Student Experience
Primary Phase
The pupil experience offered at Hinde House Primary phase is what sets us apart. Working across phases has given us a unique insight into the benefits of an extensive and enriching curriculum that extends beyond the classroom, and the positive impacts it can have on our pupils. As such, we have curated a range of opportunities and activities for our pupils to be involved in, which is further explored in our secondary phase to consolidate learning and continuously provide excellence in all that we do.
Leadership
Pupil Voice and Leadership is fundamental to how we operate, and in efforts to ensure every pupil is heard and that they have the opportunity to develop key life skills early on.
Through our dedicated Junior Leadership Team, pupils are encouraged to lead and to speak for themselves and on behalf of others, co-operate and learn to compromise; skills that we firmly believe put every child in good stead for their future.
Positions of responsibility across the primary extend into the secondary phase, allowing pupils to develop a wealth of skills, including confidence, speaking, debating, leadership and many more. These include:
- Digital Leaders: maintaining equipment and supporting computing lessons.
- Peer Mediators: supporting playtimes and mediating fallouts between peers.
- Reading Leaders: raising the profile of reading across the academy, supporting book choices and maintaining the library.
Enrichment and Experiences
Our dedication to enrichment is evident in the wealth of opportunities and experiences our pupils participate in, allowing them to extend their learning beyond the classroom and apply it in real-life contexts.
Our enrichment offer includes:
- Each class has a minimum of two trips per year, one with a focus on geography fieldwork curriculum skills and another experience based, linked to the Hinde House Passport.
- The Hinde House Passport is a list of 50 things we want our pupils to experience before they leave our school e.g., visits to playgrounds, farms, zoos, local walks and bike rides.
- Every half term each class participates in Forest School sessions, opportunities to try new skills, practice positive wellbeing, build confidence and put our core values intro practice.
- Partnership with Sheffield Sharks allow pupils to experience PE lessons led by Basketball professional!
- A wide range of extra-curricular clubs including Performing Arts, Disney Dance, Cheerleading, Karate, Crazy Science, Arts and Crafts and Digital Animation.
- External agencies provide extracurricular activities to give children high quality experience of learning new skills as well as members of our staff who have a passion and talent in a subject area. The academy funds enrichment clubs – there is no additional charge for parents to make accessible for all.
- Every half term we have a Wheels club for bikes and scooters, a football club and a basketball club.
Celebrations
We make great effort to celebrate our community, in an array of events and activities across the academy including exciting learning days, celebrations of cultures, beliefs and achievements:
- Weekly celebration assemblies celebrate a Star of the Week, nominated by each class for displaying the academy values
- Termly Award assemblies to reward the most improved in each subject area
- Annual drop-down days raise the profile of our core values and are used to raise the ambitions and aspirations of our pupils
- House Teams are created with the intent to develop a family feel and instil a sense of community. Pupils take great pride in representing their house during academy events, when they wear their house colours
- House points are awarded to pupils that exemplify and display our values with pride allow pupils the chance to participate in reward sessions with our school dog and biking lessons
- House competitions give our pupils further opportunities to work as a team to encourage and celebrate pupil’s strengths
- Safety Week
- Sports Day
- Charity Days
- World Maths Day
- World Book Day
- Royal celebrations
Support
A dedication to pastoral care, positive relationships across the academy and with families, and careful monitoring of progress and understanding ensures the needs of every pupil is met, in addition to supporting them at every stage of their journey in the primary phase and through into secondary.
Transition between phases is very carefully planned to ensure all pupils benefit from a smooth induction, as we understand how important this can be on their wellbeing and education.
Dedicated quiet spaces allow pupils to take time out during busy periods of school and the ability to request ‘blue cards’ allow pupils to have 1:1 time with members of staff.
Our experienced and long-standing team of behaviour and welfare officers know and understand the community and have well established relationships with the very large majority of our families. These positive relationships provide the positive community cohesion which keeps our pupils safe.
Partnerships
Partnerships are integral to the success of our academy. These include, but are not limited to:
- We work in strong partnership with our parents to support pupil learning, wellbeing and development.
- The Brigantia Learning Trust and our associated academies provide direction, leadership and the sharing of best practise and resources.
- Working with academies throughout the Trust allows for inter-academy competitions including the TT Rock Stars Timetable competitions and work experience for our secondary and post-16 peers in the Hinde House Primary phase.
- Wincobank Village Hall provide work for exhibitions.
- Local action group Friends of Wincobank.
Ventures
The Brigantia Voice initiatives aims to support our students expand their vocabulary and oracy and maximise their learning to take their place in society. We work with our partner academies across the Trust to bring this vision to reality for every child and young person.
The Trust has undertaken the Thrive Approach, a programme that provides the tools, skills and insights needed to help children become more emotionally resilient. Grounded in established neuroscience, attachment theory and child development, the Thrive Approach has been developed over the past 25 years and draws on a wealth of experience in social work, psychotherapy and education. As a result of implementing the Thrive Approach, children and young people are better placed to engage with their learning and with life.
In addition, we work with academies across the Trust around Humanutopia, to build the leaders of tomorrow and support children to make confident transitions between academies.
At Hinde House, we firmly believe that education takes place beyond the classroom, as well as inside of it. As such, we have developed an exceptional pupil experience, which is seamless across both primary and secondary phases, to prepare students for their future and encourage participation in as many learning experiences as possible.
Secondary Phase
At Hinde House, we firmly believe that education takes place beyond the classroom, as well as inside of it. As such, we have developed an exceptional student experience, which is seamless across both primary and secondary phases, to prepare students for their future and encourage participation in as many learning experiences as possible.
Leadership
Student Voice and leadership is at the heart of the learning culture at Hinde House, enabling students to take the opportunity to influence and understand the decisions that impact on their learning, life and world.
Students are inspired to assume positions that develop their leadership skills through a range of responsibilities and roles, including having an opportunity to be:
- A member of the Junior Leadership Team
- Humanutopia Heroes
- Peer Mentors
- Sports Leaders
Enrichment and Experiences
Life at Hinde House Academy is about much more than academic success; we believe it is vital to complement our curriculum with enrichment opportunities for students to develop as well-rounded individuals.
Our programme of enrichment experiences help students to pursue their interests and aspirations, providing valuable learning experiences outside their studies, and promoting independence and interpersonal links with students in other years and across phases.
Our enrichment offer includes:
- Duke of Edinburgh
- Philosophy for Children (P4C)
- The Linking Network – HHA & YA
- RUBIC - Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving skills -Pop up Workshop
- Workshops and conferences
- Charity fundraising days
- National and international trips
- A wide range of clubs.
- Regular school holiday clubs and activities where students have out of classroom experiences.
Celebrations
As a close-knit community, we make every effort to celebrate each other’s successes and achievements, topical learning days, cultures and beliefs within our community. We do this through:
- Culture Days
- Competitions
- Black History of Month
- World Mental Health Day
- Fundraisers
- Rewards
- Sports Day
- Religious festival celebrations including Christmas and Eid
- Summer activities
- Performances.
Future Ready
The Careers team aim to ensure that every student who comes through our doors, regardless of background or individual need, has the confidence and skills to become happy and successful citizens of the future, leave equipped with the ability, drive, ambition and resilience to take their next steps.
Key Priorities 2022-23:
- Compliance with statutory guidance.
- Work towards meeting the Gatsby Benchmarks.
- Re-instate previously successful work experience.
- Embed CIAG into subjects, not just PSHE or KS4.
- Create more opportunities to speak to employers.
- Complete accredited careers leader training.
- Make effective use of virtual wallet funding for activities.
Support
A dedication to pastoral care, positive relationships across the academy and with families, and careful monitoring of progress and understanding ensures the needs of every student is met, in addition to supporting them at every stage of their journey.
For new students joining us, our EAL Buddy and Peer Mentor Scheme is incredibly beneficial and well regarded.
An experienced and long-standing team of behaviour and welfare officers and Year Leaders know and understand the community issues and have well established relationships with the very large majority of our families. These positive relationships provide the positive community cohesion which keeps our students safe.
Our Academy leaders are highly visible and a constant presence across the academy, meaning that students feel confident and secure, in a culture and climate where all staff own and support positive behaviour through role modelling expectations across the academy.
Safeguarding, Attendance and Welfare teams work to ensure robust and thorough safeguarding procedures are embedded. These teams work collaboratively across 2-16. There is a cross section team of trauma trained tutors/ mental health leads that further enhance the academy culture that supports, develops and promotes well-being and mental health awareness.
Partnerships
Partnerships are integral to the success of our academy and include:
- Strong partnership with our parents to support student learning, wellbeing and development.
- The Brigantia Learning Trust and our associated academies who provide direction, leadership and the sharing of best practise and resources.
- Heppsy: supporting students to progress to university through university visits and guest speakers and application support.
- Humanutopia.
- Sheffield Hallam University.
- The University of Sheffield.
- Partnership with (DECSY) Development Education Centre South Yorkshire. Part of the initial writing group Contributing to, developing and trialling the lesson plans for the project Non-violent Action: A Force for Change.
- RUBIC CHILYPEP – Children and Young People’s Empowerment Project.
- DECSY & The Schools Linking Network.
- University Of Sheffield – Project Fortitude.
- School Food matters – Literacy through Gardening Project for New Arrivals.
Ventures
The Brigantia Voice initiative aims to support our students expand their vocabulary and oracy and maximise their learning to take their place in society. We work with our partner academies across the Trust to bring this vision to reality for every child and young person.
The Trust has undertaken the Thrive Approach, a programme that provides the tools, skills and insights needed to help children become more emotionally resilient.
Grounded in established neuroscience, attachment theory and child development, the Thrive Approach has been developed over the past 25 years and draws on a wealth of experience in social work, psychotherapy and education. As a result of implementing the Thrive Approach, children and young people are better placed to engage with their learning and with life.
In addition, we work with academies across the Trust around Humanutopia, to build the leaders of tomorrow and support children to make confident transitions between academies.