Ofsted is the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills. By law it must inspect schools with the aim of providing information to parents, to promote improvement and to hold schools to account.
In June 2022 we were inspected by Ofsted and were judged to be a good school in all areas. Please read our Ofsted report below.
As London Borough of Waltham Forest Alternative Provision we are also quality assured annually by a team appointed by the Head of Alternative Provision, which typically involves a Headteacher and the Waltham Forest Safeguarding Lead for out of mainstream provision.
What is Pupil Premium?
Pupil Premium is additional government money given to schools in England to help disadvantaged young people do well at school and narrow the gap, both in school and nationally, between them and their peers.
Who is eligible for PP?
The funding is allocated to schools for students up to Year 11 who have registered for free school meals in the last six years, and young people who are in care or have parents in the Armed Forces.
How is it spent?
Schools are free to choose how to spend their Pupil Premium money. This may include funding extra classroom support, maths and literacy catch-up sessions, educational trips, music lessons or a breakfast club, speech and language or family therapy, or learning resources.
We use our pupil premium to fund a range of opportunities to help our pupils reach their potential.
Please see our 2021-22 Recovery & Pupil Premium report below for more information.
Regular and punctual school attendance is paramount at Burnside School. Pupils who attend school everyday take full advantage of the provision that we offer and the educational opportunities offered to them by law. Our responsibility is to ensure pupils are in school and on time, having access to learning for the maximum number of days and hours.
Our policy applies to all children registered at this school and this policy is made available to all parents/carers of pupils who are registered at our school on our school website under ‘policies’. This policy has been written to adhere to the relevant Children Acts, Education Acts, Regulations and Guidance from the Department for Education in addition to guidance from the Local Authority.
Although parents/carers have the legal responsibility for ensuring their child’s good attendance, the Headteacher and Governors at our school work together with other professionals and agencies to ensure that all pupils are encouraged and supported to develop good attendance habits. Procedures in this policy are followed to ensure this happens.
Students who are persistently late or absent soon fall behind with their learning. Students who are absent from school frequently develop large gaps in their learning which impact on their progress and their ability to meet age related learning expectations. A student whose attendance drops to 90% each year will, over their time at secondary school, have missed two whole terms of learning.
We celebrate good or better attendance in a number of ways. This includes, celebrations in assembly, praise and certificates and displays around the school.
Addressing Attendance Concerns
The Hawkswood Group has a clear attendance policy in place, which outlines the Hawkswood Attendance Stages (HAS). Attendance is closely tracked and any concerns are reported to the Behaviour, Attendance and Children Missing Education Service (BACME).
The school has high expectations that all students attend well.
It is the responsibility of the Headteacher and the governors to support good attendance and to identify and address attendance concerns promptly. Initially concerns about attendance are raised with parents via letters which are sent home. There are opportunities for the parent/carer to discuss reasons for absence and support to be given by the school with the aim of improving attendance. Where a student’s attendance does not improve over a period of time then the school has a responsibility to make a referral to the Educational Welfare Service.
The Behaviour, Attendance and Children Missing Education Service will issue penalty notices to parents where there has been a referral to BACME from the school as part of the school’s processes to address poor attendance patterns.
Burnside Secondary School is:
- A school with a strong Inclusive ethos
- A school that values individuality and recognises that each person has an important contribution to make to our society
- A provider of equal access and opportunity for all
- Continuously, actively seeking to remove the barriers to learning, supports interactive participation of all its children to ensure the best outcomes for all
How does Burnside Secondary School know if children need additional support?
Children may be identified as having additional SEN (Special Educational Needs) through a variety of ways including the following:
- Liaison with the pupils Mainstream school
- Child performing below age expected levels
- Concerns raised by Parent
- Through regular Pupil Progress Meetings
- Concerns raised around behaviour or self-esteem and how it could be affecting performance
- Liaison with external agencies such as Camhs and the Education Pscychologist
- Health diagnosis through paediatrician/doctor
As a school we track children’s progress in learning against national expectations and age related expectations. The class teacher continually assesses each child and notes areas where they are improving and where further support is needed.
What should I do if I think that my child needs help?
Talk to us – firstly contact your child’s class teacher. If you require more information contact our Head Teacher (Liz Rattue) or Deputy Head Teacher (David Cook). We pride ourselves on building positive relationships with parents. We are open and honest with parents and hope that you are able to do the same with us.
For any concerns about your child you can contact our SENCO:
Gill Howard-Smith (working days Tuesdays & Wednesdays) – gill.howard-smith@hawkswoodgroup.org.uk
How will the curriculum support my child’s needs?
All work within class is pitched at an appropriate level so that all children are able to access the curriculum according to their specific needs. Typically this might mean that in a lesson there would be adapted levels of work set for the class, however on occasions this can be individually adapted. The benefit of this type of adaptation is that all children can access each lesson and learn at their level.