Ark Academy Pledge

62 Pages·2017·1.67 MB·English

by  Aelisha Lisk

ARK ACADEMY

www.arkacademy.org
Dear Parents/carers

Welcome to Ark Academy, after seven years of growth we are now a full school. Our first
founder students of 2010 are taking their ‘A’ levels and are hopeful of achieving some
great university places. We are very proud of our sixth form.

We really look forward to working with you over the next seven years on your
son/daughter’s journey to university. We have a fantastic staff who are really focussed on
teaching and learning and we know your sons and daughters will rise to the challenge
with our careful support. Your support, encouragement and clear boundaries will help us
to help your child to progress and develop as model citizens.

We place maximum emphasis on excellent behaviour and a thoughtful caring attitude to
each other. We all simply live CIVITAS.

I am sure you are aware that we have some very clear “givens” for example, completing
homework to the best of our ability, beautiful uniform, excellent punctuality and
attendance to name but a few.

Consequently, this handbook is an essential support manual for all parents/carers in
support of your child and Ark Academy. Please keep it, refer to it and get back to us with
any queries.

We have learnt much over the last seven years. Obviously we have got to know our
pupils really well but we have also developed and improved on our expectations and
routines. We believe we are very organised and try not to let anything slip passed
unnoticed.

We will do everything in our power to communicate really effectively with you in the
future and wish you and your child a happy and successful Ark Academy experience for
the next seven years.

Yours faithfully

Delia Smith
Principal
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CONTENTS
1. Key information:
Academy contact details & term dates 5
Ark Academy Mission Statement 6

2. Working in partnership:
Our Teaching and Learning Commitment 8
The Home-School Agreement 9
Ark Academy Code of Conduct 10
Ark Pastoral Team 12
Attendance and Punctuality procedures 13
Safeguarding 15
Ark Academy Rewards 18
Systems for Detentions 20
Uniform Policy 24
Student Planner 27
Clubs and Societies 28
Opportunities for learning an Instrumental 29
Physical, Social and Emotional Wellbeing 29
Communication 30
Parental Involvement in Ark Academy 30
Travelling to school 31
School food availability 32
How to pay for school meals 34

3. Helping your child learn:
Equipment 40
Homework 40
Helping your child with their learning 41
The Curriculum 42
Learning support 43
Our Specialisms 45
The House System 47
Opportunities for Leadership 48
School Trips 49
Assessment and Reporting 50
Lexia and Reading with your child 52
Summer Reading 54
Ark Academy Pledge 60
Code of Conduct 62
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SECTION 1
KEY INFORMATION

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GENERAL INFORMATION

Contact information:
Ark Academy
Bridge Road
Wembley
HA9 9JP
Telephone: [phone]
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.arkacademy.org/secondary

Term dates 2017/2018
Autumn Term 2017
Start Half-term Finish
Wednesday 6th September Monday 23rd October – Wednesday 20th December
2017 Friday 27th October 2017 2017
(inclusive)
Spring Term 2018
Start Half-term Finish
Thursday 4th January 2018 Monday 12th February – Thursday 29th March 2018
Friday 16th February 2018
(inclusive)
Summer Term 2018
Start Half-term Finish
Tuesday 17th April 2018 Monday 28th May – Friday Friday 20th July 2018
1st June 2018
OTHER SCHOOL CLOSURE DAYS
Staff training Monday 30th October 2017
days Friday 24th November 2017
Friday 8th December 2017
Wednesday 3rd January 2018
Monday 19th February 2018
Friday 16th March 2018
Monday 16th April 2018
Friday 6th July 2018
Bank Holidays Monday 7th May 2018

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ARK ACADEMY MISSION STATEMENT
Ark Academy has at its core the pursuit of highest standards possible in education. We
believe in high aspirations, high motivation and high achievement for all. Through our
extended curriculum and community life we seek to meet the needs of the whole
person. Civitas – Citizenship – is at our core. We will build a community of civic pride
and social justice in which all members are equally valued. We are committed to the
service of young people and to helping them play their full part in society.

In light of this we aim to:
 Provide every student with the knowledge, skills, self-belief and motivation to be
successful in their learning and lives
 Welcome, value and respect all who come to the school
 Build a community based on justice and a sense of personal responsibility
 Provide opportunities for all to experience CIVITAS whilst developing a spirit of
tolerance and understanding for all cultures, traditions and faiths
 Promote dialogue and co-operation with the wider community

Our Driving Principles are:

 Excellence

 Citizenship
 Participation
 Persistence

Our goal

Our goal is that all students should be able to access higher education and participate

fully in our democratic society.

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SECTION 2
WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP

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OUR TEACHING AND LEARNING COMMITMENT
What is our fundamental purpose?
At the start of each lesson, our pupils say the School Pledge. This sums up what education at Ark
Academy is about:
Today and everyday, I will strive to achieve. With curiosity and interest, patience and persistence,
kindness and respect, I will fulfil my potential as a student and a citizen.
We will do everything in our power to help your child fulfil his or her potential.
To do this, your child needs the positive growth mindset to learning: to enjoy challenging situations
and to meet them calmly, confidently and creatively. Persistence is essential which is why it is one
of our core values. We know there are young people without persistence who struggle to cope.
We don’t want that to be your child. And it will not be, if your child attends every day, joins in and
gives 100%.
We will do everything in our power to give your child the confidence and capability to succeed.
It is our mission to see all our pupils, including your child, have access to higher education and/or
a career of choice.
How can we work together to achieve this purpose?
When your child enters Ark Academy, we begin a partnership. We must do everything we can to
make this partnership a big success. After all, we will not have this opportunity again.
Ark Academy commits to doing all we can, including: nurturing a positive growth mindset; being
professional and consistent; and having high expectations in everything we do. This includes:
planning effective lessons; setting weekly, substantial homework; designing appropriate
assessments and giving you and your child helpful, accurate feedback on his or her progress.
From you, we ask that you do all you can to help your child be a successful learner. This includes
nurturing a positive, growth mindset and the right learning habits. Learning happens away from
school too! There are many concrete things you can do to help your child:
1. Be a visible learner for your child. Let your child see you learning new things, grappling
with difficult ideas and making mistakes. Share stories with your children about how you
overcame learning challenges previously.
2. Let your child learn difficult things – rising to a challenge makes a better learner.
3. Praise your child’s effort, not “ability”. Research shows that praising the effort of a learner is
much more powerful than praising ability. If you tell your child he/she is “talented” or
“gifted”, he/she may be reluctant to try harder tasks in case of failure.
4. Manage your child’s access to social media. As well as associated safeguarding and
wellbeing risks, social media can be a big obstacle to your child’s levels of concentration
and learning. Success at school requires many dedicated hours of study NOT many
dedicated hours on the phone.
We commit to doing our best to communicate clearly and openly with you and to listen to
you. This is a partnership after all. Please contact us about our Learning and Teaching
Commitment if you have any questions.
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HOME SCHOOL AGREEMENT – SECONDARY 2017-18
School will: Home will: Pupils will:
Teaching and Learning:  Provide an enriched curriculum which challenges and  Take an interest in what my child is learning  Come to school ready to learn
pupils deserve the motivates  Support the school’s philosophy of high expectations for all  Work hard in all lessons
highest possible  Ensure that each pupil has the opportunities, support and  Encourage my child to work hard and support them in homework  Complete their home learning everyday
standard of teaching guidance to achieve his/her full potential
and support to help  Use regular assessment to track pupil progress
them learn.
Attendance &  Contact parents on the first day of unknown absence  Make every effort to make sure that my child will attend school  Attend school every day and arrive on time
Punctuality: pupils have  Contact parents of children who regularly arrive late for every day and on time  Go straight to lessons during the school day
the right to education school  Inform the school as soon as possible about any absence and the
and parents have a  Refer to Education Welfare where attendance is a concern reason for it
legal responsibility to  Avoid taking children on holiday during term time
make sure children
attend regularly.
Behaviour and Ethos:  Have a behaviour policy which creates a safe and caring  Give praise at home for good behaviour and attitude at school  Keep school and class rules
pupils learn best in an environment for everyone  Work with the school to find solutions in cases of unacceptable  Be an ambassador for Ark Academy- polite to others in the
orderly environment  Treat everyone with respect behaviour academy and in the wider community
where everyone knows  Make sure that all staff, pupils and parents know what  Agree to the detention policy of the academy  Understand that any misbehavior whilst wearing Academy
what is expected of behaviour is expected  Sign daily behaviour reports where necessary uniform will be dealt with as if the incident occurred at school
them.  Consistently implement the behaviour policy sanctions and  Work cooperatively with external agencies where necessary to  Treat others as I would wish to be treated
rewards support the wellbeing and behaviour of your child  Have a positive attitude to learning and school
 Detain your child until 5.15 pm where necessary  Attend detentions
 Place your child on daily behaviour report where necessary  Work cooperatively with external agencies to improve behaviour
 Liaise with external agencies where necessary when where necessary
concerns arise ( Social care, Police , Brent Inclusion Team)  Understand that you may be searched for banned or prohibited
 Search students for prohibited items when necessary items where necessary
Home Learning, Study  Keep parents informed about home learning  Encourage my child in home learning and sign the school planner  Complete all home learning set and return it to school on time
Support & Enrichment:  Provide suitable materials and advice on home based weekly  Read everyday
learning at home has an activities and how to help  Encourage my child to read every day  Use my planner to organise my homework and record my
important part to play  Provide a range of study support and enrichment  Allow my child to attend off-site visits achievements
in helping pupils to opportunities  Encourage my child to participate in the extracurricular  Take part in extra-curricular activities offered by the school
achieve. opportunities offered by the school
Communication: good  Make sure that parents have information about their child’s  Tell school about anything that may affect my child’s learning or  Take letters, notes and reports from school home and give them
communication progress, behaviour and general school matters behaviour to my parents
between home and  Make sure that parents are informed about what their child  Attend parent evenings  Talk with parents and teachers about any worries in school
school is essential to is learning  Raise concerns promptly and directly with the school  Be responsible for signing daily behaviour reports where
make sure that pupils  Make sure they listen to parents’ concerns and do their necessary
get the support they best to help  Tell a teacher if there is anything that may be affecting my
need.  Inform you if your child has detention learning or behaviour
Uniform, Equipment &  Check your child’s uniform, planner and equipment daily  Make sure my child wears the correct uniform everyday  Wear the correct uniform everyday
Parent Pay  Provide you child with a locker and insist valuables like  Make sure my child comes to school with the necessary equipment  Come to school with the correct equipment and books
mobile phones are stored there and books  Make sure valuables are stored in lockers at all times
 Ensure my parent pay account is always in credit and all required
payments for trips /visits/lessons/clubs are made in advance
 Agree to the biometrics policy of the academy
 Agree to my child’s photograph or film/video footage being taken
for the academy’s use and for use by ARK
 Agree to the confiscation of banned items, e.g. mobile phones
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CODE OF CONDUCT
In the community of Ark Academy, I must:
 be polite to all I encounter: staff, visitors and fellow students
and treat all people as I would wish to be treated
 go straight to lessons, holding doors open for others when
corridors are busy
 walk in a single file in corridors and stairs, keeping to the left
and not running or shouting
 not insult, undermine or swear at any member of staff, visitor
or student
 Keep my hands and feet to myself and not touch, or interfere
with other peoples’ property.
 be on time for school and all lessons
 bring my planner, water bottle and all other equipment
necessary for school every day
 enter the classroom quietly, greet the teacher and settle down
to the DO NOW activity straight away
 show respect for my own learning and that of others by being
silent when requested
 be an active learner engaging with all activities
 listen to members of staff and follow instructions politely and
calmly
 respect other peoples’ responses and questions and learn from
them by active listening and following the speaker with my
eyes

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