Contextual Analysis
Use Google maps Street View to find out about the area the school is in and what is available in the local community.
Which Local Authority does the school fall under? What can you find out about the LA?
Nicol Mere is located in Ashton-in-Makerfield, which is a market town in Wigan, Greater Manchester
Ashton-in-Makerfield's main shopping street is Gerard Street. The street has lots of traditional style shops and cheap discount stores. It is a functional town where you can do your day-to-day business and pick up bits and bobs between the weekly trips to the supermarket
In Ashton-in-Makerfield there is a leisure centre, a library and a market
Wigan is a global leader in food production with more than 76% of the World's top 25 food companies being based in Wigan. Wigan's Heinz factory is the largest food factory of its kind in Europe
Wigan has one of the highest crime rates in the UK, with violent crime being the most common
Wigan is also home to the Wigan Warriors Rugby team who compete in the Super League
Top Sites in Wigan include:
Robin Park Leisure Centre
Ninja Warrior UK Adventure
Haigh Woodland Park
Bridgewater Canal
Wigan Roller Rink
Local Nature Reserve
Three Sisters Racing Circuit
Wigan Little Theatre
Worthington Lakes
The Old Courts
Fairy Glen
DW Stadium
Google Maps Links: Ashton-in-Makerfield, Nicol Mere School
School Website
Read the Welcome – what does it tell you about the values of the school?
The welcome is very informative of the school’s goals and what they wish to achieve. They state that “We are committed to ensuring that every child, entrusted to our care, achieves their full potential in a happy, safe and caring environment”. It tells us about how they value each child as an individual rather than just their educational achievements. It is also apparent that they think very highly of developing relationships and the importance it has on the child’s further life.
Look at the Who’s who section – what is the makeup of the workforce?
1 head and an acting head
11 governors
30 teaching and welfare assistants
8 infants’ teachers
13 juniors’ teachers
5 kitchen staff
4 cleaning staff
1 site manager
The number of staff is a good representation of the values the school presented in the welcome message. There are a lot of staff members available for support and assistance which is reassuring to see as it shows that the children can receive pastoral care alongside their studies.
How are the classes organised?
From looking at the staff organisation there are 2 or more teachers for each year group. From talking to our group mentor and what we can see from the website, the classes look very focused. In year 6 the classes are streamed into classes of the higher achievers down to the lower achievers. This is very useful to helping each child be successful, as they will be in smaller groups for the children to ask questions and learn, in a more tailored to their needs environment.
Is there additional provision? Breakfast and/or After School Club, etc.?
There is a range of after school clubs available including Football, Basketball, Multi-sports, Rugby, Cricket and Performing Arts with Dance. This section of the website is informative of the options there are and how to get involved with the member of staff to contact if anyone is interested.
Look at the newsletters going out – what do these tell you about the school?
There is a newsletter section on the website with two previous school years. There are monthly newsletters available for parents to view. Looking at the most recent newsletter there are many interesting parts of it. It starts with attendance winners where the parents can see what year groups are achieving the highest attendance. There are plenty of subsections including mobile phones, sickness, medicines in school, sport and PE kits. All of these contain information on what to do and what the rules are of the school. For example, mobile phones are only allowed if the child is walking to and from school alone. The phone should be switched off and taken to the office to be kept safe. There is a section on reading at home and how parents should get involved in it with their children. It discusses why reading is so important and the impact it will have on their life. The newsletter includes key dates for the parents and key information about payments for any school trips. Overall I believe the newsletter is very informative to parents.
Does the school have a Twitter account? What does this tell you about the school?
The school does not have Twitter, however they do have a Facebook account. It keeps parents updated on what each year group is doing by posting pictures and videos of what the children have been learning. They keep parents updated on key dates and use it to pass on any messages. This shows that the school does its best to keep parents updated about what is going on. This could have a positive impact on what parents do at home as well, and could increase the amount of learning that goes on outside of school.
(Nicol Mere School, 2021)
Key Information Sections
School Values:
Nicol Mere school believes it is important to develop values that are important to not only the teachers, but the children and parents.
These values create a happy community and make the children feel secure, which is why they are developed. There are many reasons for the positive school values like: creates confidence and self-esteem, a better atmosphere, encourages the children to acknowledge their behaviour and has a positive impact on it, teaches the children values and prepares them for life after primary school.
The values are created in numerous ways. Staff introduce the children to the values of the classroom at the start of each academic year and they get each child to sign the ‘value tree’. By doing this, the children are introduced to what is expected of them at that age and by signing the tree, they are given an understanding of why we have values and what it means to agree with them. The values are brought into assemblies and the teachers try to promote them each day in school life.
The children are reminded of the values as they are displayed on boards, classrooms and on the school's website. This allows the children to acknowledge and remember the values and shows how strongly the school believes in them as they are consistent. Prizes are awarded to the children in assemblies, to encourage the children to carry on displaying the values.
I think it is important for each school to develop their own values as these represent what the school is about and the expectations of the children. It teaches the pupils life lessons, and the earlier values are brought into their development, the longer they are likely to stick by them and create their own in the future.
Class Pages:
On the Nicol Mere website there are no individual pages for each year group or class. Their website is structured by having different pages for each subject under the curriculum sections. On each subject page there are different links and sections for each year and class. There are links for the curriculum for particular age categories and another link with a planning sheet for what the school is going to teach them over the different terms.
I think this is a great idea. By sharing the topics for each term, it gives an insight for the parents of what their child will be learning and provides opportunities for parents to start preparing children.
Galleries:
There are multiple images on the website of the children but there is not a specific area to view all the images. Each section of the website contains an image at the bottom of that page associated with that particular heading. For example, in the assemblies section there is a photograph of the children sat waiting for the assembly to start and in computing it shows a few children sat on the computers during a lesson. On the Home page, there is an introductory video showing around the school, the children engaging in lessons and activities and the facilities that the school has.
I think the video is a really good idea for the school's website, as it is really welcoming and positive, showing any prospective parents wanting to send their child to Nicol Mere what is to be expected they go there.
Curriculum:
There is a section for the curriculum which is split into 3 categories: Curriculum Statement, National Curriculum and Our Curriculum. The Curriculum Statement is a recent document that was produced in 2020 and incorporates the schools intent with it’s curriculum and how they designed this curriculum. These include things like theory of learning, pedagogy of children, sequence learning, NCC and the pupils' dynamics and backgrounds. This is important as it shows the schools curriculum is tailored to the pupils of the school and acknowledges the different backgrounds they come from to produce a curriculum that will benefit every child. The National Curriculum section has a copy of the National curriculum document which contains each subject for each key stage. This is important to be on the website as it allows parents to compare what the school is teaching the children to what is expected to be taught. Our Curriculum section is split into each subject, core and non core. Each contains that specific subject's curriculum statement and what the school intends for the children in that area. Some subject pages are more detailed than others and include things like parent workshops and extra support. Every subject page includes a plan for each term for each age group.
I think it is great how they have included parent workshops as it supports the parents for what they could be doing to strengthen their children's learning, keeping them involved and influential.
Policies:
Nicol Mere has 11 main policies displayed on their website
Accessibility Policy
Anti-Bullying Policy
Charging Policy
Complaints Procedure
DFE Behaviour and Discipline in Schools
Equality Access Scheme
GDPR for Parents
Privacy Notice
Pupil Behaviour Policy
SEND Policy
SRE policy 2019
The website then explains that any other policies can be requested from the school office where they take about 10 working days to process. All of the policies are saved and organised in a pdf format. The policies are really helpful in giving any necessary information in a concise and clear way.
SEND:
The schools website has a page designated to information about SEND. This includes what SEND is, how the school assesses whether a child has specific needs, any additional help and support they will give, along with the process of how the decision is made. The page also details the roles and responsibilities of the school, how Nicol Mere support SEN children, how the curriculum is adapted to SEN children’s needs and the SEND training staff receive. It also goes on to consider how parents are involved with their SEN child's learning and development , the school environment/trips and how SEN children are supported in transferring from Nicol Mere.
This dedicated SEND page lays out clearly how the school includes and respects individual children's needs, providing parents with support and comfort in that their child is highly valued and looked after.
EAL:
There was not a section for EAL.
PE and Sports Premium:
The Sports Premium section of Nicol Mere's website shows images of the children enjoying their PE lesson and provides information on what the schools aims and passions are in the Physical Education part of the curriculum. It also provides information on the awards and funding the school have received in this sector and their Sports Premium Strategy document is available for parents and visitors to see. Swimming is a key sport the children of Nicol Mere take part in in Year 5, this is also listed on the website.
This is a really positive outlook on how important physical activity and is to the children of Nicol Mere, emphasising that every child should have the opportunity for a healthy, active lifestyle, overall contributing to their further development.
Pupil Premium:
The pupil premium provides information on the performance of disadvantaged students within Nicol Mere. This data is displayed in tables of comparison over the past few years that are clearly structured. There is a section within the pupil premium that shows visitors and parents what the impacts and barriers are with disadvantaged children and how the school responds to them in order to overcome these. Nicol Mere makes sure that the extra funding the the Pupil Premium scheme brings is given to the children who need it in the most effective and rewarding way.
By detailing this, the school is showing that they welcome and value all of their children, regardless of their background or socio-economic status, acknowledging some children in the school may be less advantaged than others.
(Nicol Mere School, 2021)
Self-Study Tasks
How does the school promote equality and diversity and work towards eliminating discrimination, e.g. SEN/D, EAL, Safeguarding, Pupil Premium?
Nicol Mere promotes equality and diversity in lots of aspects of the school, regardless of age, race, gender, disability, religion, socio-economic background and sexual orientation. This is shown by adopting the scheme of Pupil Premium and their many policies addressing the diversity amongst pupils and staff within the school, and how this is celebrated and respected. The school aims to create an atmosphere of mutual respect, where children, staff and parents/carers feel supported within a safe and diverse environment. Within their policies, including SEND, Equality and Anti-Bullying, the school aims to create an environment suitable to provide every child with the resources, facilities and support plans to achieve their full potential in every area of the curriculum. With regards to their equality policy, Nicol Mere tackles all kinds of discrimination by positively promoting equality, challenging bullying and stereotypes, with help from many people involved in the school; the Headteacher, SEN/CO, the Governors, teachers and teaching assistants, parents and carers. (Nicol Mere School, 2021)
What are the differences between free schools, LA controlled schools, academies and faith schools?
Free schools are schools funded by the government but not run by the local authority, so they have more control over how they do things, such as set their own pay for staff and change the length of school terms/days. Whereas local authority controlled schools (community schools) are run by their local authority, and are not influenced by any business or religion, and follow the national curriculum. Faith schools have to follow the national curriculum, but can choose what they teach in RE, and may have different admissions and staffing criteria. However, academies receive direct funding from the government and are run by an academy trust, so they have more control over how they run the school, i.e. do not have to follow the curriculum. (GOV.UK, 2021).
What is Safeguarding and what is the role of the Designated Safeguarding Officer?
Safeguarding regards keeping the child safe and promoting their welfare. This is through protecting the child from maltreatment, preventing impairment of their mental and physical health and development, ensuring they have safe effective caring environments, and taking any action to enable all children to have the best outcomes. The DSL is the most appropriate person to contact with a safeguarding concern, who supports staff to carry out their safeguarding duties. They are the one who will liaise closely with other services and agencies, such as Children’s Social Care. (DfE, 2020).
What different types of Governors are there? What is their purpose?
Parent Governors - Parents/carers, of registered pupils at the school are eligible to stand for election as Parent Governors and are elected by other parents at the school. They do not have to stand down if their child leaves the school, though they may do so if they wish. Their role is to bring a parental perspective to any issues that will be discussed. They are not there to speak on be-half of other parents.
Local Authority Governors - Nominated by the County Council and appointed by the Governing board. Nominations are confirmed at regular Governance Group meetings which include the Cabinet Member for Education. Local authority governors role is to play the link between the school, the local community and the local authority.
Staff Governors - Both teaching and support staff paid to work at the school are eligible to stand for election as a staff Governor. Staff Governors are elected by the school staff and must be paid to work at the school, volunteers are not eligible. There can only be one Staff Governor. However, Governing boards may appoint members of staff as Co-opted Governors. Staff governors bring a staff viewpoint to any issues that will be discussed.
Headteacher - the Headteacher is a member of the Governing board by virtue of their title. The Headteacher may at any time resign as a Governor, and withdraw their resignation, in both cases by notifying the clerk in writing. The Headteacher’s responsibilities include the internal organisation, management and control of the school and the educational performance of the school.
Co-opted Governors - Co-opted Governors are appointed by the Governing board. Co-opted governors are people who in the opinion of the Governing board have the skills required to contribute to the effective governance and success of the school.
Foundation Governor - Foundation governors are either appointed or take the role by virtue of a title that they hold. Where appointed, appointment is made by the person entitled under the Instrument of Government (usually the school’s founding body, church or other organisation) and for the purpose of securing:
in all cases, that the school’s character (including religious character where it has one) is preserved and developed
where the school has a foundation, that the school is conducted in accordance with the foundation’s governing documents
Partnership Governor – they are appointed by the governing board. Only those with skills that are needed which will contribute to an effective governance and bring success to the school are eligible.
Associate members – these are not governors but they are appointed by the Governing board to bring any expertise and experience in specific areas that the committee need. Students can also be appointed as a Student Associate Members (SAMS).
Academy Appointed Governor – Academies boards and local Governing boards are set out in their individual articles of association. Within the conditions of the articles of association governors may be appointed (Schools Web, 2021).
What is an IDACI rating? What does it measure?
IDACI rating is the Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index. It measures the local area proportion of children under 16 living in low-income households.
OFSTED
At your school, investigate: The most recent OfSTED report, what does this tell you about the school? What are the school’s strengths and areas for development? What are the values of the school?
The most recent Ofsted report is from 2010. The school is larger than average and at the time of the report, most of the school's pupils are of white heritage. The number of pupils who are eligible for free school meals is above average. Around 1 in 4 pupils are found to have special educational needs and/or disabilities.
Strengths – The pupils make consistently good progress. The school is highly successful in helping pupils who have had previously challenging behaviour enjoy learning and ensure they make good progress. They ensure those with special educational needs and/or disabilities make exceptional progress. They are successful at increasing pupils' academic performances and sustaining outstanding practice in supporting the pupil's personal development.
Areas for improvements- Teachers should plan work for students that is challenging and engaging and show students how to learn independently. Teachers should make questions more probing in lessons to allow pupils to develop and explain their ideas fully. Give clearer advice to students on how they are able to improve their work. Teachers should ensure the use of day-to-day assessments and review targets effectively with the pupils so they are clear on how they are to improve their work.
Overall, the school values the personal and academic growth of their pupils. They ensure that pupils are pushed to achieve their full potential. They ensure they provide outstanding care, guidance and support for their pupils. They aim to provide community cohesion by educating their pupils of the community that is around them and the different faiths, cultures and ethnicities that exist within it.
(Ofsted, 2010).
Safeguarding
What are the 4 key aspects of Safeguarding? Protecting Children from abuse and maltreatment, Preventing harm to children’s health and development, ensuring children grow up with the provision of safe and effective care, Taking action to enable all children and young people to have the best outcomes (NSPCC Learning, 2021).
What activities should Safeguarding induction involve? Discuss in small groups what they think safeguarding might mean, identify from the cards which of these situations may be classed as safeguarding, discuss what might your responsibilities be to safeguard yourselves and others
Which pupils are more likely to be at risk? Pupils are more likely to be at risk if they are in care, have family problems, experience mental health problems, living in a deprived area or have a learning difficulty / disability (City & Guilds, 2019).
What are the indicators of abuse and neglect? There are lots of indicators of abuse and neglect, including: unexplained changes in behaviour / personality, frequent presentation of minor injuries, social withdrawal or a loss of interest, seeming anxious, desperately seeking affection, refusing to go to school / running away (NSPCC, 2021).
What are examples of peer-on-peer abuse? There are lots of examples of peer-on-peer abuse, including; physical and sexual abuse, emotional harm, on and offline bullying and teenage relationship abuse.
What are the indicators of "serious violence"? These are the indicators of serious violence: increased absence from school, a change in friendships or relationships with older individuals or groups, a significant decline in performance, signs of self-harm or a significant change in wellbeing, signs of assault or unexplained injuries, unexplained gifts or new possessions (Cave, 2019).
What are Channel and Prevent? Prevent is a programme designed in by the government in 2011 to reduce the terrorist threat to the UK by stopping people becoming terrorists, or supporting terrorism. It is particularly focused on helping those who are more vulnerable or susceptible to radicalisation. Prevent works with a wide range of sectors where the risks of radicalisation could be higher, such as the education sector, criminal justice, faith, charities and online. The Home Office works with local authorities, government departments, community organisations and police to deliver the strategies used in Prevent. Strategies include: working with schools, community groups and faith groups to support the vulnerable and offer advice and guidance. Channel is a programme led by local authorities and delivered by safeguarding professionals and local partners. Channel is a three step process: 1. Identify individuals at risk of radicalisation, 2. Assess the extent of the risk, 3. Create a support plan to help the individual concerned. (LTAI, 2020).
What are examples of sexual violence? Sexual violence is a term used to describe and kind of unwanted sexual activity. Sexual assault, rape, child sexual abuse, female genital mutilation (FGM).
What are examples of sexual harassment? Sexual harassment is any unwanted behaviour of a sexual nature that makes a person feel uncomfortable or scared. Examples of sexual harassment include: degrading comments, being subjected to sexual jokes, sending messages/ pictures of a sexual nature, inappropriate physical behaviour.
What is "upskirting"? Upskirting is where somebody takes a picture under another person’s clothes, usually without their knowledge. It can take place anywhere at any time and people of any age or gender can be a victim of upskirting. It is a criminal offence in England and Wales (GOV.UK, 2019).
What is the role of the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL)? The DSL is responsible for safeguarding and child protection in schools. They usually have a higher level of safeguarding training than other members of staff. The DSL has many important roles, including: ensuring safeguarding policies and procedures are being followed, keeping detailed accurate reports of concerns and referrals, liaising with the headteacher and members of the local authority/ social services/ police/ local authority designated officer (LADO), making referrals when being informed of a safeguarding concern, supporting members of staff and offering advice to them for any safeguarding queries.
References
CAVE, T., 2019. Keeping Child Safe in Education 2019 [online]. Available from: https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=14a9b08e-8c87-48f4-8d48-61adb62bddd1#:~:text=Serious%20Violent%20Crime&text=a%20change%20in%20friendships%20or,of%20assault%20or%20unexplained%20injuries [Accessed 18 January 2021].
CITY & GUILDS, 2019. Safeguarding Children [online]. Available from: http://resource.download.wjec.co.uk.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/vtc/2018-19/HSC18-19_3-4/_multi-lang/unit03/01-why-some-children-are-more-at-risk-and-adverse-childhood-experiences.html [Accessed 18 January 2021].
DEPARTMENT FOR EDUCATION, 2020, Keeping children safe in education (2020) [online]. Available from: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/954314/Keeping_children_safe_in_education_2020_-_Update_-_January_2021.pdf [Accessed 18 January 2021].
GOV.UK, 2021. Types of school [online]. Available from: https://www.gov.uk/types-of-school [Accessed 18 January 2021].
GOV.UK, 2019. 'Upskirting' law comes into force [online]. Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/upskirting-law-comes-into-force [Accessed 18 January 2021].
LTAI, 2020. What Is Prevent? [online]. Available from: https://www.ltai.info/what-is-prevent/ [Accessed 18 January 2021].
NICOL MERE SCHOOL, 2021. Home [online]. Available from: https://www.nicolmere.wigan.sch.uk/ [Accessed 14 January 2021].
NSPCC, 2021. Spotting the signs of child abuse [online]. Available from: https://www.nspcc.org.uk/what-is-child-abuse/spotting-signs-child-abuse/ [Accessed 18 January 2021].
NSPCC LEARNING, 2021. Safeguarding children and child protection [online]. Available from: https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/safeguarding-child-protection [Accessed 19 January 2021].
OFSTED, 2010, Nicol Mere School Inspection report [online]. Available from: http://www.nicolmereschool.co.uk/files/1613/9884/6813/Nicol_Mere_Ofsted_2010.pdf [Accessed 18 January 2021].
SCHOOLS WEB, 2021. Types of governor [online]. Available from: https://schoolsweb.buckscc.gov.uk/governor-zone/understanding-governance/types-of-governor/ [Accessed 18 January 2021].