THE BEAUMONT SCHOOL COMMUNITY

“Students respect each other and do not tolerate discrimination of any kind.”
(Ofsted Report 2008 - full report available here)

We aim to enable pupils to feel part of the Beaumont School Community even before their time here begins formally: pupils joining the school are visited by the Head of Year 7 during Year 6 to welcome them to the school and to gather pastoral information to ensure a smooth transition, e.g. friendship groups. In the July immediately preceding their September start at the school, new Year 7 pupils are invited with their parents to an evening where they meet their form tutors and the pupils with whom they will be in a form, and they also spend a day in school with their new form experiencing life at Beaumont and getting a taste of the community of which they will shortly be a part.

As part of the curriculum, Beaumont offers a programme of Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education (PHSE) which seeks to help our young people

• understand themselves as individuals and their relationships with others;
• develop an understanding of society and their part in it;
• recognise the value of their contribution to society as informed, competent and responsible individuals

From its beginning in Year 7, the PHSCE programme aims to help pupils to establish themselves quickly and smoothly as members of the school community, to encourage the development of study skills, social skills, self-awareness, a sense of responsibility and consideration for others, and to enable pupils to learn about opportunities in life and how to make the most of them. Student mentors from further up the school link with each Year 7 form and help further the process of integration and cross-year cohesion. Citizenship became a statutory part of the National Curriculum in September 2002; Beaumont has adopted a cross-curricular approach, with most subjects incorporating aspects of the Citizenship curriculum into their schemes of work. The Geography and RS curricula for example promote understanding of and, where appropriate, tolerance towards, other cultures and life styles. Our multi-cultural Curriculum Enrichment Day promotes appreciation of and respect for other cultures. Our well-established system of Pastoral Care has at its heart the aim of developing co-operating and contributing members of school and society, prepared to take and accept responsibility

Equality of opportunity for all our students is a key principle underlying all aspects of school life at Beaumont. Pupils with Special Educational Needs have the same right of access to Beaumont’s curriculum as all other pupils and wherever practicable are educated alongside their peers, receiving additional staff support and specialist help in the classroom where appropriate. Where needed, academic staff mentor students who might be struggling; Teaching Assistants run social skills groups for vulnerable pupils; Links Education Support Centre, Connexions and African Caribbean Achievement Team (ACAT) outreach workers support vulnerable pupils enabling them to engage more successfully with the school community; and Peer support is provided to vulnerable pupils through the Young Carers Group and social Skills groups run buy members of the SEN staff. Where parents wish pupils to take part in extra-curricular trips and visits and finance is an issue, the BSA has an Inclusion Fund from which assistance may be available. Our school is accessible to all and wheelchair users have access to virtually every part of the school buildings.

Within the school there are many ways in which groups of people come together to the benefit both of the school as a whole, and the development of the individuals concerned. The Student Voice comprises representatives from every form in the school, and its committees are grouped vertically thus encouraging different year groups to work together and to be aware of differing views and needs. The School Community committee of the Student Council is particularly involved in fostering a sense of community within the school through involvement in the production of a school newspaper, peer mentoring, work on campaigns such as anti-bullying and meeting with local councillors and Community police officers. It is also planned that the committee will work with the BSA on fund-raising and other initiatives. Students also participate in Governors’ meetings, including sub-committees. Inter-form events during the year unify tutor groups in collective endeavours as students seek to achieve their best for their form, whilst sixth form students lead whole-school charity efforts such as fund-raising for causes as wide ranging as a township in South Africa, to Genes for Jeans Day.

Parents and carers, and other ‘friends’ are involved in the life of the school in many ways. The BSA organises an evening social event for new Year 7 parents in order to introduce them to the opportunities for developing links with the school and each other, and organises a number of social and fundraising events throughout the year. Parents and friends are also invited to the many music, PE, and drama productions which take place throughout the year: a real feature of these events is the number of pupils, as well as parents, who come to support their friends and family.

Beaumont Life, the School’s monthly newsletter is written by and for all members of the school community and is a reflection of school life and some of the many successes of the Beaumont community. Copies are available for download here.