My Choice School

My Choice School

My Choice School is managed by the Headteacher and is available at 3 sites:

My Choice School Arundel: a small school site in West

Sussex in a rural location. My Choice School Arundel has a core team of 3 teachers and 3 TAs.

See our Ofsted report
Read our Prospectus

My Choice Osprey House: a school within the children’s home that serves young people at Osprey House who are not yet ready to engage in a larger environment.

See our Ofsted report
Read our Prospectus

My Choice School Oak House: a school within the children’s home that serves young people at Oak House who are not yet ready to engage in a larger environment.

See our Ofsted report
Read our Prospectus

My Choice School has the following policies:

• Admission
• Administration of Medication
• Anti bullying
• Assessment
• Behaviour Management
• Curriculum
• Computer and internet
• Complaints
• Examinations
• EAL policy
• Exclusion
• First Aid
• GDPR
• Health and Safety of students on Educational Visits
• Health and Safety
• Preventing Extremism and Radicalisation
• Procedures for Managing Allegations
• The Disclosure and Barring service
• Risk Assessments
• Safeguarding
• SEN
• SMSC
• Student complaints
• Whistle blowing

All students are expected to wear uniform and follow the school expectations of behaviour and attendance.

My Choice School admits young people from Yr7 to Yr11 however young people join our school at any point in the year.

My Choice School provides an individualised plan to meet the needs and abilities of all students and has a holistic approach to learning, recognising their emotional and behavioural needs as an essential element in their achievement and progression. My Choice School can prepare students for a transition to a larger school setting (such as a local authority or other independent provision) if necessary and aims to prepare students for college in Yr12.

My Choice School will assess each student on admission in English, maths using the BKSB assessment tool. This provides levels, suggested targets and a progression route. The assessment informs the development of the IEP which will be reviewed at minimum twice a term and adjusted accordingly. Each student will undertake regular assessment (at minimum twice a term) to ensure that progress is on target.

My Choice School uses ASDAN awards and AQA Functional Skills English and Maths (L1 and L2) as the basis for the curriculum with variations where necessary. Our curriculum is not prescriptive as it is continually being reviewed and adapted for the needs of each student. Each student may commence their IEP from a different starting point depending on ability to engage in the learning process and levels indicated by assessments.

My Choice School also uses ASDAN courses to provide additional or alternative means of study.

ASDAN Excelsis Award

This award is offered at 3 levels:

1. Foundation: for Yr7 to Yr10 or those at GCSE D-G (nc5)
2. Intermediate: for Yr10 to Yr11 or those at GCSE A-C (nc6)
3. Advanced: for 16+ (Yr11 leavers or those at AS/A level at college)

The Excelsis award covers:

• Leadership and Teamworking
• Self Management
• Problem solving and creative thinking
• Presentation
• Research

ASDAN Short Courses: Offered at a range of subjects, both academic and vocational including Science, PSHE, Citizenship, Humanities, Personal Finance Education, Key Steps and Careers
ASDAN Stepping Stones: PSHE and Citizenship based
ASDAN Workskills Online: Assessments in employability skills

Variations to the curriculum will be made where:

• students are unable to engage with or see the relevance of learning or routine and are at risk of disengaging from education and becoming long term NEET
• students emotional and behavioural needs overwhelm their ability to engage with learning or with routines and expectations of My Choice School and their home
• students are experiencing a crisis in their time with us and need additional intensive emotional and behavioural support
• students needs are too complex to be met by an academic programme and require a developmental programme that provides opportunity for play and nurture in order to access learning in an academic or social context
• students are placed in Year 11 without a history of previous school engagement or learning to build on
• students remain on roll (dual registered) at their previous school in order to access GCSEs as agreed with the partnership school and the students’ Virtual School.

ICT is used throughout the curriculum at My Choice School. Internet access is restricted and supervised at all times in accordance with our policy.

Community facilities are accessed for Physical Education and include swimming, trampolining, gym and horse riding.

Group or individual music lessons are available at My Choice School Arundel twice weekly with a visiting music teacher.

Educational visits are encouraged to support all areas of the curriculum both academically and socially.

Additional on line learning can be used to cover First Aid, Food Hygiene, Health and Safety and any other area that the student is interested in.
Workshops are arranged each term for arts and crafts, Fire Safety, PSHE topics such as anti bullying, e safety, teamwork, personal development.
All students’ achievements are celebrated at the end of each term with Certificates of Achievement./

Annie Murphy Head of Education

Annie has worked at My Choice for 17 years.

Annie has a BSc in Experimental Psychology and a PGCE. Annie has over 30 years’ experience of working with vulnerable and marginalised children, young people and adults and within this has over 20 years’ experience of managing services for children and young people in residential, play, training and education settings, including 14yrs as Headteacher of My Choice School.

Annie leads on the development of My Choice School and manages the Headteacher.

Jennifer Durlston-Powell Head Teacher

Jennifer is the Headteacher of all 3 My Choice Schools and is based at My Choice School Arundel.

For further information about My Choice School please email Annie Murphy at:

a.murphy@my-choice-homes.com