Welcome to the parent/carer section of our website, We hope you find the information useful.

Like you, we want your child's education to be amazing! On this page we'll keep you informed of key events coming up and exciting things that have happened.

This page is also useful to help answer questions you may have;information about admissions, uniforms, the way learning is organised, the Curriculum... everything is somewhere on this page! If you want to find out about things your child is doing in class at the moment, jump to the year group they're in at the top of the page.

Our mission: To provide high quality education to the community which offer life changing opportunities in a safe, creative, exciting environment. All are valued and inspired to flourish and grow as individuals, learning is believing the sky is the limit

North View is part of Wise Academies. In addition to a Local Governing Body, a Board of Directors oversees the work of the Academy, and takes a close interest in its performance and provision.  Further details can be found here .

We are always keen to hear from parents/carers who would be interested in becoming a member of the Governing Body; please get in touch via the 'Contact Us' page if you're interested.

Our Governance information can be found over on the trust governance website here

To create a happy, secure and stimulating learning environment in which all members of the academy can grow in confidence and develop their full potential.

 North View Academy’s Aims are:

•  To value and recognise the uniqueness and achievement of every member of our school family.
• To promote British and Co-operative Values and attitudes of care, tolerance, trust and respect within the school and wider communities.
• To nurture and support all abilities, helping every child to achieve his/her potential in all areas of learning – intellectual, emotional, physical, social, moral, spiritual and cultural.
• To ensure excellence in teaching and learning within a high quality learning environment, through leadership and within all aspects of school life.
• To equip children with the resilience and perseverance to become creative and independent thinkers and to become learners for life within an ever-changing world.
• To provide the full breadth of the National Curriculum with emphasis on the basic skills of English, mathematics, science and computing.
• To develop learning activities which stimulate positive models of enquiry, reflection, challenge and innovation.
• To develop sensitivity to individual needs and climate of nurture and support in which self-confidence and self-esteem can grow.

North View Academy offers additional support in:-

• Progress in cognition and learning
• Development of social and emotional regulation
• Support with mental health difficulties and resilience building
• Development of communication and prosocial interaction

North View Academy is a specialist primary provision for children with social, emotional and mental health difficulties. In September 2015 North View Academy became an ASD designation..

At North View Academy children come first and our priority is to deliver high quality teaching and learning, whilst at the same time providing rich and truly enjoyable learning experiences for our children. This approach means that every effort is made to promote a positive school environment in which belief is instilled in children that they can achieve.
At North View Academy we will strive to:-

• Provide a secure and stimulating environment that is conducive to all children having the opportunity to reach their full potential;

• Have regard and respect for the experiences, knowledge and cultural diversity that every child brings to school.  To use this as a foundation for improving standards;

• Value the achievements of all children, both in and out of school and provide opportunities to develop self-confidence and a positive self-image;

• Provide a supportive culture in which all staff are encouraged to extend, develop and share their expertise;

• Ensure that issues of equal opportunities are considered in all our work;

• Provide a curriculum based on the National Curriculum that is broad, balanced, relevant, progressive and appropriately differentiated;

• Offer all children equal access to the curriculum and school life, where individual differences are appreciated, celebrated, understood and accepted;

• Encourage children to become good citizens, by developing caring attitudes and respect towards themselves, other children, adults, their school and their community;

• Recognise that children are constantly developing and ensure that the curriculum offered to them is appropriate to that development;

• Encourage each individual to take responsibility for his/her behaviour and to act as a good role model to others.

At North View Academy we work closely with children to develop their social and emotional resilience.

Within the school day targeted interventions such as Dinosaur School and Friends are run.

Every day however children are supported with the development of social interaction and emotional literacy through a range of activities, games, reflection opportunities and sensory release.

For further information please contact North View's Mental health lead or visit:

https://www.stsft.nhs.uk/services/childrens-and-young-peoples-services/sunderland-community-child-and-adolescent-mental-health-service-camhs

www.washingtonmind.org.uk

www.wellbeinginfo.org

Mental Health Charter Mark

Moderation Visit

Date: 03.04.2019

Moderators:

Joanna Armstrong, Catherine Barnett, Amy Taylor

We were impressed by the following (Strengths):

Evidence of sustained involvement in all aspects of wellbeing for the children, seen from 2016 onwards.

Clear and strong evidence that wellbeing and emotional resilience is embedded throughout the life of the school. This is substantiatedin the displays and the learning environment when we walked around the school.

The children are happy, settled and very proud of their school.

BRONZE status awarded!

Medicine should only be taken to school when essential: that is where it would be detrimental to a child's health if the medicine were not administered during the school day.

The only medicines that can be administered at school are:

• Medicines prescribed by a doctor, dentist, use prescriber or pharmacist prescriber (prescription medicines)
• Prescription medicines included in a child or young person's Health Care Plan and agreed by a health care professional have been formally agreed where a parental agreement has been set up and signed.
• Medicines that staff are trained and insured to adminster

A request to administer medicines form must be completed before any medicines can be administered within school.

Please click this link to access a copy of the form

All medicines should be provided in their original container as dispensed by a pharmacist and include prescriber's intsructions for administration.

This should include:

• Dosage and frequency
• Full name of medicine
• Name of child
• Duration of course of treatment (if applicable) - wherever possible please consult GP to see if it is essential that doses should be taken at school for example if medicine is to be taken 4 times a day, it may be satisfactory to give it before school, after school and before bed.
• Date prescribed and expiry date
• Specific directions for the administration

Any controlled drugs that are unused, expired or no longer clearly labelled will be returned to parents/carers for safe disposal. All uncontrolled medication that is unused, expired or no longer clearly labelled is sent home at the end of every half term.

All children under 16 should never be given aspirin or ibuprofen unless prescribed by a doctor.

Before any offsite visit or residential trip, staff will carry out a risk assessment and make arrangements for the administration, storage and transportation of medication. If you have any concerns regarding any trip please do not hesitate to contact any member of staff to discuss your concerns.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD ANY STUDENT KEEP ANY MEDICATION ON THEIR PERSON UNLESS IT IS A PRESCRIBED INHALER

Requirements for the Admission of Pupils to North View Academy

GENERAL

1. This annex may be amended in writing at any time by agreement between the Secretary of State and the Academy Trust.

2. Except where paragraph 3 applies, the Academy Trust may not admit a child to school unless a SEN Statement is maintained for that child and the North View Academy (or North View School) is named in the child's statement.

3. The Academy Trust may admit a child without a statement to North View Academy if:

(i) he is admitted for the purposes of an assessment of his eductational needs under section 323 of the Education Act 1996 and his admission to the Academy is with the agreement of the local authority, the Academy Trust, the child's parent and any person whose advice is to be sought in accordance with regulation 7 of the Education (Special Educational Needs) (England) (Consolidation) Regulations 2001;

(ii) he remains admitted following an assessment under section 323 of the Education Act 1996; or

(iii) he is admitted following a change in his circumstances, with the agreement of the local authority, the Academy Trust and the child's parents.

4. If a child without a statement has been admitted to North View Academy for the purpose of an assessment, in accordance with paragraph 3(i), the Academy Trust may allow the child to remain at that Academy:

(i) until the expiry of ten school days after the local authority serve a notice under section 325 of the Education Act 1996 that they do not propose to make a statement, or

(ii) until a statement is made.

5. Where the local authority intend to name North View Academy in a statement, and have served a copy of the proposed statement (or amended statement) on the Academy Trust, the AcademyTrust must respond to the local authority's proposal within 15 working days.

6. The Academy Trust must consent to being named, except where admitting the child would be incompatible with the provision of efficient education for other children; and where no reasonable steps may be made to secure compatibility. In deciding whether a child's inclusion would be incompatible with the efficient education of other children, the Academy trust must have regard to the relevant guidance issued by the Secretary of State to maintained schools.

7. If the Academy Trust determines that admitting the child would be incompatible with the provision of efficient education, it must, within 15 days of receipt of the local authority's notice, notify the local authority in writing that it does not agree that the Academy should be named in the pupil's statement. Such notice must set out all the facts and matters the Academy relies upon in support of its contention that : (a) admitting the child would be incompatible with efficiently educating other children; and (b) the Academy Trust cannot take reasonable steps to secure this compatibility.

8. Where a local authority maintains a statement for a child under section 324 of the Education Act 1996 and the name of North View Academy (or North View School) is specified in that statement, the Academy Trust must admit that child to the Academy even if they consider that the Academy should not have been named in the child's statement.

9. Where the Academy Trust considers that the Academy should not have been named in a child's statement, they may ask the Secreatary of State to determine that the local authority has acted unreasonably in naming the Academy and to make an order directing the authority to amend the child's statement by removing the name of the Academy. Where the Secretary of State makes an order to this effect, the Academy Trust will cease to be under an obligation to admit the child from the date of the Secretary of State's Order, or form such date as Secretary of State specifies. In specifying a date, the Secretary of State must take into account both the welfare of the child in question and the degree of difficulty caused to the Academy by the child's continued admission.

10. Where the Secretary of State determines that a local authority has acted reasonably in naming North View Academy in a child's statement, the Academy Trust must continue to admit the child until the Academy ceases to be named in the statement.

THE FIRST-TIER TRIBUNAL (SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS AND DISABILITY)

11. If a parent or guardian of a child in respect of whom a statement is maintained by a local authority appeals to the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability) either against the naming of the Academy in the child's statement or asking the Tribunal to name the Academy, the Academy Trust agrees to be bound by the decision of the Tribunal on any such appeal even if the decision is different to that of the Secretary of State under paragraph 9 or 10 above.

12. Where the Academy, the Secretary of State or the First-tier Tribunal (Special Educational Needs and Disability) have determined that it should be named in a child's statement, the Academy Trust must admit the child to the Academy notwithstanding any provision of Annex B to this agreement.

At North View Academy, all our pupils have identified and varied special educational needs. Past experiences and 'failures' often leave them anxious, unwilling and reluctant to learn. We want our children to understand and be in control of their emotions and behaviours, thereby allowing them to be inquisitive and spark a desire and willingness to learn. 

We believe that every child should have the opportunity to develop and build their self-esteem and self-confidence. We encourage our children to have high aspirations and strive for the best. We want our children to be responsible and effective by the time they finish their time at North View and move onto the next phase of their lives.

We use a number of different approaches dependant on the age, ability, aptitude and needs of the individual pupil, to explore and deliver the curriculum, to ensure we enable our children to develop the skills they need to be confident and successful learners. Using differentiation, extension and support, all our pupils access the curriculum. Through experiences provided we aim for our learners to:  take control of their behaviour; reinforce their learning; progress academically; foster their curiosity; develop social skills; build confidence in themselves and in their abilities; improve their communication skills; grow independence; build resilience and experience success through their endeavours. 

Our pupils are at the heart of our curriculum, and whilst all pupils at the academy are working below age related expectations, we aspire to give them the best possible education, keeping expectations high, and not disadvantage them further. The curriculum delivered therefore is strongly based on the National Curriculum (NC) 2014. We have adapted the content and made reasonable adjustments where necessary to meet the special needs, starting points, difficulties and abilities of our learners. We teach all our pupils all of the foundation subjects. The curriculum coverage is coherently sequenced, planned and documented across each foundation subject to ensure it is linked, progressive and not repetitive. It builds on prior learning from previous years. However, due to the high mobility at the academy, it is impossible to know what a child has/has not learned in their previous setting. Progression from starting point at North View Academy therefore remains our priority due to the mobility and needs of our learners, which, prior to attending North View Academy, were not being met. A broad, tailored curriculum, with the needs of our pupils at its core, is consequently delivered. Children are encouraged to engage in and are provided with new experiences to learn, succeed and achieve their aspirations.

Our long-term plan shows an overview of each year group's curriculum. It identifies the areas taught in each of the foundation subjects and when, during the academic year they will be delivered. Our aim is to equip our pupils with the skills, knowledge, independence and confidence to help them successfully progress onto their secondary school - whichever provision that may be - and encourage aspirations for their futures. 

As our pupils are working at programmes of study below those expected, North View does give particular prominence to Literacy and Numeracy. These are taught as stand-alone lessons but are also highly integrated into the foundation subjects, reinforcing its importance and narrowing the gap between achievement and expectation. In Literacy, we stream our pupils and dedicate a significant portion of the school day delivering the highly structured McKie Mastery Power Literacy programme. In Numeracy, we again stream our pupils and dedicate a significant part of the daily timetable, using White Rose Maths to guide and support teaching and learning. 

The Programmes of Study within the NC2014 for English, Mathematics and Science, identify expectations at the end of one-year and two-year periods. At North View we have broken these down into statements of achievement and will continue to assess our pupils and track the progress they make through these Programmes of Study attainments (TPG). This is done individually for Literacy (reading & writing), Numeracy and Working Scientifically in Science. 

All pupils are assessed; achievements recorded, and targets set. These are tracked and monitored termly thereby ensuring pupils are on track to reach targets, or conversely issues that may arise are identified promptly with strategies and interventions put in place speedily so progress is not hindered. New pupils, who may arrive at any age and at any point in the school year, are baseline assessed to determine starting points, ability and gaps in learning to ensure they are placed in the appropriate literacy and numeracy groups to enable them to make effective progress. 

Delivery and coverage of the foundation subjects are detailed in planning; programme of study; progression and vocabulary documents. These identify the skills, vocabulary and sequenced knowledge taught in each of the subjects. This serves to ensure progression, avoids repetition and facilitates the development of these skills and this knowledge by building on prior learning and identifying the next steps in pupils’ learning. 

For further information on our curriculum please see below:

WISE Academies believe that IT should be used as a means of enhancing learning and engaging pupils. IT is not a subject within its own right; rather skills are taught and then used across the entire curriculum. The mission of the company is to equip children for living in the 21st century. This is realised when the learning environment is resourced with up-to-date technologies and staff have the knowledge and skills to use these effectively to move learning forward.

Within school, pupils are taught about how to stay safe in our modern digital world.

The person responsible for Online Safety in school is Gary Mellefont (Headteacher).

 If you have any concerns about online safety please contact one of these members of staff.

The CEOP website contains some really important information for parents and the Childnet site gives helpful guidance on social networking for parents. The SaferInternet site also provides advice on setting up parental controls on your home computer.

The Click Clever, Click Safe site has lots of useful information about Cyberbullying.

• having open discussions about your expectations and how to stay safe online
• closely monitoring the sites your children are accessing
• limiting the amount of time your allow your child to spend online or using gaming devices
• discouraging the use of social network sites under the legal age of 13 such as Facebook, however, if your child does use social media remind them to only communicate with friends and family (people they know and trust in the real world), and also to ensure that their privacy settings are set high and to make them aware of how to report an incident if they feel uncomfortable.
• ensuring they do not give out any personal details to people they meet online including on games consoles such as Xbox and PS3.
• take notice of PEGI ratings – age rating is there for a reason and could mean that your child is being exposed to inappropriate materials if you do not abide by them.

What do we mean by bullying?

At North View Academy, we recognise bullying is a mixture of behaviours and impacts which can impact on a person’s capacity to feel in control of themselves. It is all about relationships and role modelling, and what happens when these go wrong.

Bullying is a mixture of behaviours and impacts which can impact on a person’s capacity to feel in control of themselves. Bullying takes place in the context of relationships; it is behaviour that can make people feel hurt, threatened, frightened, exploited and left out.

• This behaviour can include:
• Being called names, teased, put down or threatened
• Being hit, tripped, pushed or kicked
• Having belongings taken or damaged
• Being ignored, left out or having rumours spread about you
• Receiving abusive messages electronically
• Behaviour which makes people feel like they are not in control of themselves
• Being targeted because of who you are or who you are perceived to be
• Being forced to be involved in activities that you are uncomfortable, including bullying by adults such as through emotional or physical abuse or sexual exploitation

This behaviour can harm people physically or emotionally and, although the actual behaviour may not be repeated, the threat may be sustained over time, typically by actions: looks, messages, confrontations, physical interventions, or the fear of these. But this is not an exhaustive list, and it is important to consider impact, intent and persistence when defining bullying behaviour.  Our curriculum ensures that our children understand that there are different kinds of bullying and what to do if they feel that they are being bullied.

IT'S IMPORTANT NOT TO GET HUNG UP ON 'HOW' SOMEONE IS BEING BULLIED, BUT INSTEAD FOCUS ON THE IMPACT THAT IT'S HAVING ON THEM

Is intent required?

Every bullying incident is looked at individually. In some cases, children may not be aware that their behaviour is actually bullying. They are perhaps modelling the behaviour of adults or other children and young people, not understanding that it is wrong because they have never been taught otherwise. In these circumstances, the intent to bully may not be present, but the impact and effect on the person being bullied will be no less severe because of this.

It is explained to the child bullying that their behaviour is unacceptable and why.  Intent is difficult to prove and it’s more important to focus on the behaviour and the impact it had, rather than trying to establish whether someone acted deliberately or not.

Does the behaviour have to be persistent?

The issue with persistence is that the behaviour has to take place more than once, but the impacts of bullying can be felt after a single incident.

Bullying doesn’t need to be persistent to have an effect on the mental health and well-being of a child. For those who have been bullied, the fear and anticipation of further bullying can affect their ability to be themselves and interact with others in a healthy fashion. Bullying behaviour and its potential impacts on children are addressed as they arise.

How persistence is viewed by one person - for example daily, weekly or monthly - may be quite different to how it’s viewed by someone else, leading to inequality and inconsistency of practice.   It isn’t helpful to wait and see if a pattern or repetition emerges before taking action.   It is vital to respond to the behaviour that you see and the impact this is having, rather than relying on a rigid definition. 

What about impact?

Bullying can affect children in different ways and this should be taken into consideration. If we are unsure if behaviour is bullying, look at the effect it is having on the child.  If they are unable to respond effectively and regain their sense of self and control in the situation, adults need to intervene to help restore it.  What we do about bullying is more important than how you define it.Keeping the focus on impact and response reduces the likelihood of getting caught up with issues of persistence and intent.

We should always remember that children will tease each other, fall in and out with each other, have arguments, stop talking to each other and disagree about what they like and don’t like. This is a normal part of growing up and should be distinguished from bullying.  However, in an environment where this behaviour is left unchecked, it can lead to bullying, making those being bullied feel afraid, uncomfortable and unsafe in their environment.

Labelling

Another core message that underpins the work we do is in our approach to labelling; we don't label children as ‘bullies’ or ‘victims’. Care is taken because labelling is not without its risks.  Labelling a child on the basis of bullying behaviour can result in a confirmed identity as a ‘bully’ or ‘victim’ resulting in ongoing behaviour patterns based on this identity. We have developed approaches to working with bullying which hopefully avoid the labelling dilemma.

This is not about diluting behaviour but is to keep the focus of the adult’s responses on the behaviour that is problematic, rather than the assigning characteristics to those involved. This is a solution focussed approach that is designed to help children change the way they behave, rather than attempt to change who they are. We help children change by telling them and naming the behaviour that is unacceptable, being clear that what they are doing is bullying and that it needs to stop.

Help

If you suspect that your child is being bullied, do not hesitate to get in touch with a member of the Academy team.  We will always do whatever we can to make a child's situation better.  Along with our WISE Academies Family, we have developed a range of policies and procedures that enable us to take swift action to investigate allegations of bullying and put support in place for all concerned to eradicate the undesirable behaviour and offer support.  Policies available include:

• Anti-bullying policy
• Anti-cyberbullying policy
• Child Protection and Safeguarding Children policy
• Behaviour Policy

These documents may be viewed here.

Bullying is neither accepted nor tolerated at North View Academy. 

Working together with children and families, we can make things better for everyone.

At North View Academy we recognise the importance of being in school, on time, every day.

The national average expected for children is 96%.

Did you know that an attendance percentage of 90% is equivalent to missing 19 school days a year?

If your child is not in school regularly they will miss out on fundamental learning in the classroom. This is extremely difficult to catch up on and affects all aspects of their future education, as well as forming bad habits.

As part of our on-going support system for children and their families you will receive regular updates on your child’s attendance with a strong focus on how it affects their learning.

Please find the document for Guidance on Infection Control from the Public Health agency here. If your child has an infectious illness you can see how long they recommend you keep them off school e.g. Chicken Pox.

If you have any questions about attendance you can pop in to the school office or give us a call, we're here to help!

We understand that children will need time off school when they are poorly.

However you can avoid attendance becoming a concern by engaging with school and not taking unnecessary days off e.g. holidays during term time. Trying to make appointments for your child, and other family members, out of school hours will reduce time missed in classroom. This will make less of an impact on their school life.

You may not realise how quickly the odd day off can lead to a big dip in attendance percentage, indicating to school and other agencies that there may be problems to address.

Punctuality is just as important as attendance. If your child has 100% attendance but regularly arrives up to half an hour late they are still missing vital learning.

Most importantly we have an open door policy. If you have ANY queries or would like support on any matter we have a great welfare team who can provide referrals or advice.

If you wish to request time off during school term time there is a form you can complete. Please know that permission for holidays are only granted in exceptional circumstances.

Why work for WISE Academies

We want WISE Academies to be the employer of choice for talented staff looking to work in the North-East of England.  Below are some of the benefits of working for us: –

• Full access to Teachers’ Pension Scheme and Local Government Pension Scheme.
• Strong induction processes.
• A wide range of CPD opportunities offered through the Town End Associate Research School, through joint working between the academies within our Trust and through other opportunities.
• Access to a well-being package for staff which provides a range of free benefits including counselling, physiotherapy, GP helpline and access to consultants and medical operations*.
• Full statutory rights around maternity/paternity and sickness schemes.

* exclusions may apply

You can find a list of our current vacancies here

The Department for Education states that there is a need “to create and enforce a clear and rigorous expectation on all schools to promote the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.”

The government set out its definition of British values in the 2011 'Prevent Strategy' and these values were reiterated by the Prime Minister in 2014. At North View Academy, these values are reinforced regularly and in the following ways:

Democracy

Democracy is embedded at the school.  Children are always listened to by adults and are taught to listen carefully and with concern to each other, respecting the right of every individual to have their opinions and voices heard.  Children also have the opportunity to air their opinions and ideas through our School Council and regular questionnaires.  The elections of the School Council members and House Captains are based solely on pupil votes, reflecting our British electoral system and demonstrating democracy in action.

The Rule of Law

The importance of laws whether they are those that govern the class, the academy or the country, are consistently reinforced.  Our school has ‘School Rules’, which are deeply embedded in our work every day.  Each class also discusses and sets its own rules that are clearly understood by all and seen to be necessary to ensure that every class member is able to learn in a safe and ordered environment.  Our children are taught the value and reasons behind laws, that they govern and protect us, the responsibilities that this involves and the consequences when laws are broken.

Individual Liberty

Within the academy, children are actively encouraged to make choices, knowing that they are in a safe and supportive environment.  As an academy, we educate and provide boundaries for our children to make choices safely, through the provision of a safe environment and an empowering education.  Our children are encouraged to know, understand and exercise their rights and personal freedoms and are advised how to exercise these safely; examples of this can be clearly seen in our e-safety and PSHE lessons.  Whether it is through choice of challenge; of how they record; of participation in our numerous extra- curricular activities; our children are given the freedom to make choices.  They understand that with rights comes responsibility.

Tolerance of Difference and Respect for Others

Our core value of tolerance of and respect for those who have different faiths and beliefs, different genders, different sexual orientations, different abilities, different families and different economic circumstances underpins our work.  North View Academy enhances children's understanding of different faiths and beliefs through Religious Education studies and different social circumstances through PSHE work.  Visits out of the academy and visitors to the academy provide a richness of experience for our children.  Through this our children gain an enhanced understanding of their place in a socially and culturally diverse society.

Our tasty school menus can be viewed below. 

All meals are prepared freshly every day in school by our team of canny cooks.