in case of emergencies
• Ensure that the premises and equipment are maintained safely, and are regularly inspected

Medication, First Aid & Allergy Policies

Please find all our medical related policies below. Please click on the relevant policy to download:

Educate U Medication Policy

Educate U Allergy Policy

Educate U First Aid Policy

Mobile Phone Policy 

Introduction 

At Educate U we recognise that mobile phones, including smart phones, are an important part of everyday life for our pupils, parents and staff, as well as the wider school community.
Our policy aims to:
Promote, and set an example for, safe and responsible phone use.
Set clear guidelines for the use of mobile phones for pupils, staff, parents and volunteers.
Support the school’s other policies, especially those related to child protection and behaviour.

This policy also aims to address some of the challenges posed by mobile phones in school, such as:
• Risks to child protection
• Data protection issues
• Potential for lesson disruption
• Risk of theft, loss, or damage
• Appropriate use of technology in the classroom

Child protection and safeguarding policy

1. Aims

The school aims to ensure that:

• Appropriate action is taken in a timely manner to safeguard and promote children’s welfare
• All staff are aware of their statutory responsibilities with respect to safeguarding
• Staff are properly trained in recognising and reporting safeguarding issues

Attendance Policy

Prior to being placed with us our children and young people may have experienced difficulties with attending school. Therefore, it will be part of their transition to work with them to improve and maintain a high level of attendance. This policy reflects the vision and aims of Educate U. All staff work collaboratively to encourage every student to strive for excellence. Every child will be supported, challenged and valued. One way in which we strive to do this is by encouraging staff, parents and children to maximise the learning experience in order that all children reach their maximum potential. We are determined in encouraging the development of high self-esteem and for our children to take pride and ownership of their learning. In conjunction with this, we will continuously provide a clear framework for parents and staff as well as clear procedures for involving parents and/or external agencies where appropriate.

Please find all our exam related policies below. Please click on the relevant policy to download:

Exam Contingency Plan

Internal Appeals Form

Internal Appeals Procedure (Internal assessment decisions)

Internal Appeals Proceudre (Review of Results & Appeals)

Malpractice Policy (Exams)

Non-examination Assessment Policy (Exams)

Access Arrangements Policy (Exams)

Child Protection Policy

Emergency Evacuation Policy (Exams)

EducateU GDPR Policy

EducateU Equality Diversity Policy

Conflicts of Interest Policy (Exams)

Complaints Policy

Word Processor Policy (Exams)

Whistleblowing Policy

Educate U is responsible for the overall safety and well-being of children, young people, staff, parents and carers and other visitors during Stay and Play sessions, which take place in school holidays. The contribution Stay and Play staff members make to children’s care and welfare is valued very highly.

This policy should be read in conjunction with the school trauma informed behaviour policy, health and safety policy, safeguarding and child protection policy, and staff code of conduct policy. These policies are regularly reviewed and are available to all staff, parents and visitors on the school website and on TEAMS. All Stay and Play staff will have received regular training in these policies. They should be well known and regularly revisited by all staff to ensure a consistent and positive approach.

Stay and Play should be an enjoyable and valuable experience for children where through play they can discover, explore and develop their understanding of the world around them and for pupils of Educate U so they can keep much needed connections with both staff and the school building itself to reduce anxiety about returning after long breaks.

Whilst children can and should be able to play without being organised by adults, they need adults to provide a secure environment. Children have the right to:

• Feel safe
• Be treated fairly
• Be listened to and heard
• Have consideration shown to them
• Make choices about their free time