Ethos and Values
At The Herewoode Academy, our mission is to provide a rounded and inspirational education for all our young people. We do this by instilling the 4 Rs — Respect; Responsibility; Resilience and Resourcefulness — the values we hold most dear. Our students therefore develop the confidence to embrace the responsibilities that life has to offer and become valued members of the local community and beyond, both now and in the future.
While teaching and learning remain our core business, we recognise that the success of any young person’s journey through education is measured not only through excellent examination outcomes, but also by other key determinants for a healthy and fulfilling life. We want our students to be well qualified; to be mentally and physically health literate; to be civically engaged in their local community and beyond and to eventually, follow higher qualifications, secure meaningful work so that they may enjoy the benefits and freedoms associated with economic independence.
Arts and Culture
We believe that all cultural activity is fundamentally linked to people’s wellbeing, identity, confidence, self-esteem, joy and pleasure. It contributes to learning effectively, staying healthy and improving mental wellbeing. Cultural activity helps communities to grow together, understand each other and discover shared experiences. It helps local areas to develop a sense of belonging. The vitality which comes from having people from different heritages and cultures living and working together is expressed every day in Leicester through a wide range of activities – such as art, libraries, music, architecture, heritage, commerce, fashion, retail, festivals and food.
Our 5 key arts and culture priority areas are:
- Engaging our students
- Engaging our community
- Engaging with cultural providers, practitioners and professionals
- Developing the workforce
- Developing sustainable facilities
Careers and Employability
Our Careers and Employability Strategy is to ensure that every student can access the university, college, apprenticeships, traineeships or a career of their choice and in doing so that every Herewoode student will:
- Develop behaviours and skills, such as communication, creativity, problem solving, digital literacy and resilience in the face of opportunity and challenge
- Have exposure to a range of employers and pathways which will inform future aspirations
Equality Objectives
Our equality objective has been selected based on fulfilling The Herewoode Academy’s mission of Outstanding Progress for All.
Objective: To close the gap in attainment and progress between students and all groups of students; especially boys and girls, students eligible for Pupil Premium; students with SEND, Looked After Children and students from different ethnic or cultural groups.
This will be measured on an ongoing basis throughout the year as we collect the progress data for every child. Interventions will be put into place to address any gaps where possible.
Health and Wellbeing
We believe that positive health and wellbeing is the key determinant in a successful and thriving school career. In adopting a whole systems approach we acknowledge the pivotal role our college plays in promoting the wellbeing of our students and staff.
Such an approach moves beyond teaching and learning to pervade all aspects of the life of our academy and offers exciting opportunities for the school community to adopt and maintain healthy choices for a vigorous and ambitious life.
Our three key health and wellbeing priority areas are:
- Improving physical wellbeing through the promotion of healthy choices
- Promoting positive mental health
- Understanding and developing healthy relationships
Sport and Physical Activity
Over the last 10 years, The Herewoode Academy (along with our partners) has successfully delivered a sports framework, placing the college at the heart of our community and at the centre of sports development within Leicester. This allows us to benefit from state of the arts sports facilities which are currently unrivalled in the secondary school sector.
Alongside this, we have transformed the education provided here by raising the self-belief and confidence of young people using the provision of high quality physical education and sport. We firmly believe that sport and physical activity not only lead to a healthier physical wellbeing, but also provides wider wellbeing benefits such as instilling a sense of belonging. Sports has the power to excite and inspire us all.
The Herewoode Academy will continue to prioritise sport and physical activity as part of our philosophy of providing an education which prepares our young people for the challenges of the 21st century. Our newly developed priorities for sport and physical activity will focus on supporting young people in terms of physical and mental wellbeing alongside developing them as individuals. It is delivering these priorities what will help the college provide a rounded education that will create resilience and confident young people.
The progress made over the years affirms our belief that sport and physical activity have the power to change people’s lives.
Teaching and Learning
We offer a rich and inspiring curriculum enabling each individual to explore their potential, build on their strengths and discover their passion. We do this by embedding a culture of respect, responsibility, resourcefulness and resilience. Our curriculum journey empowers students to make successful life choices and meaningful contributions to society.
We pride ourselves on enabling every young person to make the best progress imaginable, providing specific support to meet the individual needs of the child.
Student progress is monitored carefully throughout each child’s school career. Students are given ambitious personal targets to aim for. We work closely with Parents and carers to ensure that they are involved at every stage of their child’s education.