Waterside Academy is part of Community Schools Trust. We serve a wonderfully diverse community, many of whom face challenges through no fault of their own. It is for this reason we want to level the playing field for all of our students, regardless of their background, by providing a world-class education.
We care about outcomes. We know good grades lift life chances and impact health, wealth, and even mortality. We know that teachers have the greatest impact on pupil outcomes and so we take professional development seriously, whatever our role in the school. Whether we have taught for two months, two years, or twenty years, we believe in our capacity to always improve in the classroom.
Our professional development provision is fundamental to our commitment to improve. We invest in our own and each other’s development and use principles of instructional coaching to provide feedback to each other. Our training involves deliberate practice, video models of excellent practice, and lots of fun! The desire to improve a little bit every day permeates the culture in our school.
Our approach to teaching is evidence-informed. We avoid ‘discovery learning’ methods and instead, we teach explicitly. Our teachers are experts in the classroom and lead from the front. We focus on perfecting routines for behaviour, like entry into lessons and transitions between tasks, so that we can maximise time spent on learning. We have excellent behaviour systems which mean teachers can focus on what we love doing most - teaching!
As well as excellent outcomes, we want our students to be well-rounded individuals who will thrive beyond school years; that’s why we deliberately teach prosocial behaviours like making eye contact when greeted, listening attentively, and showing gratitude. We know these skills will set all of our students up for life, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
When students fall behind, our teachers run interventions outside of their lessons. We provide an extra session after school for all year 11 students so their families don't have to worry about paying for a tutor. Teachers work hard here. Our students deserve nothing less and we expect the highest of standards from them because we know they are capable of achieving them.
But we invest in working smart too: we have a 3 week Christmas holiday, no retrospective book marking, no student report writing, and a 4 and half day week.
We recognise talent and impact. There are lots of opportunities for promotions within the school and Community Schools Trust. Our staff body at all levels is a true reflection of the makeup of the community we serve - we are proud of this and welcome anyone who will add value to our wonderful school community.
Waterside Academy has received positive feedback from Ofsted’s recent visit to the school in February 2022 and obtained a 'Good' Ofsted rating with the key points summarised below:
1. Waterside Academy is a small school and a close-knit community. Staff here want pupils to succeed. They want to give pupils the best possible chance of fulfilling their dreams. Staff know pupils well.
2. Leaders have transformed the school. They have a clear and ambitious vision to provide a high-quality education for pupils.
3. Staff feel valued. They say that leaders are mindful of their workload and well-being. They enjoy working at the school.
4. Leaders have developed an effective behaviour policy. Teachers do not tolerate low-level disruption in lessons. They manage pupils’ behaviour well.
5. Pupils and staff display the school’s values of care, challenge, confidence, and courtesy. Staff praise and reward pupils.
We would love to hear from you if you think this sounds like the right place for you! We welcome visits; come and speak to our Headteacher, our staff, and check out our lessons! Get in touch with us: email tracianshayna@watersidecst.org or call 020 3870 7500.
The Community Schools Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. In order to meet this responsibility, we follow the government's Safer Recruiting Guidelines and all appointments will be subject to an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service check and satisfactory references. We will also conduct an online search as recommended in the Keeping Children Safe in Education guidance.
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