Hope School

Hope School is a maintained special school that provides an attachment and trauma responsive environment for 68 students aged 5-11 with Social, emotional and Mental health conditions and those who are neurodivergent.

Pupils tell us they enjoy coming to school. We offer a curriculum that focus on the whole child and we assess this regularly.  We know that our pupils work best when they are challenged in their learning and the curriculum is based around this.

It is a real privilege to be the headteacher in such an innovative school, working with the whole staff team to achieve the best outcomes for the children, their families and all of the community.

Pupils now tell us they enjoy coming to school. We offer a creative curriculum based around themes that change each half term. We know that our pupils work best when they are challenged in their learning and the curriculum is based around this.

We work closely with parents and carers of children in the school who are each given the opportunity to access training on attachment and trauma. It is really important to recognise that schools cannot repair or replace an insecure attachment to a primary caregiver, but what they can do is provide a safe base where children and young people can develop a sense of trust in adults and confidence in themselves. This does not mean that we can “write off” what happens at home, because we are trying to provide stability and safety at school, but that we strive to work closely with parents and carers in developing rewarding attachment relationships with the children in their care.

Vision: "Resilient independent life long learners".
Mission: "Providing an attachment friendly community which fosters warmth with high boundaries so that all can achieve to their full potential".

Core Values:

• Gratitude – Is created by respecting all, being thankful and helping others. We are charitable to all, locally, nationally and globally.
• Resilience – Is created by trying new things and persevering when we find it difficult. We support each other in finding solutions.
• Optimism – Is created by embracing change in a positive way. We encourage each other to approach every day challenges in an enthusiastic and confident way.
• Wisdom – Is created by demonstrating knowledge, understanding and reflection. We share our experiences and insight with each other.
• Teamwork – Is created by respecting and working together to learn and achieve. We strive to be positive role models for each other.
• Harmony – Is created by resolving any differences in a respectful, restorative way. We respect and celebrate diversity.

Our school motto is "If I Try I Can" and we feel with the correct support and direction our pupils can achieve.

The Rights Respecting Schools Award focuses on children’s rights in schools and takes a whole-school approach to child rights and human rights education. Child Rights Education (CRE) can be defined as learning about rights, learning through rights and learning for rights within an overall context of education as a right. It aims to build the capacity of children and young people as rights-holders to claim their rights, and the capacity of adults as duty-bearers to fulfil their obligations. Child rights education helps adults, children and young people to work together, providing the space and encouragement for the meaningful participation and sustained civic engagement of children and young people.

Achieving the award has helped our pupils create a safe and inspiring place to learn, where pupils are respected, their talents are nurtured and they are able to thrive. Pupils are also given the opportunity for the best chance to lead happy, healthy lives and to be responsible, active citizens.

Hope has the Liverpool Healthy Schools Award. This means that we aim to improve health, raise pupil achievement, improve social inclusion and encourage closer working between health and education providers in the United Kingdom.

As part of Healthy schools, we evaluate our Personal, Social, Heath, Economic education, ensuring that lessons are taught regularly and are supplemented by curricular activities.

Healthy Schools is prominent in other areas of the curriculum, PE lessons is taught regularly as as well as extra curricular sessions that are accessible to all of our pupils. Cookery is offered as an extra curricular session and equips pupils with essential skills while re-enforcing the message about healthy eating.

Key Stage 1 - Pupils are taught phonics using the Ruth Miskin's Read, Write, Inc Programme. They follow the National Curriculum for England and Wales and read several reading schemes such as Project X and Oxford Reading Tree.

Key Stage 2/3 - Pupils follow the National Curriculum for England and Wales and use the Project X and Oxford Reading Tree schemes of work for reading as well as guided reading 3 times per week.

We follow a Creative Curriculum at Hope School. We recognise that many pupils have become disengaged with learning in their previous schools and work to ensure that our curriculum fosters a love of learning that will continue beyond the time they spend with us. We work on a three year rolling programme. The themes for each half term are exciting and were chosen by our pupils.

The Creative Curriculum is inspirational to both pupils and teachers. It makes learning motivational and successful for all involved. It includes not only what to learn but is also based on the learning styles of our pupils and includes the teaching of skills that will show pupils how to learn.