New Rush Hall is an outstanding school. (Ofsted December 2016, December 2012, and January 2008) We are a High Performing Specialist School, with specialisms in working with children and young people experiencing significant social, emotional, behavioral, and/or mental health difficulties (SEMH) and in Applied Learning. We offer education, support, and guidance to children aged 5 to 16 years old who have experienced difficulties in their mainstream school. We offer full-time placements to both primary and secondary pupils, and some pupils maintain a link with their mainstream school.
The school has a separate Early Years’ provision for Reception and Year 1 & 2 children who attend part-time - mornings only - and return to their mainstream schools after lunch. Our main task is to do what all good schools do, which is to engage children and adults in the exciting business of learning and teaching. We are a special school and, for me, the special aspect is the time we take to think about behavior, trying to understand what it is communicating to us, and planning how to change it in the best interests of children. This is our area of experience and expertise.
The behavior of many children causes concern at some stage of their schooling. Despite this, everyone has a right to achieve, and every parent, carer, and family has the right to expect that school will do its very best for their child. When a child comes to this school, we see it as an opportunity, not a punishment. We hope that we can work in partnership with parents, carers, and other agencies to help children manage themselves differently, in a way that will serve them better for life.
Although all children referred here have had difficulties in the past, we still expect everyone to behave reasonably and safely. A big part of our philosophy is that children can and must learn to take responsibility for their behavior and its consequences. This means putting things right when they go wrong and having another chance, a fresh start. We do not believe that we can help children by allowing them to behave in an unsafe or unacceptable manner without regard to other people. We use moments of conflict as learning opportunities for growth.
Self-discipline is a skill that can be learned, so we operate within a structure in which everybody is clear about the rules, expectations, and consequences. We have high expectations of all members of the community, children, staff, and parents. We want the very best for all children and will strive to achieve it.
We believe that every child has a right to achieve and that every parent and carer has the right to expect that the school will do its very best for their child. To achieve this, we work in partnership with parents, carers, and mainstream schools as well as other agencies as appropriate. We also believe that children and young people must learn to take responsibility for their behavior and that self-discipline is a skill that has to be, and can be, learned. Since this is difficult at times, we operate within a structure in which everybody is clear about the rules, regulations, and expectations. We manage pupil behavior through a policy and procedures which are clear, coherent, and consistently applied.
We aim, wherever possible, to enable pupils to return to their local school and many make a phased return through a mainstream experience program supported initially by staff from the school. Whilst some pupils may have difficulties with aspects of their learning, the overriding issue is that they have had significant problems in their referring school, are unable to work, play and socialize in a safe and acceptably cooperative way. Pupils come to New Rush Hall School with a commitment to change.
