Teaching
OFSTED inspection report, DfES ref no: 825/6031, January 2006
Summary of main findings:
"The PACE Centre is an outstanding school. It provides education of excellent quality and meets its aims and mission statement successfully. The pupils and their families benefit from the effective management and clear educational vision of the head teacher. All the staff have a high level of commitment and work hard to provide purposeful and relevant learning opportunities for pupils. Teaching is outstanding, assessment is excellent and, as a result, pupils develop into highly motivated learners who make very good progress towards independence. The integrated curriculum, designed around an in-depth knowledge of each pupil, is excellent. There is a high level of care and pupils’ well-being is of the utmost importance."
To read the full PACE centre OFSTED report click here.
Pastoral care
Each group has a Team Leader who has overall responsibility for the well-being of the group as a whole and for the moral, spiritual and cultural development of each individual child. Staff members within the team are also designated as keyworkers for between one and three children, thus helping the Team Leader to ensure that every child feels emotionally secure within the group and any issues that arise are dealt with immediately.
Behaviour management
At the PACE centre we provide a warm and loving environment in which co-operation, courtesy, consideration for others and acknowledgement of individual effort are fostered throughout the entire day. Positive behaviour is encouraged through constant verbal encouragement and verbal feedback on outcome. This enables children to know what they have done well and how they achieved their success, thus fostering a very positive self-image. At PACE we believe this is the most efficient way of encouraging and rewarding effort. Stickers and certificates are used to further reinforce the positive verbal feedback given to the children.
Where it is necessary for staff to draw up behaviour management programmes, this is done with sensitivity and care. Parents' views and comments play a central role in such plans.
Health and general life awareness
The PACE centre believes in promoting a healthy lifestyle and awareness of health issues throughout its daily timetable.
Children are encouraged to bring a healthy lunch to school and snacks and drinks provided by PACE are nutritional.
Teaching children to be independent at the toilet is a vital part of the daily timetable at PACE in order to give children the opportunity for privacy when they are older.
Questions about sex expressed by any child will be answered honestly and simply by the staff and parents will be informed. The PACE centre does not currently include sex education in its curriculum.
