North Ridge High School

North Ridge is one of 3 secondary specialist support schools for pupils with severe and complex learning difficulties in Manchester serving the North district of the authority.The Local Authority (LA) does have ultimate control over the pupils admitted to each special school.

Manchester Local Authority’s policy for determining admissions to maintained special schools is based upon matching the special educational needs of individual pupils to the particular range of needs provided for in each school.Special schools are broadly classified as providing for a particular type of special educational need.Since many pupils may show a combination of needs, the predominant identified need will normally be the determining factor in school placements.

Pupil placements follow a formal assessment of the pupils’ special educational needs. This process usually results in the issue of an Education Health Care Plan, naming the school which offers the most appropriate provision for the pupil concerned. From time to time pupils are admitted to a school for a short period of assessment.

We base our E-safety curriculum upon Childnet’s S.M.A.R.T. initiative. S.M.A.R.T. gives our students a very visual and memorable way to remember key principles of E-safety.We also use B-Squared E-safety level descriptors in order to give our students individual E-safety curriculum levels.

Pupil premium was introduced by the government in April 2011. The funding was allocated specifically for children from low-income families who were eligible for free school meals, looked after children and those from families with parents in the Armed Forces.

Each individual school decides how their Pupil Premium is best spent to raise achievement and improve outcomes for the target pupils identified. Schools are however held accountable for how the funding is used and are expected to report to parents and the Governing Body on Pupil Premium expenditure.

The school has long, medium and short term curriculum plans that match the curriculum taught to the pupils in the school.Teachers’ medium term plans contain clear learning objectives within the context of the National Curriculum programmes of study and the national strategies. Achievement of these objectives will be recognised through assessment opportunities. Teachers’ short term planning identifies clear learning objectives for lessons and differentiates the curriculum to take into account pupils’ abilities. This may be for individual pupils or small groups. Assessment is made using the following techniques: questioning, observations, discussion, and consideration of recorded evidence – pictorial, written, scribed, keyboard, video recording, audio recording or photographs.

Pupils take part in setting personal targets and assessing the achievements of these targets each term. 3 In Key Stage 4 pupils are assessed in Mathematics, English, Science, ICT, P.E. and Drama by the standards and methods identified by the Examination Board and ASDAN. In 6 th Form the students will be assessed against the standards and methods identified by the ASDAN, OCR National Skills Profile and ALL Programme. All the work is moderated by the required methods identified by each examination board. The teachers will moderate pupils’ work in the sixth form department as part of the requirements of the National Skills Profile and ASDAN Programme. Moderation of pupils work by the teachers across the school takes place termly.

North Ridge High School is a Rights Respecting School. A Rights Respecting School is a community where children’s rights are learned, taught, practised, respected, protected and promoted. The safety and individual opinions and views of the pupils are paramount. This policy statement should be read in conjunction with DFE guidance on exclusions, physical interventions and our school policies and guidelines on positive handling, using the quiet room and the pupil’s right to dignity and courtesy. This policy is written to help make North Ridge High School a place in where pupils have a right to learn, to work and to feel safe. Pupils, parents and staff enjoy a happy atmosphere at North Ridge High School. This can be achieved with the co-operation of all involved.

The overall and final responsibility for health and safety within the establishment is that of the employer (Local Authority) and certain areas with the governors of the school. The responsibility for ensuring that the requirements detailed in this policy are being carried out throughout the establishment is that of the Business Manager who reports directly to the Headteacher.

All children have access to an appropriate curriculum, differentiated to meet their needs. This enables them to learn to develop the necessary skills to build self-esteem, respect others, defend those in need, resolve conflict without resorting to violence, question and challenge and to make informed choices in later life. We use restorative approaches and language to support our pupils in understanding their responsibilities and the feelings of victims.Pupils achieve their best when school and parents / carers support each other in partnership. At North Ridge we aim to do this and ask parents to support us by signing this agreement.