Values and Ethos

Aims and values

Ethos / Statement of Purpose / Our Vision

“Our pupils / students are an untapped resource of positive potential. Our aim, in partnership with parents / carers and support professionals, is to fully meet the individual needs of each and every child or young person. To personalise our positive based approaches to enable all to flourish and develop into happy, independent, emotionally literate, well educated, socially confident and productive members of society”

Marland School is a multi-site Devon LA maintained Co-op Foundation Trust special school and a member of the Devon wide SENtient Trust. Its pupils / students all have an Education, Health and Care Plan, the majority of which identify the primary need/s as Social, Emotional and/or Mental Health (SEMH), with many also having secondary / additional special educational needs. Marland is a school first and foremost, focussing on teaching, learning and wellbeing as the priorities. The school is designated for 162 pupils / students based across 4 sites:

1. Primary Day School (Bideford): 42 co-educational, Yr2 - Yr7 pupils.

2. Secondary Day School (Roundswell, Barnstaple): 40 co-educational, Yr7 - Yr11 students.

3. [Weekly] Residential School (Peters Marland, Torrington): 40 boys only, Yr6 - Yr11 students.

4. Secondary Day School (East the Water, Bideford): 40 co-educational, Yr7 - Yr 11 students.

Within our educational community major emphasis is placed upon warmth, security, support, consistency, honesty, respect, guidance and encouragement. It is our intention that the pupils / students in our care will benefit from the positive relationships we can offer through the role models they are provided with.

Marland Residential School will through personalisation across the 24hour curriculum, meet the social, emotional and learning needs of our students. We will ensure students achieve a range of qualifications, increasing their aspirations. These life changing goals will ensure Marland students make appropriate life choices and become successful citizens of the twenty first century.

On an ongoing, frequently reviewed basis, we will:

• identify the individual needs of each and every student (personalisation).

• develop staff expertise and skills to meet these needs (empowerment).

• engage and utilise multi-agency support as need dictates (through partnership).

• consistently plan and deploy appropriate strategies, approaches and resources to fully meet such need (leading to aspirations and achievement).

• use technology to aid their engagement in learning and then develop the technological skills they need to meet the demands of 21st century life (innovation)

• ensure our students stay safe, healthy, enjoy and achieve and make a positive contribution to society, and leave us with the skills to achieve economic wellbeing (Every Child Matters)

Due to the complexity and severity of our student cohort’s special educational needs (SEMH), it is essential that we continue to develop and maximise the social and emotional development of each and every individual student. These elements of their needs are in the vast majority of cases the primary causal factors in their behaviour, with all of these aspects preventing them from successfully accessing and succeeding with their [personalised] formal learning. The consistent and effective utilisation of ‘THRIVE’ and a range of personalised strategies are key to developing these essential social and emotional needs, stabilising behaviour and opening up access to appropriate and challenging high quality learning opportunities for each and every individual student.

At Marland we provide an extensive and varied activity program. Our staff team are equipped with training and qualifications in a range of outdoor pursuits and physical activities (canoeing, archery, moor walking, climbing, surfing, lifesaving, swimming, etc.). Such active outdoor pursuits provide our students with the chance to experience new and innovative challenges. It also gives the opportunity for enhancing the social skills of discipline, team work, patience and tolerance in preparation for future life. We recognise that each young person is an individual and as such has individual rights and needs. Our activity program reflects this, responding to the knowledge that not all wish to take part in such strenuous pursuits, and as such a broad range of alternative less physical activities are also offered (board games, computing, reading, cooking, art & crafts, video / dvd films, gardening, motorbikes, etc.).