Our Values and Ethos:
At Forest Moor School we…
- Believe every child has the right to experience success
- Build strong relationships based on:
- Unconditional Positive Regard
- Openness
- Honesty
- Supportive culture
- Nurturing environment
- Take a restorative approach
- Take a personal approach to learning
Unconditional Positive Regard
At Forest Moor School we place Unconditional Positive Regard at the centre of everything that we do. We accept, care and nurture all of our pupils and accept each individual for who they are. Unconditional Positive Regard is not something that is withdrawn when mistakes are made and we actively encourage our pupils to feel comfortable to try new things and expand their window of tolerance.
By using Unconditional Positive Regard we treat all pupils with:
- Genuine warmth
- Genuine care
- Flexible consistency to maximise each individual’s experience of success
… and by
- Showing resilience
- Offering multiple fresh starts
- Finding a way that works for all
- Acting in a positive manner
Our Mission:
Our mission is to maximise the life chances and make a positive difference to all of our pupils. Through our specialised SEMH approach, Forest Moor School engages pupils through creative and individualised learning which enables them to gain the EHCP, SEMH and academic progress they need to become well-rounded and successful individuals.
Our Vision:
Our vision is to provide the best possible care and education that we can for children and young people with Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) needs. Unconditional Positive Regard is at the centre of everything that we do and we are creating a school that is welcoming, caring, safe, warm and believes that all of its pupils can be supported and empowered to experience success and be the best version of themselves.
We create personalised pathways for our students that are regularly reviewed and adjusted to meet their varied needs as we recognise over time these needs will be fluid at present differently depending on the challenges they face. In order to achieve this we have developed a curriculum that interlinks the EHCP, SEMH and academic requirements to always ensure students are making progress in one or more of these areas. By operating a personalised and flexibly consistent approach to progress, our pupils are always able to experience success, whether that be working through crisis or engaging with challenging class-based learning.
We see strong relationships as the key to our success – with students, parents, carers, external agencies and the wider community. We ensure that our school is a welcoming safe space for pupils to learn and thrive. We believe in working closely with our families and carers and welcome their support, but also realise that at times they will need our support too. We work closely with other agencies and schools to make sure we do all we can to maximise every pupil’s life chances and experience of success.
Our Aims:
We aim to offer all pupils the opportunity to become confident and independent learners in a supportive and nurturing environment. Our vision is for every pupil to experience success and progress, whether this be their EHCP, SEMH, Academic or a blend of all three areas.
Almost all students attend the school full time, which encourages a sense of belonging and community. Our clear and consistent structure ensures that pupils feel safe and secure and it enables them to take ownership of their learning.
The Interim Executive Board (IEB) and Leaders at the school know that the focus on achievement and success is one of our strongest features. Experience has proved that for a child to succeed, they need to feel purpose and success with their education so this is what we offer to them. The increase in confidence and self-esteem that drives improvements of behaviour, self-regulation and ability to communicate effectively is almost always linked to the wider successes outside of academic learning which is why we focus on academic, SEMH and their EHCP needs. We operate a plan, do, review model to all aspects of our school and recognise that over time the needs and provision for each student might change for a short period of time and it is our responsibility to recognise and support this.
What we offer to our students:
- Small classes of one adult to every 4 children, so that no learner is left without help.
- A unique learning environment ranging from their classroom to our Local Learning Area of Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the wider North Yorkshire area.
- Caring and committed professionals who can make sure that our pupils make rapid progress in their learning, through an engaging blended learning approach inside and outside the classroom.
- A curriculum that is built around the learners needs and will prepare all of our leavers for their next steps into further education or training.
- Specific support based on the needs of each student including interventions to support SEMH needs.
- Support for students to develop strategies of self-regulation and effective ways to communicate what they need and what they are feeling.