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Culture & Ethos

Strengthening Culture and Ethos at Ormskirk School

Opportunity, Resilience. Respect. These have been Ormskirk School’s values for many years.

At Ormskirk School we expect the very highest standards from our pupils. This includes their uniform, punctuality, attendance, behaviour and effort. We want successful pupils who have a well-rounded education who can play an active role in their community.

At all times, we expect our students to:

 

Respect the School

Respect the Staff

Respect Each Other

 

Attitude To Learning and Ready To Learn (ATL And RTL)

To help provide a positive working relationship between School and Home and to help each pupil make the best progress we will be providing an Attitude to Learning score (ATL) every lesson. This score can be seen on ClassCharts and is input by Class Teachers at the end of every lesson. The criteria for the ATL score is below with 1 being Outstanding, 2 meaning Good, 3 Requires Improvement and 4 is Inadequate.

 

Attitude to Learning (ATL)

1
  • Self-motivated and co-operative learner who is focused on making good progress at all times
  • Participates enthusiastically and maturely in class: a positive influence on other pupils
  • Learning tasks in lesson are always completed to the best of ability
  • Shows resilience when faced with challenges: always attempts own solutions before asking for help
  • Behaviour in class is excellent at all times

2
  • Often works hard and is usually focussed on making good progress
  • Participates in class activities and works well with others
  • Learning tasks in lessons are usually completed to a good standard
  • Usually tries to overcome challenges - will ask for support when attempting own solutions
  • Behaviour is usually good in class and all expectations are met

3
  • Sometimes shows a willingness to learn when motivated by the task but can become distracted in lessons
  • Usually participates in class activities but does not always work effectively in groups
  • Lesson tasks are not always completed fully
  • Often gives up when faced with difficulty
  • Behaviour is often good but sometimes does not meet expectations

4
  • Shows little personal motivation to learn or make progress
  • Rarely participates in class activities and often distracts other pupils
  • Can be uncooperative, even with considerable teacher input
  • Lesson tasks are usually left unfinished
  • Behaviour is often disruptive and does not meet expectations

Students will also receive a Ready to Learn (RTL) score from Teachers on Interim and Final Reports.

Ready to Learn (RTL)

1
  • Always on time for lessons
  • Always fully prepared with necessary equipment
  • Always completes homework to best of ability
  • Always completes homework to set deadline

2
  • Usually on time for lessons
  • Usually prepared for lessons with necessary equipment
  • Usually completes homework to a good standard
  • Usually completes homework to set deadline

3
  • Usually, but not always, on time for lessons
  • Usually, but not always, prepared with necessary equipm
  • Usually, but not always, completes homework to a good standard
  • Usually, but not always, completes homework to set deadline

4
  • Often late for lessons
  • Often unprepared without necessary equipment
  • Rarely completes homework or completes to a poor standard
  • Rarely submits homework to deadlines

Rewards

We use the ATL tracking to help us reward our pupils and their day to day efforts. Pupils will also be given ‘Special Recognition’ awards by staff as a reward for those pupils who contribute the wider life of the school or demonstrate something that is above and beyond.

We will also be continuing with some of the rewards from previous years including:

  • Hot Chocolate with the Head
  • Heads' Commendation
  • ‘Well done’ Postcards

Other rewards will be discussed by the school council throughout the Year.

Choices and Consequences

Without a doubt, the best learning takes place in calm, focused lessons. Staff will use a range of strategies to support students in maintaining the best conduct in the classroom. We believe that pupils should always be given a chance to regulate their own behaviour, which is why we have introduced a new system which focuses on giving pupils opportunities to make the right choices and, where necessary, to learn from their mistakes. However, no single student has the right to disrupt the learning of another. Where appropriate, pupils will be given time away from their class to reflect on their conduct and commit to the high standards we insist upon.

Stepped Intervention

  • Reminders/ Cautions
    Teachers will use a range of strategies to refocus our learners. If a pupil receives a Caution this will be recorded on ClassCharts and a specific reason will be allocated.
  • Final Warning
    If pupils continue to make poor behaviour choices they will be given a Final Warning, which will also generate a Class Teacher Detention. This will allow the teacher to repair the relationship with the pupil and provide time for them to complete the learning that has been missed during the lesson.
  • Buddy Room
    Unfortunately sometimes a pupil's behaviour can cause serious disruption to a lesson and in this case they will be sent to another room to work under supervision. This may include another room in the department or a linked department. As a result of this action a Class Teacher Detention will be generated to again allow the missed work to be completed and the relationship repaired.
  • Buddy Room Refusal
    Should a pupil refuse to follow these instructions we will contact home immediately and discuss the next steps we will be making as a school. This may carry a more serious sanction but allows the pupil to understand the positive working relationship between the School and Home.