Whether you are a prospective or current pupil, parent or member of staff, an educational professional or just a visitor to this site, I am sure you will find the information provided both useful and beneficial.

All of the students at Aspire have Educational Health Care Plans (EHCP) that identify SEMH as a primary need. All of the staff at Aspire are committed to providing an effective learning environment that aims to engage and inspire through lessons that take place in and out of the classroom. In our classes the individual needs of the children are paramount and the staff have a deep understanding of each of the students in their class providing opportunities to learn in a variety of ways.

We are currently undergoing a £2m development that will enhance the provision and allow us to work with more children and families. As part of the development we are introducing facilities to deliver a range of vocational qualifications such as construction and hair & beauty. These specialist facilities will supplement the new art room, food technology kitchen and dance and music room.

We are all hugely excited for the future development of Aspire and welcome the new children and families in the future.

If you would like to visit the school, please contact the main office to book an appointment.

Helen McDicken 
Headteacher

The LGC meets termly, the reports from this meeting are then fed to the Futura Learning Partnership trustees who meet termly to discuss Futura-wide issues and scrutinise the performance of all the schools in the partnership.

There is a robust and objective selection process for governors and trustees. Appointments are skills-based and made by recommendation from the LGC or relevant Trust committee – subject to the completion of a DBS check and declaration form. Governors are either parent governors, staff governors or community governors. They are usually appointed for a term of office of four years. In order to ensure good succession planning, however, a term of office for a governor may be varied by the board of trustees from between one and four years, subject to a maximum term of office.

If you have any queries relating to governance of the school, please email clerktogovernors@aspireacademy.org.uk

Or alternatively, you can write to the chair of governors, C/o Aspire Academy, Frome Road, Odd Down, Bath. BA2 5RF.

Our governors

Rebecca Briggs: Staff Governor
Term of office: 1 July 2022 - 30 June 2026

Kathryn Davies: Community Governor
Term of office: 28 March 2023 - 27 March 2027

Peter Langton: Safeguarding and Community Governor
Term of office: 1 September 2020 - 1 September 2023

Helen McDicken: Headteacher
Term of office: Appointed 21 June 2023  Ex officio

Sonia Taylor: Parent Governor, Pupil Premium and Looked After Children Governor
Term of office: 4 January 2022 - 4 January 2026

Bernadette White:  Chair of Governors, Community Governor, SEND, Careers Education and Employability Skills Governor
Term of office: 12 May 2021 - 11 May 2025

Janet Wilkinson: Parent Governor
Term of office: 12 July 2022 - 11 July 2026

Clerk to Governors
Contact: clerktogovernors@aspireacademy.org.uk

Former members

Pete Headeach
Term of office: 27 January 2020 - 20 June 2023

Susy Summers
Term of office: 7 December 2022 - 4 July 2023

How we appoint our governors

• Community governors: appointed by the Local Governance Committee (LGC)
• Headteacher: Ex-officio
• Parent governors: elected by the school’s parent body; may be appointed by the LGC in limited circumstances
• Staff governors: teaching staff elect the teaching staff governor and non-teaching (support) staff elect the non-teaching (support) staff governor.

Useful documents

• Annual reports and accounts
• Articles of association
• Declarations of pecuniary interest (Pdf)
• Governance
• Governor attendance 2022-23 (Pdf)
• Master funding agreement
• Scheme of delegation
• Terms of reference

Admissions requirements

Parents/carers considering making an application for a place at Aspire Academy should contact the Special Needs Section at Bath and NE Somerset Local Authority as all admissions to the Academy are approved through them.

Students are placed at the Academy by the Local Authority seeking specialist placements for learners with social, mmotional and mental health (SEMH) profiles. All students at the school need to have an active Statement of SEN or Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) in place, outlining their specific needs and the provision determined to meet those needs. Parents are advised to speak to their local SEN department, or current school placement, if they wish to enact provision of an EHCP for their child. Parents or Professionals wishing to pursue a placement with Aspire are very welcome, and actively encouraged, to visit the school. Visits can be arranged by contacting the school.

Parents may also wish to contact the SEN department within their local authority to advise that they wish to pursue a placement at the school.

Further information

• Bath and North East Somerset SEN
• SEND jargon buster (Pdf)
• Area wide local offer (Pdf)
• Admissions policy 2022-23

We are pleased to announce that in March 2017 Aspire Academy was rated as good by Ofsted.

• Ofsted report: March 2017 (Pdf)
• Ofsted school entry

Senior leadership team

• Helen McDicken, Headteacher
• Amanda Tapsfield, Assitant Headteacher, SENCO (Primary) and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead
• Kate Luke, Assistant Headteacher, SENCO (secondary) and Deputy Designated Safeguarding Lead

Teaching staff

• Paula Black (Designated Safeguard Lead)
• Rebecca Briggs
• Frankie Brennan
• Hannah Bonnick
• Alex Carmichael
• Caoimhe Courtney
• Clare Glossop
• Chloe Hubball
• Esther Stephens
• Amy Sanders
• Jon Parrett
• April Iles
• Tilly Butter
• Tom Gibson
• April Iles
• Nick Moore
• Jenny Newman 
• Tom Ramsden
• Leanne Wilding
• Susy Summers

Support staff

• Julia Swanborough, Safeguarding and Exams Officer
• Helen Whitley, EHCP Reviews manager
• Stuart Rouse, Behaviour and Engagment Lead
• Lorraine Self, Reception and Administration
• Frances Creevy, Finance manager
• Jerry Mitchell, Site Manager
• Victoria Powell, Attendance and Family Support Officer
• George Vinodu, IT Technician
• Olivia Jones, Teaching Assistant
• Iain McNeilage, Higher Level Teaching Assistant
• Travis Speedie, Teaching Assistant
• Louis Wilson, Higher Level Teaching Assistant
• Evie McCrea, Teaching Assistant
• Lorna Mackay, Teaching Assistant
• Martyna Roszman, Teaching Assistant
• Matt Donnelly, Teaching Assistant
• Travis Roodt, Teaching Assistant
• Philippa Wellington, Teaching Assistant
• Lucy Young, Higher level Teaching Assistant
• Fernanda Llewellyn-Jones, Teaching Assistant
• Edie Pavis, Teaching Assistant
• Lewis Bradbury, Teaching Assistant
• Louise Cunningham, Teaching Assistant

For information about our governing body please see the local governing committee (LGC).

General principles for student images and video recording

Student photos and video recordings may be used for identification purposes and evidencing educational development. Such data will not be shared unless the law requires us to do so, or specific consent has been provided by the parent/carer.

Videos may be taken of lessons to support staff development; these may be seen by other teachers in school for staff training.

Where video or sound recording is required as part of an exam course for moderation purposes, such as drama, dance, music and PE, consent is not required other than opting to choose to study the course.

Parents / carers are welcome to take videos and photos of their children at school events for their own personal use. However, to respect everyone’s privacy rights and in some cases protection, these images must not be published or made publicly available on social networking sites, nor should parents / carers comment on any activities involving other students in the images / footage. Websites and social media can be viewed throughout the world, not just in the United Kingdom, where UK law applies. When images are posted on the internet, it is not possible to prevent others from reposting them.

Futura Schools use third party school photographers. These third parties come into school to take pictures of students (and their siblings) and pass the images back to the school. Proofs are distributed to parents/carers by the school. Parents/carers wishing to purchase images, do so by direct payment to the photographer. Schools are able to provide information on the specific photographer used in each school and direct parents/carers to their photographer’s own data protection policy.

Additional and specific consent for use by external agencies/companies may be sought.

For further information about how students’ personal information is collected and managed, please refer to the privacy notice on the trust website.

Parental consent

Parents provide consent for publication of their child’s image through the Parental Consents section of the My Child At School parent portal, or by contacting the school. Parental consent falls into two broad categories: School News/Events and Promotional Material.

Parental consent - school news and events

By consenting to ‘School News and Events’, parents/carers give consent to the following:

• Images may be used in the school newsletters and information bulletins. These publications may be printed or published on-line via the school’s website. School websites do not have restricted access.
• Images or video footage may be used on school social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, WhatsApp and Instagram. Note: social media accounts may not be closed groups.
• Students’ full names will not be shown alongside any published image.
• If parents do not want their child’s image to be shown on any of the aforementioned social media sites, they should withdraw consent for this category. It is not possible for the school to differentiate between permission granted for certain social media platforms (e.g. Facebook) but not others (e.g. Twitter).

Parental consent - promotional material

By consenting to ‘promotional material’, parents/carers give consent to the following:

• Images may be used in the school on activity boards, screens or reception area for promotional purpose. Note: this is separate to our statutory obligation to display work around the school, which may contain personal information; schools do not require consent to do this.
• Images or video footage may be used on the school website for publicity purposes.
• Images may be used in printed materials such as the school prospectus.
• Images or video footage may be used in the media (local / national press). Student’s names will only be published in exceptional circumstances, and with parent/carer permission. 
• Unless parents/carers give express consent, students’ full names will not be shown alongside any published image.
• If parents do not want their child’s image to be used for specific purposes (e.g. prospectus, but not media), consent should be withdrawn. It is not possible for the school to differentiate between permission granted for certain promotional material but not others.

Parents/carers can withdraw consent at any time either through the Bromcom MCAS account or by contacting the school.

• Accessibility plan 2022-24 
• Admissions policy 2022-23 
• Admissions Policy 2023-24
• Anti-bullying policy (Pdf)
• Attendance policy (Pdf)
• Behaviour policy (Pdf)
• Careers education, information, advice and guidance policy (Pdf)
• CCTV policy
• Charging and remissions policy
• Child protection and safeguarding policy (Pdf)
• Child on child abuse policy
• Complaints procedure
• Data protection policy
• Equalities and diversity policy (Futura)
• Equalities and diversity policy and objectives
• Exclusion from school
• Health and safety policy
• Inclusion policy
• Online safety policy 
• Positive handling policy
• Privacy notice for pupils
• Relationships and sex education policy
• Safer recruitment policy and procedure
• Staff code of conduct
• SEND policy and information (Aspire)
• SEND policy
• Supporting children with medical conditions
• Trips and visits
• Uniform policy
• Whistleblowing (concern at work) policy

More information

• Articles of association
• Annual reports and financial statements
• Executive pay
• Freedom of information
• Gender pay gap
• Scheme of delegation
• Futura Learning Partnership's policies. procedures and statutory information
• If you require a paper copy of any of the school policies then please contact us, tel: 01225 832 212 or email: enquiries@aspireacademy.org.uk.

More information

• Pupil Premium Plan 2022-23
• Pupil premium plan 2021-22
• Pupil premium report 2020-21

Reports

• PE and sports premium impact statement 2021-22 (Pdf)
• PE and sports premium plan 2022-23 (Pdf)

We process personal data according to the General Data Protection Regulation of 2018. For full details of how we may use this data, please see the relevant notice.

• Privacy notice for pupils Futura Learning Partnership
• Pupil privacy; third party data handlers Futura Learning Partnership

As a provider of specialist education we hold a strong emphasis on the importance of both academic achievement and the development of social and emotional well-being.

All students are assessed on arrival so staff can tailor the curriculum to meet their needs. Our aim is for students to enjoy coming to school and enjoy learning. We aim to build their self-confidence, self-esteem and build resilient learners who will cope with the demands put on them.

At the end of their time with us students will have reached or exceeded their academic potential whilst being equipped with the social skills and tools required to continue their journey of success. 

• Aspire Academy on find and compare schools in England
• Compare other insitutions on find and comare schools in England
• Key Stage 1 & 2 Results 2021-22
• Key Stage 4 Results 2021-22

Welcome to Zest our in-house catering service

For more information please see Aspire Academy's school day (Pdf)

Post 16 Qualifications 

Our Post-16 students have a personalised pathway to achieve the best qualifications possible. Depending on a student's current attainment, they will start at a suitable level.

Functional Skills: 

Functional Skills are qualifications in maths and English that provide the skills students need to live and learn successfully.

GCSE: 

GCSEs are the qualifications students can work towards to gain entry into further education.

Other qualifications: 

We have a range of vocational subjects including Construction, Cooking, Art, Land Based Studies, PE and Duke of Edinburgh Award. We also deliver the NOCN Independant Living qualification.

Information on the Aspire Post-16 Provision

What is Thrive?

Thrive is a systematic approach to the early identification of emotional developmental need in children so that differentiated provision can be put in place quickly by the adults working most closely with the child. It is preventative, reparative, pragmatic and easy to use.

What are the guiding principles of the Thrive Approach?

• Every child is a unique person, constantly developing and learning in different ways and at different rates, each with his/her own abilities, talents and potential to be fulfilled
• Children’s healthy development, emotional well-being and learning are crucially dependent upon, and promoted through, positive relationships
• Children flourish when they are confident, self-assured, capable and resilient
• Children thrive in enabling environments, in which their individual development, learning experiences and needs are understood, responded to and supported through strong partnerships with parents/carers.

Further information

• Thrive parental ideas (Pdf)
• Thrive parent leaflet (Pdf)
• Thrive parent guide (Pdf)
• Aspire Thrive policy (Pdf)

Throughout the year we offer our pupils a range of reward activities and education visits, aimed to enhance their learning opportunities, develop their skills, knowledge and self-esteem and help to open their minds to other people, cultures and opportunities.

Educational Visits and Trips Policy

Trips and visits have included the following:

Educational trips:

• The Egg Theatre
• Trowbridge Fire Station
• Farleigh Castle
• Village study in Southstoke
• Roman Baths
• Bristol Zoo
• Fleet Air Arm museum
• We The Curious
• Visits to supermarkets
• Bath City Farm
• Allotments for seasonal activities
• Bath Cats and Dogs Home
• Visit to a garden centre
• War memorial
• Bath Abbey

Rewards activities:

• Laser Quest
• Ice skating
• Cinema
• Victoria Park
• Crazy golf
• Avon Valley Country Park
• Weston-super-Mare
• Horse riding
• Swimming
• Go-karting

The school uniform is a black sweatshirt and t-shirt with the school logo, grey or black trousers or knee length skirt and black shoes. 

The school provides one sweatshirt, two t-shirts and PE kit (fleece, t-shirt and sport trousers). 

Parents/carers are expected to provide the trousers and/or knee length skirt, shoes and to replace lost kit which can be purchased through the school. Please contact the office.

Further information

• Parent uniform guide (Pdf)
• Uniform policy (Pdf)