Our School Day

At Gilbert Ward Academy we believe strongly in decisions being based in what research and evidence tells us is best for meeting the needs of our pupil cohort and we have applied this approach in the development of our school day.

Our school day will begin at 08:40 and end at 14:30. Research has demonstrated that earlier start and finish times are beneficial for pupils with SEMH needs, as it allows them to be more focused and engaged in school activities during the morning hours when their minds are more refreshed and alert. This supports academic attainment and emotional well-being.

The school day will begin with breakfast that offers an opportunity for pupils and staff to check in with one another, fostering stronger relationships. Studies have shown that positive pupil-teacher connections bolster academic success and social-emotional growth.

Following breakfast, pupils will participate in tutor time before moving on to learning sessions which meet the pupils specific needs on our pathway model approach. We are confident that our school day structure leads a supportive, nurturing, and effective learning environment for our pupils.

Our pathways have specific cohort needs, pedagogical choices to teaching and learning and provision design to best meet these pupil needs.​ Each pathways have specific timetable choices to enable this.

Engage

Pupils in engage access bespoke curriculums. Their day is structured around learning blocks which is specific to pupil needs. This is structured into a combination of the following blocks:

• Arrival: there are two arrival block types
  • Soft start: short goal for the session shared with a small achievalbe task to experience success immediately

  • Energised arrival and prep: immediate motivating start with a visual schedule for the blocks ahead with a predictable adult

• Engagement block: adult led structured instruction with a combination of thematic and interest led learning
• Community access: visits with the local community that connect knowledge nad meaning and motivate learning.
• Project based consolidation: short structured task immedately following a community access block to reflect and develop/emphasise learning
• Project based learning: low demand activities that are meaningful to pupils and interlinked to community access destinations to develop a greater meaning and understanding

• Sensory circuit: planned regulation breaks to aid engagement and transition points

• Reflection: explicitly sharing successes of the day with the pupil and sharing plan for the next day in preparation

• Reflect celebrate and prep for transition: recognition of achievements and explicit sharing to develop emotional literacy and self-awareness

• Reflection and looking ahead: self-advocacy and linking to individual aspirations and planning for follow up activities and sessions

Explore

Explore have shorter, cross-curricular learning sessions within their class. They have a shared break and lunch time with discover pupils where they access shared social times.

Pupils in Explore access a community visit once a week and an activity visit once a week. All visits have a personal development focus. Community visits have a further link to the big why and activity visits are part of pupil's physical education offer. An additional full day visit once a half term occurs with a personal development focus.

Discover

Discover have 5 subject specific periods a day, lasting 45minutes each. They begin and end their day with their tutor to foster strong relationships and anchor their day. This begins with a tutor session  and ends with a daily reflection to highlight individual successes to pupils.

Breakfast is served in the canteen as a social shared meal time, as is lunch time.

Pupils in Discover access a community visit once a week and an activity visit once a week. All visits have a personal development focus. Community visits have a further link to the big why and activity visits are part of pupil's physical education offer. An additional full day visit once a half term occurs with a personal development focus.