Welcome to the website of The Edge Academy- I hope it provides you with a flavour of academy life and all of the information you require.
I was hugely honoured to be appointed Principal of The Edge from January 2024 after being lucky enough to be part of the positive growth of the school over the last five years in my previous role as Vice Principal. I am proud that The Edge has a truly special culture built on relational practice, emotional connections, and trauma-informed approaches to positive behaviour management. It is this true sense of family and community that make the Edge a place where students enjoy learning, staff enjoy working and all stakeholders feel valued and cared for.
The Edge Academy aims to be a welcoming, stable and friendly place for our students. We aim to provide the best possible environment for students to learn and develop with an understanding of the world around them. Together, we strive to bring the best out of our students, ensuring that they maximise their potential and are prepared as fully as possible for reintegration to mainstream education or for progress to further learning and life – be that post-16 study, employment or training. Full details of our “Safe, Ready, Respectful” curriculum can be accessed on the “curriculum” tab of our website or directly by going to https://www.theedgeacademy.co.uk/curriculum/
Our aim is to offer what our students need to help them make the most of their potential. This requires a highly flexible approach, specialised skills and lots of experience in working with young people with additional needs. Our challenge and motivation is to “Unleash Greatness through our Safe, Ready, Respectful Values”.
Whilst mainstream schools are incredible forces for good in society, helping to socialise, educate and engage the next generation, the journey through mainstream education, for some youngsters, is not a smooth one. For some students, success in the education system means we have to offer something different. At the Edge Academy, we challenge students to take responsibility for being SAFE, modify their behaviour, improve attitudes to school life and make academic progress across the range and breadth of curriculum opportunities available. In addition to classroom-based learning, students are provided with enrichment opportunities throughout the academic year.
We respect that all of our young people are individuals from a diverse range of backgrounds and life-experiences. We passionately believe that by assisting them to overcome their personal barriers, they should be entitled and READY to access the full-range of opportunities available in society.
One of our core values is to place children and families first. At The Edge, our families get to know the teams who support their child well and are actively supported to work in partnership with professionals. Right from the start, we make sure that we are RESPECTFUL to spend time listening to our young people and their families to find out as much as we can, as together we develop the start of their Edge learning journey. We continually develop and adapt our support for each family, so that whilst caring for their children, we also acknowledge our responsibility to listen to and understand the needs and priorities of parents and carers.
The Edge Pledge
We WILL support students to be:
· SAFE – to make positive choices to keep themselves and others safe.
· READY – to succeed in the world beyond school.
· RESPECTFUL – to treat and value others as equal individuals.
We WILL ensure our students are successful by:
1. Understanding their individual social, emotional and behavioural needs, focusing on their happiness and safety by nurturing their self-esteem.
2. Teaching the importance of respecting and valuing other people and their environment.
3. Seizing opportunities within and beyond the national curriculum to support learning and enhance development.
We WILL bring the best out of our students by:
1. Helping them fulfil academic potential by re-engaging them in learning.
2. Enabling each of them to understand and adopt a healthy, active and environmentally friendly lifestyle.
3. Listening and responding flexibly so each individual can achieve their potential.
As Vice Principal of The Edge Academy since 2018, it is an honour for me to move forward from my previous role to become Principal. I am delighted to lead our dedicated team of staff who fully embrace the principles and practices of warmth, kindness and respect. Furthermore, all staff take the time to understand and connect with young people.
We are committed to developing links with parents/carers and the wider community. Please feel free to contact me directly via e-mail at [email protected] if I can be of assistance in any way.
Our aim is to communicate regularly with our community through the following various websites, letters and social media platforms:www.x.com/edgenorthfieldwww.facebook.com/edgeacademynorthfieldwww.linkedin.com/company/the-edge-academy-northfield/www.youtube.com/channel/UCecMYPWTNC-DYEbioHbBFvAwww.instagram.com/theedgeacademynorthfieldwww.snapchat.com/add/edgenorthfieldwww.tiktok.com/@edgeacademynorthfield
We have excellent links with our family of local schools in South Birmingham. We also work with a variety of schools across the Midlands (including central and north Birmingham, The Black Country, Worcestershire, and Warwickshire) and would be delighted to hear from schools, businesses and any other institutions who wish to play a role in supporting our students!
Over the course of the last eighteen months, we have been pleased to gain a wide range of local and national recognition. We have been awarded Skills Builder “Silver School Status”; “Trauma Informed Attachment Aware Status”; won the Midlands Education Awards: “Outstanding Support for Students Award” and the UK’s “Alternative Provision Team of the Year Award” at the National PRUsAP Conference.
The Edge Academy is immensely proud and honoured to announce that it has been awarded “When the Adults Change” Partner School status. This recognises the truly special culture at the school built on relational practice, emotional connections, and trauma and nurture-informed approaches to positive behaviour management. The Edge Academy is the very first alternative provision school in the United Kingdom to achieve this distinction.
Adam Smith PGCE, BA (Hons)