My Choice School

My Choice School

My Choice School is managed by the Headteacher and is available at 2 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.

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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
Admissions Policy
Curriculum Policy
Exclusion Policy
Behaviour Management Policy

My Choice School has the following policies:

My Choice School has the following policies:

• Acceptable Use for staff and students

• Admission policy

• Administration of medication

• Anti bullying policy

• Assessment policy

• Behaviour management policy

• Child protection and safeguarding policy

• Complaints policy

• Computer and internet policy

• Curriculum policy

• The DBS

• EAL policy

• Exam policy

• Exclusion policy

• First aid policy

• GDPR policy

• Health and safety of students on educational visits policy

• Health and safety policy

• Preventing extremism and radicalisation policy

• Procedures for managing allegations against people who work with children policy

• Risk assessment policy

• SEN policy

• SMSC policy

• Student complaints

• Whistle blowing policy

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.

Core Asdan Short Courses for all year groups
• English
• Science
• Maths
• PSHE
• Beliefs and Values
• Citizenship

Additional Asdan Short Courses
• Gardening
• Foodwise
• Construction
• Hair and Beauty
• Sports and Fitness
• Animal Care
• History
• Geography

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 17years.

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 2 My Choice Schools and is based at My Choice School Arundel.