At Caistor Grammar School, we aim for all of our students to thrive and to be the best versions of themselves. This includes all students who are disadvantaged, whether this be Pupil Premium, Looked After, Previously Looked After, SEND, or in any other ways vulnerable. The rest of this document identifies our aims for these students, in particular.
· Our intent is for all students to experience an engaging and broad curriculum which is challenging and rigorous in the context of our selective School.
· We aim for the school to be a truly inclusive environment for our students. We aim for students to gain a keen interest and regard for all their subjects throughout their lives. When it comes to all of our students making progress, we understand and support the whole-School curriculum philosophy: the core principle that progress is based on what students know and understand. Our knowledge-engaged curriculum sees knowledge as underpinning and enabling the application of skills for successful progress of all students.
· We aim for all students to have their barriers to learning identified, and for all staff to work with them to overcome these barriers. We aim for effective transition into the School, in order to support this.
· We aim for all staff to have a grounded understanding of the individual needs of our students, and to implement the strategies they have been advised to use through Quality First Teaching, developed through effective CPD, so that all students are supported effectively within and outside the classroom.
· We aim for a graduated approach to support for students with SEND, implemented through a plan, do and review model.
· We aim for all students to make good progress throughout their time at the School, and to achieve GCSE and A level results which show good progress within our School’s context. Where there are sufficient numbers for the data not to be suppressed, we aim for our students in vulnerable groups to compare favourably to national comparative figures, again within our context as a selective School.
· We aim for all students to be in a position to make positive choices about their next steps post-16 and post-18, and to go on to further education, training, employment or apprenticeships.
· We aim for the attendance of all students to be good, where possible in line with the 95% target for the whole-School. We work to ensure that vulnerable groups have high attendance levels.
· We aim to support our students holistically, so that they are able to overcome any pastoral or Safeguarding barriers to learning, and can focus on their progress. This ties in with the School’s EAGER to learn model.
· We aim for a good take-up of extra-curricular participation amongst all groups of students, so that they can develop their wider educational understanding, and to develop their resilience and social interactions.
· We aim to use outside agencies, where needed, in order to support our students and to develop our understanding of their needs and responses to their barriers for learning.
· We aim to deploy our SEND staff in a way which maximises progress and support for our SEND students.
· We aim to identify quickly any SEND needs of students that emerge during their time at the School.
· We aim to track the progress of our students effectively, especially those in vulnerable groups, so that we can identify successes, and individuals where strategies need to be adapted, so that support is responsive and adapts to changing needs.
· We aim to involve parents in the support of our students, so that they are able to provide their input from their knowledge of their children and home circumstances to help overcome any barriers to learning.
· We aim to use resources effectively to target any barriers to learning and to support our students.
· We aim for students from vulnerable groups to be at the forefront of our discussions and decisions at all levels within the School, whether amongst teaching staff, School meetings, SLT or Trustees.