Carisbrooke Secondary School

Isle of Wight new schools competition Your opportunity to comment on the proposals to establish a new school in Newport iStock/Gilles Lougassi iStock/Gilles

Public meeting 14 July 2009 Carisbrooke High School, Mountbatten Drive, Newport, Isle of Wight, PO30 5QU 5.30pm–8.30pm The new school competition

The Isle of Wight Council has identified a need for a new Secondary School for Carisbrooke, and in line with the Education and Inspections Act 2006 it published a notice on 24 February 2009 inviting proposals from organisations or people interested in establishing the new school to come forward.

Three proposals have been received and were published by the local authority on 10 July 2009. The date of publication marks the start of a six week representation period. This is your opportunity to comment on the proposals: your comments will be taken into account by the decision maker of the competition.

The school

The school will be situated at Mountbatten Drive, Newport, Isle of Wight PO30 5QU, on the site of the current Carisbrooke High School. It will serve the west of Newport and the West Wight. The new school should cater for pupils between the ages of 11 and 19 and provide places for 1350 boys and girls. 300 places should be for sixth form pupils.

The school will be expected to serve all children aged 11–19 with special educational needs in the local area for whom mainstream education is considered appropriate; there will be on-site facilities to enable these pupils to remain in mainstream education with their peers.

The school will also provide a specialist unit for young people aged 11–19, who have Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The unit will offer a maximum of 15 places, by specialist referral, to young people who will benefit from remaining in a mainstream school environment but who need dedicated specialist support.

The admission number for the school on the opening date will be 216 and the school should admit up to this number of pupils into Year 9 for September 2010 and September 2011 and into Year 7 thereafter.

The proposals

The proposals received were:

• The Academies Enterprise Trust

• Innovative Schools

• Medina Innovation Trust (in a hard federation with Fairlee)

Carisbrooke Secondary School, Newport, competition 3 Summaries of the proposals, based on materials provided by individual bidders, follow. The Academies Enterprise Trust The Trust proposes that the new school be a co-educational academy, which will be part of a federation of schools run by the Trust on the island, each with its own unique identity. The Trust’s aims are to achieve educational excellence for the island by providing outstanding education to all young people and the wider community; to give young people twenty-first century skills; and to work together and bring in new resources. Its ambition is to be the education provider of choice for students on the Isle of Wight.

The Trust believes that an academy can be a catalyst for change and will raise the aspirations of young people, families and communities in Carisbrooke. Its vision is to see students achieve world class learning by developing world class teachers in a world class community. Its aim is for the Carisbrooke Academy to be judged as outstanding. It will strive to develop young people who:

• respect themselves

• are responsible, independent and supportive of each other

• are determined

• offer themselves as role models for future generations of learners

• can demonstrate strong self-belief.

Carisbrooke Academy’s duty will be to inspire young people to make their best better. It will create an environment which is highly participative and aspirational and where every student has the opportunity to develop skills for life. It will support parents and carers and will work with the local community to nurture all our young people.

As with all voluntary-aided and foundation schools, the Carisbrooke Academy will be its own admissions authority. In setting its admissions policy it will aim to create an all-ability school for families in Carisbrooke and its priority area. Its admission policy will abide fully by the schools admissions code.

About the Academies Enterprise Trust The Trust has successfully opened three academies in Essex (Greenward in Hockley, and Malting and New Rickstones, both in Witham). Its sponsor body, the Greenward Charitable Foundation has an excellent record of addressing under performance in schools, raising standards and providing high-quality teaching. On its trust board it has professionals with over 30 years experience. It is submitting this proposal with support from the following local partners: The Isle of Wight Chamber of Commerce, Tourism and Industry; UKSA; Isle of Wight PCT; Isle of Wight College; EWO Community School Group; Vestas Technology UK Ltd; Quay Arts; Quarr Group and Pearson Education.

4 Carisbrooke Secondary School, Newport, competition Carisbrooke Academy will have 300 sixth-form places. The sixth form will improve the educational or training achievements of local young people by providing a world-class learning environment, with high quality teaching and a range of vocational as well as academic options.

There will be two specialisms for Carisbrooke Academy, one of which will be technology. It will consult with the Council, partners, parents and students on the appropriate second specialism. Options for this include, visual arts, engineering, geography, science and English.

The Trust can confirm that it will support the Isle of Wight Council’s inclusion policy, which includes provision for children with special educational needs or those hard to place and similar groups of pupils in need of additional support.

The Trust’s aim is that student outcomes at Carisbrooke Academy should be above national average and in the upper quartile of similar schools nationally within five years of opening. Innovative Schools Innovative Schools is aiming to establish a multi-academy Charitable Trust, running schools on a not-for-profit basis. The Trust is proposing to run three secondary schools: Carisbrooke, Sandown and Ryde. It believes that the schools make logistical and practical groupings.

Innovative Schools’ philosophy is to put children first. Carisbrooke Academy will be a stimulating place where children are motivated and enjoy learning; they will have a buzz, energy and vitality about them. Students will leave the Academy well equipped for employment, with high self-esteem and the life skills that they need and deserve.

The Academy will do its best for every student: this commitment starts with an emphasis on the basics of literacy and numeracy and the values of behaviour and respect, old fashioned values that are as important now as they ever were. It will allow every student to achieve his or her potential in academic and vocational qualifications and life skills. The Academy’s ethos will emphasise personal qualities and the specific needs of each student. Students will be motivated and urged to direct their own learning, and will have personalised learning plans. The curriculum will be based on a core offer covering pedagogy, standards and values; it will not be constrained by subject and will focus on twenty-first century skills.

For the sixth form, Carisbrooke Academy will maintain the spirit of cooperation within the Carisbrooke-Medina-Cowes (CMC) High School sixth form collaboration, and will develop closer links with Ryde and Sandown.

At the Academy, students will be listened to and involved in decision-making processes and will help to improve their own day-to-day environment. There will be a student School Council with representatives from all year groups. All teachers will be involved in individual and small-group mentoring and will involve older

Carisbrooke Secondary School, Newport, competition 5 About Innovative Schools Innovative Schools is made up of a number of highly qualified individuals including: Valerie Bragg who has experience as a teacher, headteacher and principal (of the first ever city Technology College); Sir Jim Rose CBE who was the Director of Inspections at Ofsted and is now a member of the board of the Qualification and Curriculum Authority (QCA); and Mike Gibbons, a founding member of the Governing Council of the National for School Leadership and a member of the National Association of Head Teachers.

students in the mentoring programme. It is understand that some students wish to enter the world of work while still at school. Therefore the Academy will continue participating in the Young Chamber Apprentice Challenge and the Island Young Enterprise Scheme.

Carisbrooke High School is already successfully supporting some of the most vulnerable students in the community. The Learning Support Department works with over 300 students who have additional needs, and has built up an excellent rapport with the external agencies who work with the school to support them. The new Schools at Carisbrooke and Sandown will host specialist units to support young people in the 11–19 range that have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). There is still more awareness needed on ASD, therefore Carisbrooke Academy will continue to support the its unit and enhance and develop its expertise, while working closely with Sandown.

The admission arrangements will be decided by Carisbrooke Academy’s interim governing body as soon as possible. The policies will be closely aligned to the Isle of Wight Council’s co-ordinated schemes for admission to school for September 2010. As its own admissions body, the Academy will consult with the local authority on future admissions in accordance with the School Admissions Code.

Carisbrooke Academy will be designated a technology college. This specialism offers the school leadership real flexibility. All technology colleges are committed to raising standards of achievement and the quality of learning. They are also expected to make innovative use of ICT. As an academy, Carisbrooke will be able to customise its technology specialism to match the needs of it students.

A visitor to Carisbrooke Academy will be able to sense the result of its ethos. They will know what to expect: consistent quality, well trained staff and positive attitudes. Staff and students will look you in the eye and smile; they will be keen to tell you about what they are doing and try to help. You will immediately feel comfortable and confident that this is a school with a real sense of purpose.

6 Carisbrooke Secondary School, Newport, competition Medina Innovation Trust The Medina Innovation Trust has been established to create a centre of learning in the heart of the community which provides outstanding education and unlocks the potential of young people. The school will encourage its students to adopt a healthy lifestyle and actively contribute to making the Isle of Wight a better place in which to live.

The Trust will achieve high standards of teaching and learning by ensuring that:

• teaching is relevant to the needs and aspirations of all students in the school

• teaching and learning is matched to the needs of differing groups

• feedback mechanisms are in place for young people and their families to assess provision.

For the new Carisbrooke School, Medina Innovation Trust is proposing a Foundation School with a Trust, as part of a hard federation with the proposed new Fairlee School.

The proposal is for a shared single governance structure which provides the basis for school-to-school partnership. The federated schools will remain separate, maintain their own individual budget allocations and, initially, report their own results. The federation will ensure that both schools work collaboratively for the benefit of all young people and their communities by:

• working together effectively and sustainably to raise standards, improve services and increase opportunities for pupils and staff

• sharing resources

• creating a joint vision for attainment and achievement.

The Trust’s objectives are to advance the education of students in the new school, maintaining a commitment to:

• meeting the educational needs and aspirations of young people

• promoting equality and social cohesion

• achieving excellence in teaching and learning.

About Medina Innovation Trust The members of the Medina Innovation Trust are: the University of Portsmouth, Isle of Wight PCT, the Quarr Group, Solo Agency and Quay Arts. These partners, combined, bring excellence in: teaching, learning and research, awareness of the commercial sector, specialist health related guidance, and an art college ethos. The Trust thinks that a key purpose of education is to enable young people to understand their role in creating a fairer and environmentally sustainable world.

Carisbrooke Secondary School, Newport, competition 7 The Trust believes in schools where teachers know the children as individuals, and where positive relationships are encouraged. For many young people a human- scale approach will make the difference between success and failure. The Trust will ensure that sustainable development is embedded into whole-school activities – sharing the Isle of Wight Council’s vision for an Eco-Island.

The new school will serve the local community with an admissions policy that is non-selective and fully inclusive. It will operate within the Isle of Wight’s admissions process. Oversubscription criteria will be agreed by the governing body. Children who are in the care of the local authority, or have special educational needs or disabilities, will be especially welcomed.

The new school will pursue technology (land based studies) as its first specialism. This will include the provision of a horticultural unit to run GNVQ courses in land and the environment. The unit will use green technologies to generate power and will use simple conservation strategies, such as recycling. The Trust will seek to acquire a second specialism in sport and, in time, a third in humanities.

The Trust will take a new approach to the curriculum. Flexible courses will tailor programmes to combines applied (vocational) and academic learning. Throughout a student’s time at Carisbrooke, they will be supported through a personalised learning plan. Each student will be have a learning mentor who will closely monitor their progress, negotiate targets with the student and their family and provide coaching.

8 Carisbrooke Secondary School, Newport, competition Public meeting

The local authority is required to hold at least one public meeting (and more will be arranged if necessary) during the representation period to provide members of the community the opportunity to hear more about each proposal and ask questions. The meeting will be chaired by Tim Whitworth from OPM, who have been appointed by the Department for Children, Schools and Families to support this school competition.

After the representation period

At the end of the representation period the local authority will collate all of the comments or objections received on each proposal. As the local authority has not published its own proposal, and does not have an interest in any of the proposals, it will decide the competition, taking account of the comments made during the representation period and the guidance published by the Secretary of State.

Providing comments

The Isle of Wight Council wants to know your views about the proposals it has received for the new school. You can comment in the following ways:

• You can attend the public meeting at: Carisbrooke High School, Mountbatten Drive, Newport, Isle of Wight, PO30 5QU on 14 July 2009, from 5.30pm to 8.30pm.

• You can provide written comments, using the attached form, to: Laura Hales, Admin Manager, School Re-organisation Team, Isle of Wight Council, County Hall, Newport, Isle of Wight, PO30 1UD

• You can send your comments by e-mail to [email protected].

Full copies of the proposals are available at: http://eduwight.iow.gov.uk/schools/reorganisation/ and are also available for inspection at Cowes High School, Crossfield Avenue, Cowes, Isle of Wight, PO31 8HB.

The closing date for responses is 6.00pm, 21 August 2009.

Carisbrooke Secondary School, Newport, competition 9 10 Carisbrooke Secondary School, Newport, competition Carisbrooke Secondary School competition

Response form The Academies Enterprise Trust Comments

Innovative Schools Comments

# Carisbrooke Secondary School, Newport, competition 11 Medina Innovation Trust Comments

Are you?

A pupil q A member of staff at a school q A governor q Name of school: Name of school: Name of school:

A parent q A local community/organisation/ A local resident q Name of your children’s business representative q school: Name of the community/ organisation/business:

Other q What is the nature of your interest in the new school?

Please return this form before 6.00pm, 21 August 2009 to: Laura Hales, Admin Manager, School Re-organisation Team, Isle of Wight Council, County Hall, Newport, Isle of Wight, PO30 1UD. Email: [email protected]