Principal - Lesley Welsh

ARC: Alternative Provision

Vision and aims

We believe that all children and young people should have access to a quality curriculum that will not only support their academic needs, but also develop the child emotionally, socially and morally.

We recognise that all students progress in different ways and through different approaches. With this in mind, our aim is to look at the child from a holistic point of view, collaborating with both pastoral and academic teams within the school to ensure that the student is the priority.

The purpose of the GPS ARC is to provide a full-time education to students who have found themselves disaffected with a mainstream learning environment, are struggling within a traditional setting, or are experiencing difficulties that present themselves as challenging. We will endeavour to use skills and experience to enable students to narrow the gap in academic and social ability offering them the best possible opportunities available.

The ARC will support students in re-engaging with education and develop their social skills, enabling them to make a positive contribution both to school and community life. This foundation will also prepare them for Post 16 education and eventual employment.

We expect the student will develop their social skills and emotional intelligence by participating in learning within a positive environment, through high expectations by all, reduced class sizes and aided by dedicated support staff.

We are an inclusive, understanding and proactive provision that works alongside students and their significant others, building relationships and a firm grounding for the individual students future.

What to expect

The school day starts in the ARC at 8.50am in the morning. Students will be welcomed in expected to place any belongings not needed for their lessons into a locker. Breakfast is provided should they want any. ARC learners then have five lessons each day where they can access a full curriculum. Lunch is at 1.30pm and the end of the school day is 2.45pm. Our ARC tutors contact home on a daily basis to update parents and carers on how the day has been.

If an individual’s behaviour causes significant disruption or concern we may consider sanctions depending on the severity of the issue. These supportive measures are put in place to allow learners to resolve any issues, reflect on their behaviours and put a plan in place to progress forward positively. Parents and carers will be invited in to support with this.

All students in the ARC have an independent education plan to ensure that all staff working with them know how to best support their needs. Risk assessments will also be completed if necessary.

RAW Scores

When students make positive choices in lessons they will be awarded points. These are called RAW scores. RAW stands for Relationships, Attitude and Work. Students can get a maximum for 3 marks for each of these; 3 being outstanding and 0 being inadequate. The tutors keep a record of the scores which then get converted into stamps which can be cashed in as part of the GPS rewards system. The RAW score system supports as a visual aid for the individual as to how well they are performing that day.

Find out more

For further information, please contact us.