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Athena School Policies

Policies

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Read on to find information on our school policies, which are updated regularly, as appropriate.

Athena whole school policies

Accessibility Policy

Accessibility policy federation 2023Accessibility Policy (Including Accessibility Plans)

Admissions Policy

Admissions Policy Jan 2025

Click here for LCC admissions appeals guidance

If you are unhappy with the school stated on your EHC Plan, you must contact your child's SEND Caseworker.

Attendance Policy

Behaviour Management Policy

Behaviour Management Policy

Behaviour Management Policy 2023

    Careers and Further Education Policy

    Charging and Remissions Policy

    Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy

    Children in Care Policy

    Code of Conduct Policy

    Complaints Policy

    Data Protection Policy

    Equal Opportunities with Equality and Diversity Strategy Policy

    Exclusions Policy

    Finance Policy

    First Aid Policy

    Gifts, Rewards, Infatuations Policy

    Governors Allowance Policy

    Grievance Policy and Procedure

    Health & Safety Policy

    Home Learning Policy

    Marking & Recording Policy

    Medical Arrangement & Guidance on Administration of Medicines in School Policy

    Mental Health and Wellbeing Policy

    Mission Statement

    The Fortuna & Athena Federation

    Mission Statement including our Values and Vision

     

    Mission

    The fundamental aim of the Fortuna/Athena Federation is to provide a nurturing environment for pupils which is safe, warm, loving and unconditionally accepting of all

    individual pupils and their needs, for them to become part of a School Community.

    Within this community pupils will have the opportunity to flourish and become the best they can be in all that they do. The curriculum will be tailored to the needs of our pupils and will fulfil all the legal obligations set out in the National Curriculum.

    This will ensure that children can learn to develop personally, socially and emotionally and will give them the best opportunity to succeed, in terms of their relationships with others and their continuing education and future employment so that they become good and participating citizens.

    Values

    1. We offer unconditional acceptance of all pupils which aims to develop trust through good relationships.

    2. We take every opportunity to nurture pupils for them to gain the experiential foundation that all children need to be able to develop self-worth.

    3. Our curriculum is designed to be achievable, relevant and inspirational.

    4. We recognise and celebrate that all children can change how they see themselves and their world and that they can grow emotionally so that they develop self-worth and become accepting of themselves and others.

    5. We see play as a pivotal part in developing our pupils social and emotional growth and provide many opportunities for this to happen within the school day.

    6. We are outward facing because we believe that we have a responsibility to share our excellent practice with other schools and organisations.

    7. Our parents and carers are a vital part of our community, and we value their support and involvement in their child’s development.

    8. We recognise the value of working with other professionals outside of the school in order to provide comprehensive and personalised support.

    Vision

    Teachers and all staff within the Federation are accountable for the learning and progress that pupils make within a tailored curriculum within each School.

    Our Teaching and Learning Policy, Behaviour Management Policy and SEN Policy set out detailed expectations within the Federation, but the following essential features

    underpin all School Policies.

    Everything that staff do within the school is related to the needs of the pupils. All staff are pupil focused, honest and positive and have high expectations of pupils potential. 1,2,3

    We accept and understand that what pupils present is only the tip of an emotional iceberg and they each have a history which we cannot understand without

    communication and discussion.  It is only through this discussion and detailed understanding of their motivation that we can begin to support positive change in our

    pupils.  8,4,1,2

    We understand that early childhood development under pins personal and social development and that for some of our pupils this has been fractured or can be missing. 

    It is our purpose to repair and recreate childhood experiences in order to move forward as much as possible with all pupils. 1,2,4,5

    We believe that behaviour can change. We understand that every behaviour has a meaning. Our planning for pupils in school needs to be at this deeply personal level. 

    This must take into account individual motivators. 4,3,5,7,8

    We embrace the concept of a hierarchy of need; learning can only take place when these needs are met.  In planning for progression, we all understand that we build on

    previous learning and pupil interests. 3,1,2,5

    We recognise that chaotic confrontational incidents provide us with unique opportunities to engage with pupils on a psychodynamic level to help them reframe and internalise appropriate strategies to support their needs being met. 4,2,1

    Positive outcomes depend on the effective relationship between adults and pupils.  We are effective when we understand that we need to be empathetic, forgiving,

    appropriately challenging and driven by a generosity of spirit.  By doing this we generate trust. 1,2,4,5

    We support all staff to be able to use self-reflection and regulation to enable them to

    prioritise the needs of the pupils and recognise this can at times be painful and challenging therefore staff well-being is of paramount importance within the federation.

    . 1,2,4,5,7

    The learning environment must be stimulating, engaging, challenging, relevant and immersive.  3,5,8

    We create opportunities to reintegrate into mainstream schools or classes, prepare pupils for life beyond school and for further education or work. 2,3,4,5,6,7,8

    We engage with stakeholders, partners the school community and governors in pursuit of improvement on a regular basis. 6,7,8

    We see the federation as being a centre of excellence verified through external validation. We emphasise and value the development of our staff to become excellent

    practitioners in nurturing approaches to SEMH. We will encourage partners and others to develop their practice along the the lines set out in the values expressed here. 6,7,8

    The Federation will work closely with and alongside the principles set out by NurtureUK as developed by Eva Holmes and Eve Boyd(1999), which are:

     Children’s learning is understood developmentally
     It is understood that all behaviour is communication
     The classroom offers a safe space\
     Nurture is important for the development of self esteem
     Language is a vital means of communication
     The importance of transitions in children’s lives is understood

    Pay and Staffing Policy

    Performance Management Policy

    Physical Contact Between Adults and Children Policy

    Positive Handling Policy

    Positive Handling Policy

    Positive Handling Policy 2024 Federation

      Relationships, Sex and Health Education Policy

      Remote Learning Policy

      Safer Recruitment Policy

      SEND Policy and SEND Information Report

      Teaching and Learning Policy

      Uniform Policy

      Website Policy

      Whistleblowing Policy

      Latest news:

      International Women's Day

      Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that's diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge gender equality. Collectively for #IWD2025 we can all #AccelerateAction. International Women's Day (IWD) has been around for over a hundred years, as have many of the issues still impacting women's advancement. Since 1911, IWD belongs to all who care about women's equality. Celebrate women's achievement. Raise awareness about discrimination. Take action to forge gender parity. Taken from https://www.internationalwomensday.com/