Vision

Our vision is to provide our pupils with all the opportunities and resources they require in order for them to learn to achieve success and independence in life. This is reflected in the The Old School motto, ‘Learning to achieve success'.

Moreover, in order to fulfil our vision, values and philosophy, we focus on five key success factors at The Old School:

1. We aim for high standards in everything we do.

This implies high standards in tests, examination results, and other educational outcomes as well as high standards in effort, self discipline, behaviour and relationships. It also implies high standards of dress, appearance and attendance.

2. We aim to get the best out of our pupils by creating an environment of positive behaviour.

The key to a successful learning environment is good behaviour. Good behaviour with clear and consistent rules leads to a positive educational environment in which our pupils and staff feel valued, cared for and safe.

3. We aim to promote positive relationships within and outside the school.

We strive to ensure that pupils work successfully together. Teachers and pupils treat each other with courtesy and respect. Parents, carers, pupils, local authorities and teachers work in unison for the benefit of our pupils and the school develops effective links with the wider community.

4. We aim for our pupils to be successful in everything they do.

We believe that individual pupil success can be achieved in everything our pupils undertake. We believe that success at school will lead to success outside school and in future adult life. Each time we find success we make sure it is recognised and used to raise self esteem.

5. We aim to prepare children for their future and successful adult life outside of the school.

Our responsibility to our pupils is to help prepare them for the challenges they will meet in adult life. We endeavour to ensure that they have a grounding in the social skills they require to be successful throughout life. By working with local businesses we will enable our pupils to gain important work experience skills that will assist them in finding sustainable full time employment once they leave school.

Our Values

• Respect
• Openness
• Collaboration
• Professional Delivery
• Sustainable Success

Philosophy

The Old School is founded on the premise that a balanced education should ideally combine a strong academic and sporting input in an environment that actively encourages self-discipline, self-esteem and responsibility. Our approach is to work our pupils hard at all the principal attainment targets of the National Curriculum in order that any ground lost relative to their mainstream peers can be speedily recovered and built upon, the more easily to resume their place in mainstream education when appropriate. Additionally, all our staff have been specially chosen, not only for their academic credentials, but because of their strengths and wide experience in social, emotional, behavioural skills and character development amongst young people of spirit.

Thus, our curriculum incorporates elements of formal and informal teamship and confidence training running parallel to, and in conjunction with, our pupils' normal academic studies. One example is that we are now able to balance fully the requirements of the National Curriculum in respect of Humanities with coincidental map-reading, seamanship, leadership and general outward bound education. This approach not only brings more realism and life to subjects such as History, Geography, Science and Modern Languages but also subtly develops the qualities of responsibility, self-discipline, cooperation and self-sufficiency by which our pupils will be readily identified in the future.

We strongly believe that environment plays an important part in the process of learning and we very deliberately chose as our base a small village school in a quiet, beautiful part of Kent , close to the sea but also close to the woods and rolling hills of the North Downs. Not only is there a prevailing atmosphere of therapeutic peace and tranquillity about the area but it is also ideal territory for constructive fieldwork, adventurous activities and fruitful recreation.

The future for EBD schools, we feel, lies in the small establishment such as ours which can develop a strong sense of purpose and identity and with which a pupil can feel proud to be associated. We aim to eradicate quickly the sense of stigma which often accompanies exclusion and replace it with a sense of achievement and pride in being partof a family which, far from being ‘excluded', is rather ‘exclusive'.