St Mary Magdalene Academy the Courtyard

[EduCativ]

The Courtyard School is a free school for pupils with special educational needs. The pupils who attend the school have a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder and/or speech, language, and communication needs.

We are also able to offer a therapeutic element to the curriculum, through our links with CAMHS, the Local Authorities Educational Psychology team, and Integrated Services Speech and Language Therapists. All pupils are provided with a key worker to oversee all their pastoral needs.

Enrichment opportunities support our commitment to support the pupils in developing their social and communication skills. We currently offer film club, drama workshops, Modern Foreign Languages, yoga, and chess. The pupils can also be supported to access the enrichment program offered at the Academy.

The aspiration for all pupils is to access the highest level of qualification possible whilst also equipping them with the skills to be able to live and work independently.

A highly personalized curriculum is offered to each pupil so that they can develop the skills and knowledge necessary for success. The small school supportive setting and high staff ratio enable this.

We enable pupils to learn both in the mainstream classes within St Mary Magdalene Academy and in Courtyard School.

The Courtyard offers a two-tiered curriculum in English and maths, either the GCSE courses or the Edexcel Functional Skills courses. These courses run alongside BTEC/entry-level science, functional skills ICT, BTEC home cooking, GCSE citizenship, ASDAN PSD, SRE, reading support, art therapy, and self-discovery. Support structures are provided for those pupils who can access GCSE or A-Level qualifications in the SMMA mainstream setting.

Specifically to work with and ensure the academic, social and emotional progress of pupils with ASD. Lessons are planned and delivered to enable each child to achieve their potential.

Enrichment is an important part of the personalized curriculum offer at The Courtyard. Each day pupils can choose from a range of activities, such as learning a new language, yoga, and chess. We feel that this plays a vital role in the development of their social skills and further enables them to build relationships with their peers.

Pupils are also able to access excellent enrichment offer at the Academy. They can take part in an extremely varied program, for example, basketball, farming, drama, and book club.

The Courtyard, as part of St Mary Magdalene Academy, has the ethos of a Christian community for learning as the basis of the Behaviour Policy. We encourage good behavioral standards and social inclusion through a personalized behavior program that is set out in a clear code of conduct. We use a combination of routine, consistency, positive reinforcement, rewards, and sanctions in a calm setting to prepare pupils for the responsibilities of adult life.

Bullying and the school’s behavior policy. In summary, it states that students can expect to:

• Be provided with a safe place to learn and socialize.
• Be provided with a curriculum that promotes positive relationships with their peers and refutes any acceptance of bullying behavior.

The school will work to promote anti-bullying:

• Provide a safe learning environment that is closely monitored for incidences of bullying.
• Provide vulnerable students with support, strategies, and buddies to overcome bullying.
• Closely monitor the recorded incidences and update the curriculum to ensure that appropriate issues are taught.
• Outline the preventative measures the Courtyard undertakes in the academic curriculum to prevent bullying.

Our Sixth form pupils achieved excellent at the end of the last academic year. Pupils studied IB courses, BTEC courses, and GCSE courses. All pupils achieved success and have moved on to a range of further education provisions, including Kingston University, The Leighton Project, and an apprenticeship at Saddlers Well Theatre.

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