PROSPECTUS 2011/12

FURNESSSCHOOL

A KentPartnershipSchool

We are committed to the ideal of a partnership in education

Vision Statement

FurnessSchool is committed to providing an environment:

  • Where staff and pupils work together to achieve their full potential.
  • Where skills and talents are encouraged and developed.
  • Where everyone feels valued and needed.
  • Where everyone knows what is expected of them and is clear about the aims of the whole school.

FurnessSchool, Rowhill Road, Hextable, KentBR8 7RP

Tel: 01322 662937 Fax: 01322 615033

Email:

School Website:

Mission Statement

Furness School is committed to ensuring that all its pupils are offered an educational experience that meets the behavioural, emotional, social, spiritual, cultural, moral, and academic needs of each individual. This is within an environment that promotes achievement and success.

We aim to create a learning environment in which:

  • The curriculum is broad and balanced, well planned and relevant, with the opportunity for both emotional and academic development.
  • Pupil expectations are consistently high with clear boundaries and routines.
  • Self esteem and self confidence are enhanced by the appropriate celebration of progress and achievement.
  • The contribution of all individuals is valued and respected.
  • Links are established with parents/carers and other agencies to support all our pupils.
  • The Senior Leadership Team and Governors review all policies and practices regularly to ensure that there is continuous improvement and that all resources are used appropriately.

Dear Parents & Carers

FurnessCommunitySpecialSchool.

We aim to provide the pupils that attend Furness with a high quality of education that is accessible to their varied abilities and different learning styles. This will take into consideration their challenging behavioural, emotional and social needs.

At FurnessSchool we emphasise traditional standards of good manners, socially acceptable behaviour and mutual respect, whilst providing a relevant, varied and interesting education. As a part ResidentialSchool Furness is able to combine its curricular activities with very high standards of care. This enables our pupils to take their place and contribute to the wider community of the twenty-first century.

Furness is committed to the ideal of a partnership between school and home. All parents/carers and outside agencies have an open invitation to visit the school to meet the staff and pupils.

Anton van der Watt

Principal

Welcome to FurnessSchool

FurnessSchool was originally established towards the end of the 19th Century as the ‘Swanley Home for Little Boys’. The magnificent Victorian buildings, which are still in use today, were donated by rich benefactors to cater for boys from deprived London families. These benefactors are celebrated in the names of our Residential Houses. The Swanley Home became famous for preparing boys to enter the merchant navy. The school is often visited by old boys who tell of their adventures in the four corners of the world.

In 1955 the ‘Home’ became Kent’s ResidentialSchool for young children with learning difficulties. In the mid eighties it became a ResidentialSchool for secondary aged pupils with Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties (EBD).

In 2004 the school was re-designated to cater for pupils with Behavioural, Emotional and Social Difficulties (BESD) and now offers 25 Residential and 60 Day placements. KentCounty Council invested £4 million in the building of new classroom facilities, offices and a reception area. These improvements are attached to the west wing of the main school building. The existing classrooms in the main school building were re-furbished. The residential accommodation was also re-furbished to provide mainly single accommodation in the three residential houses (Lady Furness, Passmore Edwards & Leicester). The work was completed in 2007 and the new facilities have enhanced the education and care we offer to all our pupils.

The residential pupils are weekly boarders. They travel to school on Monday mornings and return home after school each Friday. On reaching Key Stage 4 (Years 10 & 11) residential pupils, with their parents/carers agreement, are given the opportunity to take part in a Community Re-Integration Programme that allows them to go home one evening per week. The transport of all pupils is arranged by their Area Education Office.

The school day is as follows:

  • Monday-08.50 until 15.10.
  • Tuesday-08.50 until 15.10.
  • Wednesday-08.50 until 15.10.
  • Thursday-08.50 until 15.10.
  • Friday-08.50 until 14.10.

The school will re-arrange transport for any pupil involved in late night detentions or after school activities.

Statement of Purpose

At FurnessSchool we endeavour to fulfil our Mission Statement. We are seeking to achieve this through our School Aims, which are listed below.

  • To provide a consistent and caring environment in which pupils can develop their full personal, academic and social potential.
  • To provide access to a broad, balanced curriculum, this will include all subjects of the National Curriculum, differentiated to meet their individual needs.
  • To provide access to a wide range of external examinations, work experience and vocational opportunities.
  • To provide each residential pupil with a care programme. This will allow them to mature to their full potential.
  • To promote the pupils self worth and their respect for others.
  • To promote self discipline through a Behaviour Management System that values positive achievement.
  • To value cultural and ethnic diversity and promote the equality of opportunity for all members of the school community.
  • To provide a variety of integration and inclusion opportunities.
  • To work in active partnership with parents/carers and all outside agencies.
  • To ensure the ‘Every Child Matters’ agenda is incorporated in all aspects of the school’s learning and care programmes.
  • To maintain the ‘Healthy Schools’ status.
  • To promote, whilst continuing to develop, opportunities within the learning environment to foster life long learning.

Children’s Charter

The FurnessSchool‘Children’s Charter’ is in place to ensure that every pupil is aware of their rights and responsibilities. It assists in achieving the Mission Statement and helps all pupils to make the most of their time at FurnessSchool.

Whilst I am a pupil at FurnessSchool I am entitled:

  • To a reliable adult who can be trusted to care for me.
  • To be respected as a person and accepted for who I am:
  • my name
  • my family
  • my race
  • my culture
  • my beliefs
  • my gender
  • my age
  • To expect the adults who care for me to protect me from predictable and preventable harm and to stop me from harming others.
  • To expect the adults who care for me to behave with kindness and understanding and to be fair and honest with me.
  • To have appropriate boundaries and controls on my behaviour.
  • To have appropriate time, space and privacy for myself.
  • To have my rights and property respected by other pupils and to respect theirs.
  • To have a say in what happens to me and to be involved in making decisions and plans for my life. These to be based on my personal circumstances and my individual needs.
  • To know how to make a complaint when things go wrong and to have my complaint heard and dealt with.

Admission Procedure

Pupils are normally admitted to FurnessSchool between the ages of 11 and 14 with an academic ability/potential of average or above. All pupils must have a ‘Statement of Special Educational Needs’ as issued by their Local education Authority. The Local Education Authority, in consultation with the parents/carers, will refer the pupil to FurnessSchool.

After careful consideration of all the information available the school will invite prospective pupils, with their parents/carers, to visit. This visit will give the pupil and parents/carers the opportunity to discuss their child’s needs with both Senior Managers and, if a residential placement is required, the Residential Care Staff. They will be given a guided tour of the school and be able to view both the academic and residential provision.

On completion of the visit, if parents/carers and the school agree that their child’s needs can be met at Furness, a formal offer of a placement is made through the Local Education Authority.

Parents/Carers as Partners

Every member of staff at FurnessSchool is committed to a working partnership with all parents/carers to ensure the best possible outcome for all our pupils.

Parents/carers and family members are the most important people in a child’s life. The school hopes that this partnership will enable us to overcome any difficulties that may arise during the child’s time at Furness.

Parents/carers and other family members are invited to visit the school, to support their child for informal events:

  • End of Term concerts.
  • Summer Fair.
  • Formal meetings:
  • Annual Reviews.
  • Transitional Plans
  • Open Days.
  • Presentations.
  • Behaviour.

The school will keep parents/carers informed, on a regular basis, of their child’s behaviour and progress. Annual Reports are completed in the Summer Term.

Staffing

FurnessSchool has a well qualified and professional staff. They are committed to meeting the needs of pupils with Behavioural, Emotional and Social Difficulties (BESD).

The Principal leads the whole staff team. He is supported by the Deputy Principal, the Head of Care, two Assistant Heads and the Business Manager. Pupils benefit from the input of both the Class Teacher and a Teaching Assistant in all lessons.

The school population is divided into four communities. The community system is used to promote healthy competition in setting targets for:

  • Attendance.
  • Behaviour.
  • Activities.

The Head of Care leads a team of three Senior Residential Care Officers (House Managers) who in turn lead their Residential Care and Domestic Staff. Residential pupils (and Day pupils if they wish) benefit from our Extended Schools Programme. This offers after school activities and clubs to pupils.

Pupils experiencing difficulties during the school day are supported by a team of Progress Co-ordinators. A qualified counsellor is also available for all pupils that wish to make use of this facility.

The Business Manager leads the business functions of the school.

Support Staff including Admin, Finance, IT, Site and Catering play a vital role in the day to day management of the school.

‘FurnessSchool is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff to share this commitment.’

We ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment.

Learning Centre

The Learning Centre is a separate facility, within the school, for BESD pupils with other specific needs:

  • Autistic Spectrum.
  • Tourettes Syndrome.
  • High vulnerability

The class sizes are smaller than the main school to ensure these pupils have full access to the curriculum in a calm, less stressful environment.

Learning Environment

FurnessSchool has excellent facilities for both the delivery of the curriculum and the care of its residential pupils. These facilities include:

  • A large Sports Hall.
  • A Performing Arts Suite.
  • Two Science Classrooms with Preparation Room.
  • An impressive Art Classroom.
  • A well equipped Design & Technology Room.
  • Spacious general purpose classrooms.
  • Recently refurbished accommodation in the residential houses (most single with en-suite facilities).
  • A Vocational Centre that offers Plumbing, Painting & Decorating and Bricklaying.
  • A Hair & Beauty Parlour.
  • A Practical Cooking facility

All classrooms benefit from ‘Interactive Whiteboards’ and a computer for each pupil.

The school is set in approximately thirteen acres of partially wooded grounds which encompass:

  • A large Sports Field.
  • A Playground.
  • An Allotment (tended by pupils, with supervision).

Curriculum

FurnessSchool offers a broad balanced curriculum. It is structured and/or differentiated to take account of:

  • Each pupil’s particular difficulties.
  • Their time out of education.

At Key Stage 3 the curriculum includes all the National Curriculum subjects.

At Key Stage 4 the curriculum ensures that the pupils access the core subjects:

  • English.
  • Mathematics.
  • Science.
  • ICT.

Year 10 pupils have subject ‘Options’ of:

  • Food Technology or Design & Technology or Art

and

  • Performing Arts or Modern Foreign Language or Humanities

They also have BTEC ‘Vocational Options’ of:

  • Media or Agriculture or Hospitality or Travel & Tourism or Beauty Therapy or Construction.

Year 11 pupils have subject ‘Options’ of:

  • Information Technology or Design & Technology (Resistant Materials)

and

  • PE or Art or Design & Technology (Electronics)

They also have BTEC ‘Vocational Options’ of:

  • Media or Agriculture or Hospitality or Travel & Tourism or Beauty Therapy or Construction.

Sex Education and personal relationships are included in our PSHE programme.

Religious Education is taught in accordance with the Kent Agreed Syllabus and National Guidelines.

Pupils in Key Stage 3 benefit from a programme in Social Communication.

Any parent or carer who wishes to withdraw their child from Sex and/or Religious Education should advise the Principal in writing.

Examinations

All pupils are continually assessed in all subjects during their time at Furness. Pupils and parents/carers are encouraged to contribute to this on-going assessment, especially during formal meetings. In Key Stage 4 pupils are entered for external examinations. These will be the ‘Core Subjects’ plus their ‘Subject Options’ and their ‘BTEC Option’.

Discipline

At FurnessSchool we expect our pupils to exhibit normally accepted standards of behaviour. Our ‘Behaviour Management System’ rewards good behaviour. The level of reward increases with prolonged appropriate behaviour thus developing self-discipline and self-esteem.

If a pupils’ behaviour consistently fails to reach an acceptable level or there are instances of very bad behaviour, parents/carers will be contacted to discuss the problem. Behavioural targets and/or contracts will then be set to address any specific issues.

Parents/carers are asked:

  • To support the school in the use of appropriate sanctions including detentions.
  • To realise that wilful damage to school property will result in a charge to the pupil involved.
  • To understand that if a pupil absconds from the school site, and fails to return in a reasonable time, the police will be informed. If the pupil makes his way home it is the parents/carers responsibility to return him/her to the school.
  • To know that the school has a Positive Handling Policy and all staff are trained in ‘Positive Handling Techniques’. This ‘Positive Handling’ is only used, as a last resort, when a pupil is in danger of harming either themselves or others.

Parents/carers will also be kept informed of pupils’ outstanding achievements and very good behaviour.

RelevantSchool Policies are always available for inspection at the school.

The Residential Provision

The parents/carers of prospective residential pupils are always impressed by the warm, friendly and family atmosphere of our residential provision. This is due to the small size of each residential unit and the sensitive and professional attitude of all the staff.

Furness School, therefore, has a real sense of being an environment in which everyone can feel involved and has a part to play. All residential pupils are asked to share in the running of the house to the best of their ability. The aim is to foster an atmosphere in which each individual can enjoy their residential experience and take pride in their house.

The Head of Care has overall responsibility for the Residential Provision. The ratio of staff to residential pupil is very generous. This ensures the devotion and quality of care that facilitates:

  • Lively communication.
  • Positive relationships.
  • An atmosphere of mutual respect.
  • Confidence between staff and residential pupils.
  • A Link Worker who is responsible for Care Plans and their implementation.
  • After school clubs/activities.

The Residential Care Workers are responsible for all routine medical issues.

Residential pupils can be registered with the local G. P.

There will be times when residential pupils require pocket money. Parents/carers should discuss this need with care staff. Personal property can be brought into the residential houses by prior agreement between parents/carers and care staff.

Personal property is brought into school entirely at the owners own risk.

Complaints

FurnessSchool has a ‘Complaints Policy’ that:

  • Explains what parents/carers should do if they have a complaint.
  • Encourages parents/carers to discuss any complaint with a senior member of school staff initially.
  • It states that the majority of complaints can be resolved internally.
  • Unresolved complaints can be referred to the Governing Body.

OFSTED

RoyalExchangeBuilding

St. Ann’s Square

Manchester. M2 7LA

Tel: 08456 404040

FurnessSchool, Rowhill Road, Hextable, Swanley, KentBR8 7RP

Tel: 01322 662937 Fax: 01322 615033

Email:

School Website: