Designated ASD Provision
In September 2007 Bridgewater High School became a 12 place Designated Provision for students with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) aged 11-16. Previously this was a 12 place Enhanced ASD Provision. There is a Provision on both Upper Site and Lower Site with the staff working together across both. In September 2012 we became a 16 place Provision. In 2016 we increased our numbers to 22 places across KS3 and KS4. This academic year we are offering 25 places.
Designated Provision is a discrete provision in a mainstream school and as such pupils in the Designated Provision have access to the Provision throughout the school day, including at those times when they integrate into the mainstream classes.
Staffing
| Assistant Head Teacher (Inclusion and SEND): Mrs Sutcliffe CONTACT EMAIL: enquiries@bridgewaterhigh.com (marking it ‘FAO Mrs Sutcliffe) SENDCo: Mrs Morrison CONTACT EMAIL: enquiries@bridgewaterhigh.com (marking it ‘FAO SENDCo’) |
| Teacher in the Provision: Mrs Dearden CONTACT EMAIL c.dearden@bridgewaterhigh.com |
| Teaching Assistants: Full-time – Mrs Hughes (Level 4 Lower Site), Mrs Binley ( Level 4 Upper Site), Mrs Butler, Mrs Greaves, Miss Howard, Miss New. Part-time: Mrs Alcock, Mrs Norton, Mrs Merrett |
The Designated Provision provides;
- Small group teaching – as appropriate
- Individual teaching – as appropriate
- Support when needed in mainstream classes
- Access to the full Curriculum
- Social Skills groups
- Speech and Language – as appropriate
- The facility to take part in a full range of examination subjects
- The opportunity to take part in a range of extra-curricular activities
- An area in which students feel safe and secure throughout the school day
The pastoral needs of the students are met through;
- Membership of a mainstream tutor group if appropriate
- Daily individual support and guidance
- Peer mentoring
The emotional needs are met through;
- Supportive relationships with Provision Staff
- Application of specialist strategies when appropriate
- Close liaison with parents/guardians
- Liaison with outside agencies
- Specialist support available within the Provision throughout the school day
Warrington Borough Council: SEN Review 2021
| Name of Provision | Bridgewater High School |
| Date of review | 01.04.21 |
| Date of last OFSTED inspection outcome | 23.11.11
Full Inspection: Outstanding |
| Age ranges | Key stages: KS3 / KS4 |
| Review Summary |
| Summary statement |
|
Bridgewater High School provides an inclusive environment for pupils within the DP to gain independence, develop and learn alongside mainstream peers during their time in the school. Relationships between staff and pupils are strong and respectful. Pupils reported that they enjoy school and that they are encouraged to do their best. They report that they feel safe and can talk to staff who will help them if they have any concerns. The Head Teacher’s vision for inclusion and high expectations for pupils’ behaviour and learning is shared by all staff in turn. The strong leadership from the Assistant Head Teacher for SEND and Inclusion has ensured that the profile of inclusion is high across all aspects of school life. Her role was seen as crucial by the review team for linking the DP into the rest of the school. It is the expectation of the school that students participate in school life as fully as possible; lessons, timetabling, assessments and extra-curricular activities. Where necessary, timetables are personalised for individuals to build up opportunities for integration supported by staff within the Designated Provision. Students spoken to reported that they enjoy school and that they are ‘treated like adults.’ They articulated a range of subject choices taken and spoke about the aspects of school life which the DP base supports them to access. For example, one student stated ‘the noise in the classroom’ and how they access the quiet study space at lunch time and in some periods. Students talked about how they enjoyed taking part in sports and the range of opportunities the school have provided; formal events such as taking part in rowing championships in London and informally playing football every lunchtime with friends. They spoke about how this has enabled them to make connections with peers. This is testament to the inclusive practice that the school has fostered and how sport is seen an opportunity for all to succeed at all levels. The Head and Assistant Headteacher talked about the vision for the school; to create a ‘hub’ to support a wider group of students beyond the DP from mainstream which would be situated at the heart of the Upper site. This development can only serve to further support inclusion. The Assistant Head explained systems for communication with mainstream staff to enable information sharing about pupils. It is a recommendation of this review that these mechanisms are continually reflected on to ensure that new and temporary staff are briefed on the strategies for support. This is particularly necessary in this period of COVID-19 and social distancing measures, where staff may be unable to support 1:1 in classes. A range of planned interventions take place in the DP base including small group work; speech and language therapy and social thinking groups – this is led by Teaching Assistants. A further consideration from this review is to continue to develop structures for speech and language strategies which translate into mainstream practice and are confidently used by all teachers of DP students. As stated in the context statement, the DP employs a number of staff to support pupils. Over the last year, leaders have considered the skills base of the team and have recruited further members of staff. Relationships are key to the success of integration and support; staff have a full understanding of the children needs of the children in their care. Student profiles are regularly updated, shared across the wider staff via SIMS and translated into targeted plans of support. This in turn, has impacted positively on pupil confidence, self-regulation, communication and behaviour. Evidence shared in the review for pupil attainment and progress was strong. Students have the opportunity to make informed choices about their options and the next stage of their education; entry level exams and GCSEs are accessed as appropriate. School leaders spoke about how students leave the school to enrol in various career pathways including apprenticeships, A-Levels, work placements and Colleges. Access to additional qualifications such as The Jamie Oliver Award and the Walton LEA Project and social opportunities such as Warrington Youth Group have allowed students from the DP to build self-confidence, resilience and demonstrate their skills in a wider range of areas. The DP uses a passport system to celebrate evidence of soft data; these are contributed to by all staff. Systems to monitor behaviour and attendance are strong. School leaders could demonstrate the impact that systems had on pupil behaviour. The use of an early lunch was particularly valued by students in the DP. High expectations from leaders have ensured that these systems are understood and owned by all staff. The school is currently engaging with settings such as the PRU in Warrington to further support behaviour strategies for students. Pupils feel supported in school and incidents of bullying show that it is not a concern for any specific group of pupils. The school has sought opportunities to use trauma informed approaches, and a recommendation of the review is that these should continue to be embedded. Alongside the Tough Minds and Speak Out Programme, the school has a strong well-being offer for students. The school utilises opportunities to inform students about ASD including Autism Awareness week and regular assemblies. A fortnightly Disability Sports afternoon has started at Bridgewater which is for DP and other vulnerable students who want to access. Students from TCAT schools are also invited. The parents spoken to have high regard for the school and were glowing about the level of support that their children receive. They praised the school for their efforts to engage their children in learning and were positive about the flexibility of the provision in adapting to the needs and aspirations of their child. Parents also feel well supported by the school and noted the dedication of staff to respond to their needs. This was also true during the lockdown and were complimentary about the levels of communication and support from the school during the pandemic. Parents were effusive about the difference the school had made in preparing their children for further education and employment. They commended the school’s careers service and that staff went above and beyond to identify suitable post 16 opportunities highlighting that “without this provision my child wouldn’t be where he is today”. |
Ofsted Oct 2022
- Staff build strong relationships with pupils, including those in the specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND.
- Pupils with SEND, including those in the specially resourced provision, are involved in all school activities.
- Leaders make sure that pupils in the specially resourced provision receive the specialist support that they need. Pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers.
- Pupils receive helpful information about careers advice and guidance, including apprenticeships. This helps all pupils, including those with SEND to make well-informed decisions about their next steps.
Entry into the Designated ASD Provision at Bridgewater High School
Places within the Provision are allocated by Warrington Education Authority and are not based on location to the school. Students need to have an Education, Health and Care Plan and a diagnosed Autistic Spectrum Condition. Requests for a place can be made through the EHCP Review Process. For entry into Y7 it is encouraged that this is requested during the Y6 transition review.
If you require any further information please do not hesitate to contact us.
Tel: 01925 263814
Email: enquires@bridgewaterhigh.com
Accessibility
Click here to view our Accessibility Policy.
Year Groups Pastoral Organisation
Each year group is split into two halves called Stockton and Appleton. There are five tutors for each half of the year group. The work of the tutors is managed by a Pastoral and Achievement Leader (PAL) and a Pastoral and Achievement Manager (PAM) who has overall responsibility for pastoral matters in each year group. This pastoral support is further enhanced by Assistant Headteachers who coordinate pastoral work across each Key Stage. In addition we have a number of colleagues in school who can provide more specific student support if needed or arrange access to a range of outside agencies. The pastoral team meet regularly to review progress.
Attendance
Illness
If your child is unwell and unable to attend school please telephone school to inform us of the absence (Lower Site 01925-263814 / Upper Site 01925-263919)
Appointments
If your child has to leave school early or arrive late to school because of an appointment please confirm this in the form of a signed note. This should be shown to the office where a Signing Out / In Slip will be issued.
It is essential that we make every effort to ensure that our attendance data is accurate. Therefore, we would like to ask for your support in ensuring that students do not mis-use the absence log in any way; if they do so, then serious consequences will follow.
Monitoring absence for such a large student body is a demanding task. We appreciate in advance your support in ensuring that unavoidable absence is reported to us as quickly as possible.
Requests for Absence
Parents do not have a right to take their children out of school for holidays during term time. By law you must ask permission for your child to miss school.
Parents wishing to apply for their child to have leave from school should complete the relevant form (click here) and return it to school for authorisation well in advance of the proposed leave.
Behaviour
We have the highest of expectations regarding the behaviour of pupils at Bridgewater High School. Pupils are encouraged to behave in a positive way through the school ethos which encourages individual responsibility and a respect of each others rights. Posters displaying our expectations are displayed around the school. Pupils are rewarded for good behaviour by Positive Points, letters home and certificates. The number of points that pupils receive is then totalled with pin badges being issued once milestones are achieved. Pupils achieving the highest number of points are taken on reward trips in February and July of each academic Year.
Where pupil behaviour falls below the standards that we would except the school uses a range of strategies. Within a lesson the focus at all times is to de-escalate the poor behaviour so that teaching and learning for all can continue. This will be ensured through verbal warnings or the moving of seats. For more serious and or consistent poor behaviour the pupil will be monitored with realistic targets set to bring about improvement. The school also operates Inclusion facilities to allow learning and progress for all pupils. Should behaviour continue to deteriorate or be a very serious one off incident the school will utilise the most serious sanctions of fixed term and permanent exclusion.
Anti-Bullying
The national message this year on bullying is ‘change starts with us.’ At Bridgewater we have interpreted this and will deliver personal development sessions and assemblies on the language we use around school and how the students should talk to and about each other.
In doing this we will not only discuss bullying and the detrimental affect it can have on young people’s mental and emotional health but in particular focus on the negative use of language in important areas of race, sexuality and disability.
Therefore, this year the anti-bullying message will be about highlighting the negative language used around race, LGBTQ+ and disability. All schools have issues with negative language and whilst we are proud of the inclusive nature of Bridgewater we are not naïve to presume that it does not exist. Therefore, we will be challenging our young people to think about the language used in school and ensure that the school tackles theses society wide issues in a positive and constructive way.
However, we do need your support. In preparation for next week’s campaign it would support us if all parents engage their children in a discussion about what is appropriate language and why using negative language or derogatory phrases to discuss another person’s protected characteristics is being highlighted by the school during anti-bullying week. Protected characteristics is the term used in the 2010 Equality Act to describe those personal characteristics protected by the law from discrimination. We are aware that that many families will discuss these issues often and already support their children in these matters, however, we would appreciate a reminder in preparation for next week’s sessions.
For those parents who would find some guidance useful I have included a table of relevant content that we will be highlighting to the students next week.
| Racially motivated language | Racism can be divided in to two types. Casual racism that is not aimed at any specific individual. This could take the format of jokes or ignorant misconceptions of a person’s culture or heritage. Or it can be directed at a specific individual. All forms of racism are unacceptable. This will be highlighted to the students via and explanation of Protected Characteristics which makes discrimination against the law under the Equality Act 2010.
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| LGBTQ and homophobic language | LGBTQ is an acronym for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning. These terms are used to describe a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.
The most common form of homophobic language is ‘that’s so gay’ and ‘you’re so gay’. Many gay people report hearing the casual use of these phrases across the UK. These comments are sometimes directed towards people who are actually, or perceived to be, gay. However, they are most often used to mean that something is bad or rubbish, with no conscious link to sexual orientation at all. A pupil might say ‘those trainers are so gay’ (to mean rubbish or uncool) or ‘stop being so gay’ (to mean stop being so annoying). This will be highlighted to the students via and explanation of Protected Characteristics which makes discrimination against the law under the Equality Act 2010. |
| Disability | Children and young people with a learning disability can experience bullying in UK schools, singled out for being seen as different. This could be things like:
speaking or moving differently Bridgewater High School has a designated provision for autism and area of school life that is accepted as regular part of the school. These students can often stand out and can appear to be different from other students. This will be highlighted to the students via and explanation of Protected Characteristics which makes discrimination against the law under the Equality Act 2010. |
Bridgewater High School has a zero tolerance approach to bullying of all kinds. We believe that it is the right of every pupil and every staff member to work in a positive and safe environment and that it is the responsibility of everyone to make sure that this happens. To ensure that everyone has an opportunity to report concerns about bullying, Bridgewater uses both the CEOP reporting system for online abuse (see the button on our homepage) and also accepts emails to the address tellus@bridgewaterhigh.com. Concerns can be reported with contact details or anonymously. Any issues reported via tellus will be dealt with by our pastoral team as soon as possible.
Rewards
At Bridgewater we work hard to acknowledge the efforts and successes of our pupils. Teaching staff are in regular contact with parents and will often send home letters of praise throughout the year. Our formal rewards system involves pupils receiving lesson scores for every period of the school day which indicates their commitment to the lesson. All pupils start on a 2 and can be moved ‘up’ to a 1 where they have shown particular commitment in that lesson. These scores are averaged each half-term and those with a score of 2.0 or lower receive a letter home and are entered into a raffle.
Click here for further details on what the numbers mean.
Alongside this system our pastoral staff monitor attendance, punctuality and behaviour (via the lesson scores) and pupils who perform consistently well in these areas are acknowledged in rewards assemblies and via opportunities to attend reward trips at Christmas and Easter.
Two highlights of our academic year are our annual rewards evenings at KS3 and KS4 where academic and pastoral staff nominate pupils for outstanding achievement and effort.