Education and Training Awards 2020

Jun20549 Most Innovative KS3/4 SEND School 2020 - Devon Everybody deserves the opportunity to learn and be educated, regardless of cognitive ability or learning capability. Brook Green Centre for Learning is a purpose built community special school for young people aged between eleven and sixteen who have cognition and learning needs, as well as social, emotional, and mental health needs. We examine further the innovative learning environment that this Plymouth based school has created for its students. With a team of forty eight staff supporting and looking after ninety six students, Brook Green is a superb school for students with special educational needs. At the school, everyone is wholly committed to offering an innovative curriculum, vocational learning, and a caring, supportive environment where every student is celebrated for the value they bring to the school community. Each individual student is made to feel safe and welcome at Brook Green with outstanding accommodation that is not only superbly well-kept, but also enhances the teaching and learning environment. As a result, the students are proud and happy to be at the school, and the staff are equally proud of the students as fantastic ambassadors for the school. The mission statement of Brook Green is ‘Believe ~ Thrive ~ Achieve’, with each facet presenting a different challenge and opportunity for students. Believing means enabling students to feel sure that they are capable of achieving something. Thriving paves the way for students to grow, develop, and be successful on a daily basis, and Achieving is about encouraging the students to succeed in finishing something, or getting a great result. The core purpose of the team is to improve the life chances of each and every student attending Brook Green, and the students are encouraged to believe, thrive, and achieve by staff at all times. Brook Green continues to be an ‘Outstanding’ school, according to Ofsted reports, and everybody at the school is incredibly proud of the achievements that students make on a regular basis. Working in partnership with parents, carers, and students alike, Brook Green offers a curriculum that is broad, balanced, and matches individual needs. It values the work of both staff and students, and engages positively in the life of the community. Students can achieve qualifications in a wide variety of subject areas, preparing them both for future successes at college, and to ensure they leave Brook Green prepared for life as independent young adults in the twenty first century. Qualifications include Maths and English GCSEs, Functional Skills, Entry Level Pathways in PE, OCR National in ICT, ‘Step Up’ Qualifications, GCSE Art, BTEC Engineering, and BTEC Home Cooking skills. Staff are all wholly dedicated to providing the best possible place of learning and support for students at Brook Green, and this is evident in the robust and reflective approach to Continuing Professional Learning. Coupled with a Strategic Development Plan, which all of the school community has contributed to, staff are always looking to improve. Primarily, that is to ensure that the school is well-placed to continue providing the outstanding resources and experiences that enable it to meet the increasingly complex needs of all students. As well as that, there is also an acute awareness of the need to maintain outstanding progress and attainment as a result of effective leadership and management. Looking to the future however, Brook Green is set to continue building capacity to sustain and develop the effectiveness of outstanding leadership by developing talented staff. Planning the school’s strategic response to the shifting economic landscape and increasing demand for places is another key area of growth for the future at Brook Green. Ultimately, for now, this is an exceptional school, covering all aspects of SEND across Key Stage 3 and 4. Believing strongly in transforming education for all students through collaboration, Brook Green is a specialist in the field, working hard to make a real difference to the lives and outcomes of young people across the city and its bordering neighbours. Company: Brook Green Centre for Learning Contact: Sara Jordan Website: www.brookgreen.org.uk Education & Training Awards 2020