Our Purpose
The core purpose of Westbury Academy is to ensure all children are equipped for the next stage of their educational lives and to provide them with experiences and positive moments that last a lifetime.
Our Mission
Our aim is that children and young people learn and develop the skills and character required to foster confidence, curiosity, creativity and empathy. We believe this will provide them with the confidence necessary to embrace life’s challenges.
Our Vision and Values
Westbury staff are unwavering in their belief that all children deserve a second chance and with the right resource, leadership and support, they are well placed and ready for the next phase of improvement. Pupils achieve well above expectations in special school settings, often due to the outstanding experience during the primary stage, which is built on as they progress through school.
The children that attend Westbury Academy experience barriers and challenges to learning, often associated with social, emotional, and mental health (SEMH) difficulties. However, the academy aims to embrace and support all these challenges our children and families face together, celebrating differences and providing educational experiences that will last a lifetime. The Westbury Academy offers a rich curriculum, which builds on the knowledge, understanding, and skills of all pupils, one that celebrates the individual and focuses on the whole educational journey.
Westbury Academy is a proud member of the Raleigh Education Trust and shares the same determination, vision, and values in delivering education of the highest quality to all our children. As an organisation, we value all our families and local communities and believe in the importance of working in partnership with all stakeholders and services.
We believe in lifelong learning and therefore recognise the importance of developing our staff through quality professional development and the power of networks. Working in collaboration, sharing best practices, and supporting one another will ensure we can all achieve our aims and ultimately provide the best for our children and their families.
Vision for learning
Our values influence everything that we plan, teach and that our children learn – confidence, challenge, curiosity, character and creativity. Academy staff support children and young people to embody these values through their experiences in our academies.
Pedagogies that support high-level learning and engagement are evidence based. Deep and powerful understanding is formed through the use of memory and recall and children are challenged by personalised learning and project-based learning connected to the world around them which encourages opportunities for peers to work collaboratively to develop skills that go beyond their time in school.
Our reflections of the week are used to promote the positive ways we are living our values across our curriculum.
We are achieving this through a collegiate ethos of which wholeheartedly places children at the centre. Inclusion and social justice are at the heart of all we do as a Trust. Our work to strengthen care and respect for each other’s diversity is enhanced through the development of strategic alliances with many system leaders including Autism Education Trust, Violence Reduction Unit, Trauma-Informed Schools UK, Alternative Provision Providers, Nottingham City Council, Recognised Trade Unions, National Literacy Trust, University of Nottingham, Trent University, and Teacher Development Trust.
We do not allow disadvantage or disability to be a barrier to learning through our combined energy and determination, and we support our pupils to be the very best.
Our mission and vision are central to our work and the driving force behind all that we do. Our universal values guide these aims. By embedding these in each school curriculum, children will make a positive and significant impact in early adulthood as a result of their learning in school.
Confidence
Confidence is the foundation of successful progression through life. With the right mindset, personal wellbeing and physical activity, the challenges of life can be experienced as the rich tapestry of learning and development through early adulthood. We encourage our children and young people to move from their comfort zones to nurture confidence within the unknown and unfamiliar.
Challenge
We do everything we can to prepare the children in our care for a complex, uncertain and constantly changing world, where they will go on to live, grow and work. By strengthening their resilience and academic capacity, we aim to equip them with the skills to face life’s hurdles head-on.
Curiosity
A world full of mystery and unknowns is not one we want our children to enter with fear or trepidation. We aim for the children to not only meet the challenges of early adulthood, we want to ensure they are excited to overcome them; curiosity is the doorway to exploration, understanding and the acquisition of knowledge.
Character
Essential traits to living a meaningful and purposeful life include empathy, compassion and self-awareness. By focusing on these strong areas of character alongside the achievement of personalised academic excellence, pupils will be well prepared for the future.
Creativity
Collaboration and exploration permeate throughout our school environments. Creative, original thinking and independence are encouraged throughout the curriculum. Design and Technology, art, music and dance provide experiences for children and help them understand themselves and others.