Our Vision for Merefield School….
Together we are building a progressive, beacon learning community with an outstanding holistic curriculum centred on the needs of each individual pupil. All pupils will be suitably challenged and encouraged to reach their potential within a caring, safe and happy environment. The voices of all members of the Merefield Community will be respected and valued at all times.
Our vision is supported by three key principles
- Education should meet individual needs
- The holistic development of our children and young people will be nurtured
- We will make a positive difference to the lives of children and their families
- Planning and decision making will be open, honest, transparent and person-centred
- Pupils will be enabled to reach their full potential within the context of their individual needs
- Pupils will be actively encouraged to exercise control over their lives
- All children and young adults will be treated with dignity and all contributions are celebrated
- Individual differences will be recognised, respected and celebrated and equality of opportunities recognised
- We will have the highest expectations for our young people
- We will be passionate about progress and be open minded with regard to notions of ‘progress’
- We will have an unswervingly positive ethos that embraces innovation and new ideas
- Pupils and students will have a voice that is respected and listened to, however subtle or loud
- Parents will be consulted, listened to, respected and supported
- Staff will be valued, consulted, listened to, respected and supported
Our Mission Statement:
We will achieve our vision by always thinking about the bigger picture, working as one team, valuing our staff and their continual development and by frequently reviewing, debating and developing the curriculum.
We will undertake to……..
Think about the bigger picture……
- Support families through extended service provision and promote the development of out of hours learning for our pupils even within the standard school day
- Support young adults during transition and ensure that they leave school with a clear profile of strengths and achievements, which will include external and internal accreditations
- Ensure that the culture and systems for effective pastoral support are in place for our young people
- Recognise the constraints of the Local Authority, creating a dialogue which enables us to provide and advocate for a service of excellence within the available resources
- Ensure that we are a research active school and that we use this platform to develop effective outreach services
- Make the school a central part of the wider community and a resource centre for mainstream schools and other agencies in training, consultancy and outreach
- Create and use opportunities to lobby and influence other statutory agencies including the Local Authority
Work as one team……
- Develop and be at the heart of a multi-disciplinary service, collaborating with health, education, social care services and other agencies
- Organise our services around the needs of the child/young person and family creating a one-stop-shop and flexible provision
- Adopt multi-disciplinary assessment to inform planning and delivery of services to meet individual pupils’ needs
- Work in partnership with parents/carers, listening to, learning from and respecting their contribution when discussing the needs of their own child. Parents/carers will be partners in the decision making process and a range of personalised opportunities for home-school liaison will be provided
Value staff and encourage their continual development….
- Value staff equally, building on the history, good practice and collective knowledge within the school, drawing on the experience of all
- Give staff appropriate opportunities and provide a culture within which they can take pride in their work and use and develop their expertise
- Have high expectations of staff whilst recognising time constraints and promoting a good work life balance
- Ensure staff are reflective practitioners who strive to refine, improve and open up their practice. Staff will be interested, organised and confident advocates for pupils and their families.
Review, debate and develop the curriculum….
- Create a center of excellence in special education that provides a first class, age appropriate curriculum that focuses on individual needs, strengths and abilities
- Continually revisit and debate the concept of education for pupils with severe and complex disabilities, maintaining a focus on innovative and creative approaches to the curriculum
- Enable pupils to make their own choices, be ambitious and learn from each other
- Ensure that assessment is rigorous and relevant to each pupil and that there is a strong evidence base of pupil progress
- Provide opportunities for pupils to constantly refine and generalize their learning within a range of contexts
- Further develop and review inclusion opportunities with mainstream partners in order to broaden the curriculum and provision on offer
Our Culture
In order to achieve our vision and work in the way outlined in our mission statement, Merefield School will have
- A “ can do “ culture underpinned with flexibility, adaptability and open mindedness
- A highly visible Leadership Team with an open-door policy throughout the school
- Staff who take pride in their work and use and develop their expertise
Merefield will be a school where
- Pupils feel happy, safe and supported
- Everyone feels a sense of belonging
- Everyone achieves success
- Everyone has fun