Vision, Values and Ethos

Vision. Values and Purpose

Enjoy, Engage, Learn

The values of Briarwood School are that all pupils should Enjoy their time with us, so that they can Engage and Learn to their full potential.

Enjoy

Our aim is for the School to be a happy, welcoming, nurturing environment, where all pupils feel safe, secure and are ready to learn. All aspects of school life are designed to inspire and motivate pupils, through a bespoke curriculum which uses creative approaches to maximise learning. Pupil enjoy learning core curriculum subjects alongside essential life skills and enrichment activities which promote the personal development of each individual. As well as focusing on English and Maths, we also set skills based targets which promote independence, self-respect, dignity, self-esteem, self-confidence and self-regulation. Through an appropriate and exciting environment, we can meet our aim to value learning, safety, independence and play, ensuring maximum achievement.

Engage

Pupils enjoy their time at Briarwood and therefore engage in all aspects of the school day. We value enrichment and inclusion, which ensures pupils engage in school life through a carefully designed learning experience. We provide an inspirational, accessible and adaptable environment, fostering a culture of learning that meets the needs of all pupils. Communication is key in all we do and underpins our approach to learning – each class has a bespoke approach to communication using strategies for both children and adults to communicate effectively. This includes Makaton, PECS, symbols, iPads and Smartboards, photos, Intensive Interaction, music, objects of reference and body signing. We undertake regular training in a wide range of well-known strategies including TEACCH for children within the Autistic Spectrum. We also offer in house “Twilight” training on a number of areas of SEND and professional knowledge and practice. We value enrichment and inclusion and include this throughout the school year. Each child has a personal Optimum Learning Map which includes specific strategies for staff to use, to ensure engagement for learning is a priority. Each map also includes information about our “Optimal Learning Environment”. Pupils with more complex needs can access the curriculum through the use of multi-sensory approaches.  This enables the children to use and integrate their senses to learn about themselves and the world around them.  The balance between subject based sessions and therapeutic input may be different for each pupil and is planned according to individual needs. Pastoral support is provided for pupils who may display challenging behaviours. These focus on developing self-regulation, emotional literacy and de-escalation skills.

Learn

We provide a bespoke approach to learning, to support children with often complex and widely differing needs. All pupils are supported to achieve, no matter how small the goal or milestone.

Our curriculum is relevant to each stage of a pupil’s learning journey, which ensures and appropriate mix of academic and life skills. All staff provide a culture of supportive independence, with a focus on preparing pupils to become active citizens of their communities. Progress of learning, behaviour, physical and emotional development is closely monitored by Teaching Staff, which is fed in to whole school systems. This ensures we are always aware of where a pupil is on their learning journey and what the appropriate next steps are. We are part of Multi-professional teams, working alongside families, education, health, social care and voluntary organisations. All these people support our ability to offer each pupil an individualised package, to meet all their needs and to ensure they thrive and learn to their full potential. We strongly encourage links with families as partners in learning and see this is a vital component in each pupil’s journey with us.