Introduction

Many of the pupils at Venture Academy have experienced trauma in their lives and have experienced a wide range of learning opportunities. Many of them have experienced failure in one or more schools which has led to:

• Significant periods of time our of education
• Negative views about school resulting in them having significant barriers to learning and a lack of ambition
• Complex social and emotional needs which have impacted on their mental health and well-being

Our Educational Philosophy

Our educational philosophy is aligned with our core values:

• Compassion - we focus on the positives
• Ambition - We challenge ourselves (young people, families, staff and school)
• Partnership - we are better when we work together

We believe our young people learn best when they are happy and feel accepted for who they are.

Principles and Purpose

At Venture Academy School our vision is to be a fully inclusive school that promotes individual personal development, achievement and celebrates difference.

Venture Academy aims to deliver a curriculum that inspires and challenges all our pupils, staff and parents.

“I believe that education is all about being excited about something. Seeing passion and enthusiasm helps push an educational message” - Steve Irwin

With a curriculum that focuses on developing academic potential, social, vocational and life skills, we want every child to achieve his or her full potential. The academy’s curriculum is motivational and will make connections.  Learning is practical, will feel ‘real’ and relevant and builds on young people’s strengths.  To achieve this, learning happens in a wide variety of spaces including the local community, the school grounds and in specialist technology spaces.  Through engaging projects young people access a broad and balanced curriculum including developing the literacy and numeracy skills which will help them to succeed in their adult life.

Supporting young people to improve their own well-being, particularly their communication, social, emotional and mental health needs, is central to the school curriculum.  This includes learning to build positive relationships, being active, contributing positively to their school and local community, broadening experiences and learning to understand and shape their own emotions. 

At Venture Academy we have a holistic and non-judgemental approach to supporting behaviour that empowers the child or young person to engage in education. We believe that a student that is motivated, encouraged and made to feel worthwhile will choose to learn, and as a consequence behave well.

Venture Academy supports students to become socially responsible, polite and caring young adults, who value the lives of others and the environment in which they live. All staff, not just teachers, are trained to support children to develop positive behaviours.