Piper Hill High School

[EduCativ]

Piper Hill High School is an Outstanding school that is ambitious for every one of our learners within the school community. We are a larger than average size special school that caters to students aged 11 – 19 with significant learning difficulties. Our primary aim is to engage pupils in learning through outstanding teaching.
We aim to work in partnership with parents and carers and other agencies to provide the very best education for our students and to ensure they have the very best outcomes and make the best rates of progress they possibly can. We ensure that through this partnership each pupil will achieve their potential and make outstanding progress and enjoy their time at Piper Hill. We aim to equip them to become the very best citizens they can be by the time they leave.
We hope students will enjoy being at Piper Hill and benefit from the curriculum offered and the vast range of activities we provide. This year we are focussing on further developing reading and communication skills and numeracy for our students through using our pupil premium money and developing the new curriculum for computing.
Our academies are encouraged to develop as their distinctive institutions, believing this is how they can best respond to local needs. We do, however, work within a common structure and ethos rooted within the PLT vision. Good test and examination outcomes are the keys to providing the best life chances for children and we are creating a collaborative culture of continuous and joint improvement in teaching and learning with a focus on the basics.
Piper Hill is a special school that provides 135-day places for 11-19-year-old students in an environment where pupils with identified and statemented Complex Cognitive Difficulties (SLD as the primary need), can access specialized and holistic education. The carefully planned environment and engaging, personalized curriculum on offer is designed to meet the needs of students with a learning difficulty. All pupils must have a Statement of Special Educational Needs or an Education, Health, and Care Plan naming the school.
At Piper Hill, we offer a carefully thought out curriculum, with the curriculum focus developing as the students move through the Key Stages e.g. with more focus on developing independence and life skills through simulated and real-life experiences. Effective and strong links will be forged with the local community. In the process of considering naming Piper Hill in a plan, the LA must consult with the school and the school will consider the appropriateness of the placement for an individual and would also ensure that naming a child for Piper Hill would be in the best interests of the children and whether the school could meet their needs. The final decision on the school to be named rests with the local authority responsible for maintaining the statement.
We can only accept referrals from Local Authorities (LA). Whilst parents are welcome to visit the school and can be provided with information about the school, the school cannot proceed to the admissions stage without local authority support. Parents wishing their children to benefit from our provision should ask their local authority to name our school in their child’s EHCP.
All schools receive additional funding, The Pupil Premium, which is additional to the main Special School funding from the LA and is intended to help disadvantaged pupils to 'close the gap' and to raise attainment and improve progress. A high percentage of our pupils receive Pupil Premium funding.
Here at Piper Hill, we strive to make sure all our students are safe in school, at home, online, and in the community. Our staff is here to keep everyone safe and promote personal safety and well-being. Should you have any concerns, you can contact a member of the school safeguarding team.
We believe co-operation and discussion between parents/carers and staff is essential, and that establishing an effective partnership between home and school will give each student the maximum opportunity for development. Your child will have a diary, which is usually completed daily at school. The timetable will be included in the weekly diary. You can use this to communicate with your son or daughter’s tutor. The diary should provide you with immediate information about your child’s progress and well-being. A newsletter is sent home to parents and carers regularly over the year. This contains information about forthcoming events together with contributions from the pupils. Contributions from parents to the newsletter are also welcome.
There are many events in school during the year, to which parents and carers are invited. Staff and pupils work hard to prepare for these occasions and an audience is always appreciated. Parents and carers are always welcome to visit the school at any time. Please telephone beforehand to make an appointment if you wish to see someone in particular. It is the legal requirement for all parents and carers to provide the school with contact details and current address.

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