Different types of schools free essay sample

Pupils who are aged 11 to 18 attend academies. In order to be admitted students have to pass an entrance exam. Academies teach students the core subjects and they specialise in one or two subject areas. Academies are financed directly from government and not by local council and they are run by an academy trust and not by the local council. Some academies have sponsors such as businesses and they are responsible for improving the performance of the academy. Academies are different from other types of school because they have freedom from the local authority control. This means that they can set their own pay and conditions for staff, they can choose how to teach the curriculum and they can change the lengths of school terms. Academies follow the national curriculum. 2. Community Secondary schools Community schools accept children who are between the ages of 11 -1 6 . Potential students are more likely to be admitted if they live near the school. Community schools teach the national curriculum and they receive finance from the government . and they are controlled by the local education authority. Community schools are different from other schools . Unlike other schools community schools promotes openness for example community schools do not have fences that keep students in and the public out. 3 Primary schools Pupils aged 5 to 11. Pupils are more likely to be accepted if they live near the school or if they have a brother or sister already attending. Primary schools teach students key stage 1- 5 literacy and numeracy skills. Primary schools receive finance by the government and they are governed by parent governors, staff governors and community governors. Primary schools teach the national curriculum. 4 Special schools Special schools educate people with special needs e.g. learning or behavioural disabilities. The curriculum is tailored around the students strengths and learning styles. Special schools are funded by the local education authority. Pupils aged 11 – 16 attend special schools. 4 Independent Boarding schools Students who attend state boarding schools are entitled to a free education but are required to pay for their boarding. Students who attend these types of schools are 7 to 18 years old. State boarding schools follow the national curriculum and also teach additional subjects. Boarding school fee are paid for by the parents 5. Preparatory schools. Preparatory schools are fee paying schools and they accept students aged 4 to 11. Perspective students are required pass an interview in order to be admitted. The purpose of a preparatory school is to prepare children to take the Common Entrance Exam to get them into a private independent secondary school. Preparatory schools follow the national curriculum. Preparatory schools are different from other types of schools because the class sized is smaller. Preparatory schools employ more specialist teachers this is important because some children may have special needs or other potential difficulties. 6. Grammar Schools Perspective students are required to take an entrance exam. Students are aged 11 to 16. Grammar schools follow the national curriculum and they receive funds from the government. Grammar schools are different from state schools because state schools accept all children aged 11 – 16 whereas grammar schools accept children based on how well they do when they take the entrance exam. 7. Sixth Form A sixth form is an extension from the corresponding secondary school. They take on students who have achieved certain GCSE grades. Pupils who attend a sixth form are usually 16 to 19 year olds. Students attending Sixth forms study for A levels and BTECS. Sixth forms are government funded. Sixth forms are different from collages because sixth forms offer only academic courses whereas a college offers both academic and non-academic courses. Task B School governor The role of the school governor is to contribute to the strategic planning of the school. They are also responsible for the allocation of resources and to raise school standards. In order to do this, school governors attend regular meetings to debate policies and plans. School governors also keep a check on the income and expenditure of the school. Head Teacher The role of the head teacher is to provide professional leadership and management for a school. Head teachers are responsible to the governing body. Head teachers are responsible for ensuring that the school reaches the highest possible academic standard as well as to promote and safeguard the welfare of children. Senior Management Team Is made up of the head teacher and head of department. Their role is to set the strategic direction of the school and to ensure that the school is doing the best can for its pupils. Teacher The role of the teacher is to provide education for students. The role could be carried out in a school or in an adult education centre. A teacher is supposed to be passionate about creative learning and have high expectations of themselves and others. Teachers are also , responsible for making lessons interesting so that children enthusiastic about learning and this in turn will enable them to achieve their maximum potential. A teacher should also be prepared to adapt their teaching strategy to meet the needs of the pupil. Support Assistants Help the teacher prepare classes and support students on a one to one basis. They specialise in maths and English. Special Educational needs Co-ordinator (SENC) SENC are responsible for ensuring that the following is carried out. 1. Day to day operation of the schools SEN policy 2. Answering request from teachers 3. Maintaining a SEN register for all pupils with special needs. Six External Professionals Educational Psychologist An educational psychologist helps children who are experiencing problems in an educational setting with an aim of enhancing their learning . An educational psychologist asses a child by observing and interviewing them. An educational psychologist also collaborates with teachers and parents. Speech Therapist Speech and language therapists assess and treat speech language and communication problems in people of all ages to help them better communicate. Occupational Therapist An occupational therapist holistically assesses the pupil. This means that the occupational therapist will examine the childs sensory motor function by playing games for example kicking a ball which assesses motor skills and throwing hoop games to improve hand eye co-ordination . Further more they test the childs intellectual ability by playing games involving memory. Education Welfare Officer. Education welfare officer deal with pupils who have poor attendance at school. Their role is to find out what is affecting pupil attendance and then try and work with teachers and families. For example if the child is not attending school due to transport, uniform and dinner costs the education welfare officer will help families receive financial assistance to cover these costs. Other roles of the education welfare officer is to help arrange alternative education for pupils who are excluded from school. Provide ongoing support to students by making home visits. Physiotherapists Work in special schools. They are responsible for helping students who have physical disabilities with the following: They help students to maintain good muscle tone, good posture and ease of movement by using specialist aids and equipment. School Nurse The role of the school nurse to minimise student exposure to disease by giving first aid for injuries. They maintain students well-being by administering medications and treatments as prescribed by a students physician. They are employed by the local health authority, community NHS providers or by a school directly. Task C Aims :An aim is the intention of achieving a particular goal. Value: A value is a belief that an organisation holds in order to achieve its aims City of London is an Independent school for boys. The school accepts boys from a wide range of backgrounds and it believes in the following 1. Maintaining a good relationships between staff. 2. Maintaining good relationships between pupils themselves. 3. Try to eliminate bullying or discrimination of any kind 4. Ensuring that each student achieves their maximum potential. 5. Having a mutual level of respect and understanding between students, teachers and parents. In order for the above aims to be achieved the school dose the following: 1. Promoting moral values and encouraging an awareness and understanding of different ways of life. 2. Setting homework on a regular basis. 3. Setting tests on a regular basis. 4. Holding parents evening so that the teachers and parents can discuss students progress. 5. Moulding pupils behaviour and progress so that praise and encouragement are more common than any punishment. 6. Making sure that pupils know what is expected of them, in particular to be considerate, courteous and honest 7. Hold regular staff meetings so that there is a clear level of communication between staff members. 8. Organising extra circular activities that involves team work, good-tempered competition and the development of loyalty and leadership. 9. Ensuring that lessons are stimulating and promote academic rigor and enables students to show high achievement. 10. Ensuring all students are treated equally. 11.. Recruiting and retaining staff of high standards and providing satisfying and ensuring that these standards are maintained by offering refresher training courses City of London schools upholds it’s aims and it’s values by setting regular tests, checking homework diaries and by ensuring that the learning environment is safe and well equipped. Task D 1. Disability act 2005 and 2001 2. Children’s Protection act 1989 and 2004 3. Human Rights act 1998 4. Data Protection act 1998 5. Health and Safety Act 6. Special Educational Needs (SEN) Code of Practice Disability Act 2005 and 2001 Under this piece of legislation it is illegal for employers and educational establishments to discriminate against a person if they have a disability. According to this piece of legislation employers are required to make suitable adjustments so that disabled people are treated equally to non-disabled people. An example of these adjustments is providing disabled people with the right equipment to do their job. This piece of legislation states that it is illegal for educational establishments to treat disabled students less favourably compared to non-disabled students. For example it is illegal for educational establishments to do the following 1. Refuse to accept students who are disabled. Only provide application forms that are only accessible to non-disabled people. 3. Punishing a disabled student by suspending them because they complain about harassment. 4. Being ill equipped to deal with the requirements of disabled people for example disabled pupil is prevented from going outside at break time because it takes too long to get there. Under this piece of legislation education providers are required to make adjustments for example create a ramp so that disabled people could easily move in and out of the building. Furthermore educational establishments should hire specialist teachers or equipment. Children’s Protection Act 1989 and 2004 The children’s protection act sets out guidelines for those who are responsible for the welfare of children to ensure that the following: 1. Help children enjoy life. 2. To allow children to be healthy 3. Help children in their quest to succeed. 4. Allowing children to remain safe in their environments. In order to ensure that the above occurs there are several key areas, 1. Inter-Agency co-operation 2. Children’s Trusts bodies Children’s Fund. 1. Inter-Agency co-operation This means that any agency that is aware that a child is being mistreated should inform other agencies that might have a hand in the protection of a child who would normally go unmonitored. 2. Children’s Trusts bodies The purpose of children’s trust bodies is to ensure that there a level of co-operation not only between Health ad social services but also between teachers parents, guardians and children. 3. Children’s Fund The children’s fund is set up to help children who are from low income families. The idea of the Children’s fund is to ensure that children between the ages of five and thirteen attend school regularly. Human Rights Act 1998 Human Rights Act states that the government and public authorities must act in a way that respects human rights. The government must also ensure that there are laws in place so that individual human beings respect each other’s rights. The Human Rights act 1998 states that people have the following rights: 1. Freedom of expression 2. Right to a fair trial 3. Right to liberty and security 4. Freedom of thought belief or religion 5. Right to education 6. Protection from discrimination. Data Protection Act 1998 The Data Protection act is the main piece of legislation which states how personnel data should be protected. It states the following 1. Personnel data should be obtained fairly and lawfully. 2. Personnel data should be accurate, kept no longer than necessary and should be kept up to date. 3. Paper files should be kept is a structured filing system. 4. Consent should be obtained from the individual before their personnel data is used. 5. Personnel data should be regularly backed up and appropriate security measures should be in place to prevent unlawful or unauthorised processing of personal data. Health and Safety Act It is the schools responsibility to carryout regular fire drills to ensure all fire safety equipment is in good working order. Special Educational Needs (SEN) Code of Practice Provides practical advice to schools and Local Education Authorities, as well as those who help them for example health and social services to identify, assess and make adjustments for disabled people. The following educational settings have a SEN policy: 1. City Academies 2. City Technology Colleges 3. community, foundation and voluntary schools 4. community and foundation special schools The SEN statement consists of six parts. 1. Part one consists of the child’s personal details such as name address and date of birth. It also includes the advice the LA received as part of the assessment. 2. Part 2 Consists of details about the child’s special educational needs as identified in the assessment 3. Part 3 Consists of a description of what help the local authorities think the child should receive. For example what the long-term aims are, the arrangements for setting short-term goals, regular review of the child’s progress towards those goals and how the child’s progress is monitored 4. Part 4 States the of school the child should go to get the special help that they need and the arrangements that need to be made out of school hours or off school premises 5. Part 5 describes the child’s non educational needs Task E Name of policy Who does it deal with Staff / Pupil Welfare/ Teaching Learning Anti- Bullying Policy Pupil Welfare Equal Opportunities Staff and Pupil Welfare Homework policy Teaching and Learning Special needs policy Pupil Welfare Accessibility Plan Pupil Welfare Policy A plan of action adopted by a business, educational establishment or a business. Anti-bullying Policy Circle time: This method is used in junior schools Pupils sit in a circle and play games. After a short while they can discuss matters such bullying as a group. This is a method is effective because everyone in class takes part in a structured way. This means that the person talking could be listened to without interruptions. Some schools may use an object, representing the opportunity to talk uninterrupted for the person who is holding it. When using this method a lot of care would need to be taken because there is a risk that the children might feel humiliated and distressed talking about difficult feelings in front of their class. Procedure A series of steps by which a desired result is accomplished. Group support method. The pupil is told to write an account of what happened. The teacher holds a meeting so that the victim and the bullies can discuss how the victim is feeling. The teacher, victim and the bullies have a discussion on how the issues can be resolved then arrange a follow up session to see how things are going. Task F: Additional Points that should have been included on poster. The National Government The national government is responsible making policies and making sure that are followed. The national government is also responsible for the school/education budget, they determine which local authorities should receive the funding and how much they should receive. The UK government is split into two departments (the Department of Education and Department for Business, Innovation and Skills) which deal with education in England. Department of Education. Their role is to work with children up to the age of 19 and ensure that child receive help and support for issues like child protection to education. The department of education is also responsible for ensuring that the poorest and most vulnerable children receive the same opportunities and level of education as any other child would by ensuring the right provisions are in place to meet these requirements. Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Their role is to create a high quality education system that is designed to teach workers the skills that are needed in modern day life. Local Government The Local Government are responsible for planning the education service and managing the budget by thinking about how it should be distributed in order to gain maximum benefit from it. Task F Part 2 The following organisations work with schools. 1. Youth clubs 2. NHS 3. Police 4. Careers advice service Youth Clubs Youth clubs such as The Really Wild club works with primary, secondary and special schools. The club is run within school grounds. The Really Wild club teaches children about the importance of wildlife and how they can help it, as well as discovering new ways of playing in and enjoying the natural environment. The club also carries out activities such as pond dipping’ den building, bow and arrow making, natural art, woodcraft and fire safety. Participating in outdoor activities is extremely beneficial for children especially those children who live in flats because it allows them to explore and test boundaries, develop independence and self-esteem, improve social skills and build creativity. NHS The NHS has recently developed a new strategy to help children a healthy body weight. This strategy is called The National Child Measurement Programme. Parents will be sent a letter informing them about the programme and then parents could give their consent for their child to participate. On the day trained NHS staff will weigh and measure the child. This information would then be used to calculate the child’s body mass index. The results would be sent directly to the parents. Every child who takes part in this programme is contributing to the national picture about how children are growing. This helps the local NHS plan better health services for children in a particular area. Police Police work with schools in a number of different ways. One of their roles within a school environment is to ensure the safety of young people by tackling crime, discipline, safety and behaviour in school. The local authorities in the West midlands have come up with a scheme called the safer schools programme which is an initiative between Warwickshire Police and selected schools. The aim of the programme is to improve school safety, prevent crime, and raise educational achievement In order for this to be achieved a Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) based on the school site to offer support to pupils and teachers and the local community. Careers advice service (Connections) Careers advice services such as Connections offer guidance to pupils aged 14 – 16. Connections also provide help for those students who have learning disabilities to plan their future. Children’s Social Care The role of the social care worker is to promote the welfare of children who come from less well-off backgrounds. In order to do this children social care workers work with parents and other agencies e. g. police. If the social worker thinks that the child is at risk it is the social workers responsibility to decide what action to take. When working in schools the main duties of the social care worker are the following: 1. To provide the highest possible standard of service to children, young people and their families, ensuring that the needs of the children and their parents/carers are professionally assessed and met. 2. Contribute to child protection plans. 3. Maintain case history records for each student and prepare reports for different services and the school. 4. Counsel students whose behaviour, school progress, or mental or physical impairment indicate a need for assistance.