Expectations and Standards Update November 2018
Dear Parents/Carers,
As we settle into the second half-term of the academic year, I would like to take this opportunity to update parents/carers on some of our new developments, whilst also kindly reminding all students and parents/carers of some of our already established expectations.
You may also be aware that we have begun work on our approach to Behaviour for Learning with an external company called “Pivotal Education”. Pivotal Education is an education training consultancy working across the whole of the UK and internationally, who are the leading Behaviour Specialists in the UK. There are over 1000 schools and colleges using the Pivotal approach to behaviour management, a proven system that works in every classroom, and here at the Edge we are excited to be joining them on our journey.
Over the course of the next few weeks, we will be introducing our students to the new simplified school rules and values. ‘Safe, Ready, Respectful ’ will be the 3 clear statements to which we will all work within. Are students SAFE in their actions and behaviours towards others and themselves, are students READY to learn and participate in school life, are students RESPECTFUL of the individual differences, opinions and values of other learners and adults in school? These three concepts of ‘Safe, Ready, Respectful’ will drive everything we do at the Edge and help shape the positive culture we want to see for our young people.
I would also like to take the opportunity to politely remind you of a number of already established expectations at the Edge Academy, which we agree with you at induction interviews.
Firstly, the school premises are a non-smoking site for all users. Furthermore, the presence of smoking related items are also banned items as listed in the school’s Behaviour Policy and prohibited items that may be searched for and confiscated include: tobacco or cigarette papers, cigarettes, cigarette lighters, matches, e-cigarettes and vapes. The school does not support or endorse smoking in any form and if your son/daughter is found to be smoking or in possession of prohibited items they will be subject to escalated school sanctions.
Secondly, mobile phones are not permitted inside the school building and therefore students are required to hand them in at the start of the day to be kept securely in their locker or placed on the provided charging trolley. There have been some incidents in recent weeks of students being found in possession of mobile phones during the school day after deliberately hiding the devices to evade detection on signing in each morning. The security and protection of a student’s phone cannot be guaranteed in such cases. We also believe our current approach towards mobile phones supports our students in being safe and protected from inappropriate phone contact/ messaging etc during the school day. We trust that you are willing to support the school in this area and we would be grateful if you could remind your son/daughter to be responsible for handing their phone in to so that the provided facilities can be used. We will be reviewing the school policy on mobile phones during this half-term through student voice and school council discussions.
If you have any further questions regarding this letter, please feel free to contact me at [email protected]
Yours faithfully,
Adam Smith
Vice Principal