About Right Choice
Right Choice is an Independent Special School and Education & Training Centre
dedicated to the engagement and advancement of young people who are unable to
access mainstream provision due to Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties
(S.E.M.H) and Acquired Brain Injuries (ABI).
We are an inclusive learning community and aim to nurture aspiration, self-belief
and achievement in the students referred to our programmes
Our Mission
Our mission is to ensure that our clients have a second chance to discover and
realise their potential by providing a variety of services aimed at reducing and
removing social, emotional, psychological barriers to learning and achievement and
contribute to a general sense of well-being, while equipping them with independent
living and life skills to lay firm foundations for future personal, professional and
economic success as citizens and active participants in 21st Century Society.
Our Ethos
We believe in a solution-focused, persuasive behavioural change model that engages
the client in a movement from pre-contemplation to contemplation to planning for
change to adopting change in a sustainable manner, based on the Trans-Theoretical
Model (for more information on the Trans-Theoretical Model, please see
Enrichment and Behavioural Change on page 10).
Our Focus
Our main focus is to promote and support:
- Engagement
- Learning
- Achievement
- Progression
Our Objectives
- GIVE young people a second chance to engage, achieve and realise their potential
- ACHIEVE the BEST OUTCOME possible for our students
- EQUIP young people for active participation in 21st century society
How do we achieve our objectives?
- Through the provision of tailored support that addresses the social, emotional and psychological barriers to engagement and learning (To promote Engagement)
- Through the provision of a balanced mix of one-to-one/group and traditional/nontraditional learning experiences (To support Learning)
- Through the provision of a range of nationally accredited educational programmes from Entry Level up to Levels 1 and 2 (To support Achievement)
- Through the provision of ongoing Next-Step Option-related advice and guidance and post-graduation support (To help plan Progression and support Sustained Progression)
Our Clients
Our client group are those young people who:
- Experience Social, Emotional and Mental Health Difficulties (SEMH)
- Have Acquired Brain Injuries
- Have Education and Health Care Plans (EHCPs)
- Require assessments for Education and Health Care Plans (EHCPs)
- Function better as part of a smaller group
- Need extra care and attention due to low self-esteem or other emotional wellbeing issues
- Are school phobic
- Are victims of crime
- Require 1-2-1 support
- Have been excluded or are at risk of exclusion from mainstream education
- Are unwilling or unable to engage in mainstream school, and
- Students for whom English is a second language
Our Programmes
Right Choice currently offers full-time, part-time and short-term programmes for:
- Secondary School Age students (Year 7 through to Year 11), and
- Post-16 Students (16 – 24 year olds)
Our programmes are delivered both on and off-site and include:
- Home Schooling to those unable to attend school,
- SPACE programme for those on Fixed Term Exclusions and an
- Assessment for Success programme for those requiring focused assessments for additional learning support and Education and Health Care Plans (EHCPs).
Right Choice aims to:
- Nurture aspiration
- Foster a sense of self-worth and help each young person discover, develop
and realise their full potential
- Build positive, empowering and enabling relationships with young people
- Help young people to set and achieve goals
- Re-engage those disaffected and disengaged from mainstream life
- Equip young people with skills for life – independent living, employability and
key skills
- Help young people obtain nationally recognised qualifications as a gateway to further education, vocational and employment opportunities
- Provide a diverse and personalised curriculum for the young people referred to our service
Support Services
As an integral part of our provision, all students registered on any of our
programmes receive the following support services:
- Counselling & Emotional Wellbeing Support
- Mentoring & Life Coaching Support
- Information, Advice & Guidance
- Parent Support
General Information
Right Choice is regulated by OFSTED and registered with the DfE as an Independent
Special School. We have been operating in the Royal Borough of Greenwich since
1999. We are a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee.
Programme Offer
Our programme offer is broad and diverse with relevance to our students; their
engagement and educational needs and is designed to lay a firm foundation for their
Engagement, Learning, Achievement and Progression.
The programme will offer both Educational (GCSEs, Functional Skills, Project
Qualification) and Vocational (BTEC) learning opportunities for our students. The
AQA accredited Unit Award Scheme will be a thread that runs through our entire
programme offer, providing certificated evidence of cumulative achievement on a
term-by-term basis.
Right Choice offers the following programmes:
(1) Secondary Education Programme
- Secondary Education Programme
- SPACE Programme
- Assessment for Success Programme
(2) Post-16 Programme
(1) Secondary Education Programme
This is our full and part time programme for Years 7 through to Years 11 students:
This programme covers:
- Functional Skills at Levels I and II in the core subjects of English and Mathematics
- GCSEs / iGCSEs in English Language, Mathematics, Science: Double Awards (for a full breakdown of subjects on offer, please go to the Curriculum Offer & Accreditations List on page 8)
- Project Qualification – a stand-alone, student-led qualification which
engages the individual student in an area of personal interest or activity
outside of their main programme of study. The focus of this is “Learning Fun”
- BTEC in Motorbike Mechanics, Motor Mechanics, Bicycle Mechanics, Building
& Construction, Painting & Decoration (for a full breakdown of subjects on offer, please go to the Curriculum Offer & Accreditations List on page 9)Students on this programme will attend a full time (25 hours per week) or part time programme of study leading to relevant qualifications that equip them for their next step options.
In addition to our flagship secondary education programme, we also have a SPACE
Programme which is a specially designed programme to provide ‘timeout’ space for
KS3 and 4 pupils who may be on fixed term or temporarily exclusions from
mainstream provision due to challenging or disruptive behaviour.
The objective is to deliver a series of modules designed to engage the individual and
group in a psycho-social personal development programme that provides the space
for each person to reflect, increase self-awareness, develop self-esteem and
confidence and to develop positive self-management strategies that will enable
them to be successfully re-integrated back into mainstream provision.
The SPACE Programme will be delivered in a series of flexible modular sessions, the
aim of which is to help the target client group to develop and improve their self esteem and confidence; equipping them with skills and strategies to help them make
more responsible decisions and help re-integrate them back into mainstream
provision.
Expected outcomes
- Increased self-awareness/esteem/confidence
- A commitment to ongoing personal development
- Re-integration into mainstream provision
We also provide an Assessment for Success Programme for students who may be
having difficulties settling into learning in Mainstream Provision and require a period
of assessment for an Education and Health Care Plan (EHCP). We will provide a range
of assessments that will form the basis of an application for an EHC Plan.
Expected outcomes
- A FULLY comprehensive assessment involving SALT, EP, OC, etc
- An Draft Application for an EHC Plan
(2) Post-16 Programme
This is designed for students who at the conclusion of their Secondary Education are
unable or unwilling to progress and required additional support to become better
able to sustain progression into further education, employment or training.
This programme is one dedicated to students with EHC Plans and incorporates an
extension of the individualised aspects of the Secondary Education Programme offer
and aims:
- To keep students engaged in Learning
- To prepare for employment and other next step options
- To develop social interaction and Inter-personal skills
- To support / promote self-esteem
- To equip students with relevant vocational qualifications which prepares
them for active participation in 21st Century Society
Curriculum Offer & Accreditation List
The curriculum on offer is designed to be broad enough to meet the diverse range of
needs and educational abilities of the students registered across our programmes.
The options available provide excellent opportunities for individual students to
achieve their best academic outcomes possible, with clear progression routes to next
step options.
Our curriculum continues to expand and the offer stated below is not exhaustive as
we strive to tailor our provision to meet the growing needs and diverse interests of
our students. Our curriculum is divided into an Educational and a Vocational Offer.
See below for details
EDUCATIONAL OFFER |
||||
Qualification |
Subjects |
Accrediting Body |
Levels |
UNIT AWARD SCHEME (Accredited by AQA) |
GCSEs |
Maths English Science PSE RE (tbc) History (tbc) Citizenship(tbc) Leisure & Tourism (tbc) |
AQA |
1. Higher 2. Foundation
|
|
Functional Skills |
English Maths |
AQA |
1. Level 2 2. Level 1
|
|
Project Qualification |
Various |
AQA |
Level l Foundation |
|
ECDL |
ICT |
Internal |
1. Higher 2. Intermediate
|
VOCATIONAL |
||||
Qualification |
Subject |
Delivery |
Levels |
UNIT AWARD SCHEME (Accredited by AQA) |
BTEC (Award, Certificate & Diploma) Functional Skills |
Motor Mechanics Motor Bike Bicycle Painting & Decoration Plumbing Animal Husbandry Hair & Beauty |
The Archway Project Ilderton Foundation Flower Skills Hadlow College |
Level 2 Level l |
|
Music |
Street |
1. 2. |
Levels |
Performance Points |
GCSE Grade Equivalents |
|
12.5 |
Foundation Level (or 50% of a GCSE) |
|
23 |
1 x GCSE |
2 (FS) |
25 |
D – G |
1 (FS) |
46 |
A* – C |
- 1-2-1 Mentoring & Coaching
- 1-2-1 Counselling & Wellbeing
- Parent Support
- Pre-contemplation is the stage in which people are not intending to take action in the foreseeable future People may be in this stage because they are uninformed or under-informed about the consequences of their behaviour. Or they may have tried to change a number of times and become demoralized about their ability to change. Both groups tend to avoid reading, talking or thinking about their high risk behaviours. They are often characterized in other theories as resistant or unmotivated or as not ready for change.
- Contemplation is the stage in which people are intending to change in the next six months. They are more aware of the pros of changing but are also acutely aware of the cons. This balance between the costs and benefits of changing can produce profound ambivalence that can keep people stuck in this stage for long periods of time.
- Preparation is the stage in which people are intending to take action in the immediate future, usually measured as the next month. They have typically taken some significant action in the past year. These individuals have a plan of action, joining a mentoring or life coaching programme.
- Action is the stage in which people have made specific overt modifications in their life-styles within the past six months. Since action is observable, behaviour change often has been equated with action. The Action stage is also the stage where vigilance against relapse is critical.
- Maintenance is the stage in which people are working to prevent relapse but they do not apply change processes as frequently as do people in action.
- Raise levels of attainment for all pupils, enabling them to achieve their personal best
- Develop confident, disciplined and enquiring learners, able to make informed choices.
- Foster a love of learning and an eventual commitment to lifelong learning.
- Foster self-esteem and personal responsibility, linked to respect for the needs and feelings of others.
- Facilitate considerate and positive relationships between all members of the school community.
- Ensure equal opportunities in relation to gender, race, class, special needs and belief.
- Value and respect diversity.
- Provide a safe and happy work place.
- Promote a thoughtful positive attitude towards the immediate and wider environment.
- Investigation
- Experimentation
- Listening
- Observation
- Talking and discussion
- Asking questions
- Practical exploration and role play
- Retrieving information
- Imagining
- Repetition
- Problem-solving
- Making choices and decision-making
- Individual learning
- Collaborative learning in small groups, or pairs
- One to one learning with an adult, or more able pupil
- Whole class
- Independent learning
- Informal Interview (with the student and parent/carer or referral agency)
- Completion of consent and other relevant forms
- An agreed start date
- End of Term and End of Year Reports – Each student will have a progress report that covers:
- Attendance – As part of the Local Authority’s “Every School Day Counts” it is expected that every student maintains at best 100% attendance. We maintain a digital register and each student progress report will include a print-off of their attendance that term.
- Behaviour – As part of our commitment to supporting and promoting engagement via the social and emotional aspects of learning, a Skills and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) which is a tool designed to measure individual student’s attitude towards learning will be completed for each student in the Autumn, Winter and Summer Terms.
- Contribution – As part of our commitment to review individual learning and skills acquisition, track achievements and areas where improvement is required, the termly reports will be formative (to monitor, in cumulative fashion, each student’s learning for that term) with a final summative report at the end of the Academic Year (to evaluate the overall learning, achievement and progression for that period).
- PEPs and Annual Reviews – For students with EHC Plans, there will be regular Personal Education Plans and Annual Review of stated Outcomes carried out in timely fashion. These are completed at the end of a prescribed period of time and provide an opportunity for the student to do an overview of their own development and progress over the term in question and set out areas for further development
- Observation Record / Witness Statements – Where necessary, evidence of each student’s progress (both required and accidental) will be captured and recorded.
- Sampling Matrix – For internal reporting and quality assurance purposes, we will strive to analyse, on an ongoing basis, students’ engagement, learning, achievements and progression with a view to providing a complete and comprehensive picture of the achievements or otherwise of groups of students along gender, ethnicity and other categorical lines.
- Code of Conduct Policy – The policy is a statement of good practice that covers all aspects of life at Right Choice that contribute to the development and maintenance of good behaviour and a positive ethos. All members of our school are expected to help maintain an atmosphere conducive to learning, with courtesy and mutual respect as basic requirements.
- Disciplinary Policy & Procedure – The aim of the disciplinary Policy is to determine the boundaries of acceptable and unacceptable behaviour, the hierarchy of rewards and sanctions and how they will be fairly and consistently applied.Where the code of expected conduct is breached, pupils have a right to expect fair and consistently applied sanctions for poor behaviour and which make a clear distinction between serious and minor infringements of the code of conduct. An appropriate sanction is one which is designed to put matters right and encourage better behaviour in future.
- Anti-Bullying Policy – Everyone at Right Choice has the right to feel welcome, secure and happy. Only if this is the case will all members of the school community be able to achieve to their maximum potential. Bullying of any sort prevents this being able to happen and prevents equality of opportunity. It is everyone’s responsibility to prevent this happening and this policy contains guidelines to support this ethos. Where bullying exists the victims must feel confident to activate the anti-bullying systems within the school to end the bullying. From a restorative justice point of view, it is our intention to challenge attitudes about bullying behaviour, increase understanding for bullied pupils and help build an anti-bullying ethos in the school.
- Child Protection Policy – At Right Choice, the safety and protection of young people is paramount and has high priority. It is our responsibility to ensure that a comprehensive child protection policy is operated and all staff are given a basic induction in this regard. Additionally, all staff are subject to enhanced DBS checks (renewed regularly) before commencement of employment, references are taken up and staff are sent on ACPC facilitated Child Protection courses. The school premises also provide a safe environment for all young people to learn.
- A broad and varied curriculum offer; there is something for everyone
- Nationally recognised qualifications across educational and vocational offers.
- Smaller classrooms & more individual attention/assistance – a higher ratio of teaching and support staff per student.
- FREE breakfast and lunch provided with unlimited supply of water and juices (minus the ‘E’ numbers)
- Enhanced Pastoral Support – including counselling and mentoring/coaching.
- Individual / Personalised programme offers – regularly reviewed to monitor and record progress
- Educational Day Trips
- A structured Exit Programme (in conjunction with a dedicated Guidance Counsellor) leading to further Education, Employment and/or Training.
- Physical Education
- Healthy Lifestyles classes – including healthy cooking classes.
- Parent Support – including mediation where there is domestic conflict
- Wake-up calls and Home visits (where necessary)