Our Ethos

EVERY child needs a CHAMPION.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGmmf6cLfH4

It seemed pertinent to begin summarising our ethos with Rita's Pierson's clip: Every kid needs a champion.  Her words:

"Never Give up on Them" and

encourage them to "be the very best that they can be"  echo how we at Prime 8 Education teach our young people.  

Growth Mindset

By the time that our students find their way to us they very often feel a failure with self-esteem in tatters.... Our starting point is to piece by piece rebuild this by forging a trusting relationship and interweaving our growth mindset mantras through our teaching:

Mindfulness

Central to our belief on what teaching and learning is about, Staff apply mindfulness techniques alongside Growth mindset within every day life at Prime 8.

We have dedicated an indoor space to this depicting the colour and scent of orange as recommended by Wild Orange Mindfulness Teacher.  This gives our learners as safe space to be in the moment and away from the bustle of Base.  There is also a worry box placed in the space for learners to post any worries anonymously or away from the scrutiny of peers.

Our dedicated outside mindfulness spaces enable learners to take time away and experience the sounds, smells and sights of our world. 

Mindfulness in Schools Project

Exciting news for 2020/21 in recognition of our Mindfulness values at Prime 8 Education:

https://mindfulnessinschools.org/

Established by teachers from amongst the country’s most successful schools, Mindfulness in Schools Project (MiSP) aims to improve the lives of children by making a genuine, positive difference to their mental health and wellbeing.

Invitation to participate

I am delighted to be able to confirm that your Alternative Provision setting (APS) meets the eligibility requirements, and that we would now like to formally invite you to participate in this exciting project to bring mindfulness to the young people that you teach.

Julie Townsend Jane Backhouse and Amanda Shaw have completed the Mindfulness training enabling them to teach mindfulness practices to the learners at Prime 8. Other staff members are continuing with their journey through MiSP and it is hoped that more staff members will become fully trained in the near future. 

Positive Reflection 

During our reflection session at the end of each learning day we come together as a community to share what went well collectively and as individuals.  Staff award 5 points for engagement for each lesson (5 point scale) which is recorded on weekly lesson logs and collated at the end of each half term with rewards for targets achieved. 

Our Ambassador system works by appointing Primary and Secondary ambassadors to serve as the voice for their peers.  Ambassador meetings are held with Staff to feed back what learners are happy with and what could be done to improve their experience at Prime 8. 

Currently:

Jordan Lowe - KS4 Ambassador

Open door policy.

Most of our young people are referred to us with "labels" attached - Anxious Learner, Autistic traits etc.  We never place learners in carefully labelled boxes and therefore as a provision we are all inclusive with an open door policy.  Decades of teaching have taught us as educators that people (children and adults) do not fit into one box and usually individual needs overlap and merge into others.  A young person who joins us may present with "oppositional behaviour" but this may be a strategy to conceal deep levels of anxiety. 

So as a provision we give EVERY young person a chance by catering for all. We accept Primary learners, who will often thrive working alongside Secondary learners.  Through the referral process we will aim to place our young people with others where the best match possible occurs.