Working Collaboratively

We work collaboratively with a number of schools and organisations:

Gosford Hill School Primary Partnership – this is a partnership of our nearest secondary school and its feeder primary schools.  We have been working together for many years now on a range of projects that have had ‘closing the gap’, reaching every child’s fullest potential and enriching the lives of every child in the partnership.

Gosford Hill School has provided the partnership with the opportunity to take part in the ‘Outstanding Teacher Programme’, now in its third cycle.

Woodeaton has provided the partnership schools with INSET on Team Teach, Safeguarding, Attachment, Autism and our Induction package.  Our Induction package for all new staff in our school (and partnership school) can be accessed by following this link. 

Woodeaton also provided the SSCO (School Sports Coordinator) for the partnership up until 2014-15 to give maximum benefit in targeting funding through the newly introduced Sports Premium.

Virtual School - The Virtual School is Oxfordshire’s education provision for children in the Looked After System.  The work of our school in championing children in the Looked After System has been validated as being outstanding by The Virtual School in January 2017 when we became the first school in Oxfordshire to complete the LAC self-evalation leading to the Care Mark (Virtual School bulletin 4 2016-2017). Emma Lawes, current Designated Teacher for Looked After Children at Woodeaton, is one of eight Leading Practitioners for Oxfordshire. Woodeaton now provides support and guidance for all specialist settings in Oxfordshire and has extended our support to other schools who are looking to complete the Care Mark by sharing our self-evalation form with other schools to set the example of good practice.

Source: Virtual School Leading Practitioners leaflet

The British Psychological Society – the school has worked very closely with this organization, culminating in hosting a national conference titled ‘Anxiety, Autism and Attachment’.  One hundred and twenty five delegates from all over Great Britain attended.  A special edition of ‘Debate’, a publication of the Division of Education and Child Psychology featured papers from the conference and was sent to all Psychologists who are members of the Division. This was published in September 2012 and can be accessed following this link.    

Oxford Adoption Support Service – Woodeaton has facilitated four case consultations with parents where there are concerns about an adopted child, whereby the placement of the child in school maybe in jeopardy.  Woodeaton has also provided fourteen ‘surgeries’ for schools that need additional support for an adopted child in their setting.  The impact of this aspect of working collaboratively has meant that we have significantly reduced the number of children who would otherwise have moved from adoption to care. Woodeaton also works extensively with Foster Plus and our collaborative working has also significantly reduced the number of children needing out of county placements. 

Please follow the link for more details. 

NHS - The school has and continues to work very closely with the NHS.  The majority of our children have a Consultant which is accessed through CAMHS.   Upon entry to our school many children are at crisis point and so are the highest priorities for CAMHS.  The school employs a senior mental health practitioner for two days a week.  This has meant that most of our children are cared for ‘in-house’.  This facility has not only improved the quality of care for our children but it has also decreased their ‘critical status within CAMHS.  This has, in turn, increased CAMHS capacity to care for more children.

LA - The school has worked closely with the LA in many different guises including:

  • Contributing to refining and refreshing strategic policies and procedures
  • Serving on appointment panels and committees
  • Providing training
  • Supporting the inspection process for safeguarding

 

Thames Valley Police and The Fire Service - The school has worked very closely with both services for many years.  The school provides training to both services on special educational needs, including autism.  Woodeaton also provides work experience placements for new recruits to the force within the ‘Initial Police Learning Development Programme’.  

This partnership has increased knowledge and understanding of mental health issues for both services and further improved community cohesion for our children and their families. 

Local schools  - Woodeaton has worked closely with many schools offering support, advise, training and documentation. This includes Woodeaton forming part of the Aspiration Bid Network with the Gosford Hill Partnership schools to raise achievement in English and Maths.