Welcome to The Endeavour Centre

The Endeavour Centre is an Specialist Resource Provision, based at Strood Academy, for students with an Educational Health Care Plan (EHCP) and a diagnosis of Autism.

We aspire to create a highly structured and predictable educational environment, which offers a balance between educational and emotional needs, and follows an individual holistic approach, with the advantage that all of our students access mainstream classes.

Our intuitive staff work collaboratively with students’ parents/carers and external professionals to ensure that our students make sustained progress and develop a resilience to enable them to become independent young people.

We look forward to welcoming you to ‘The Endeavour Centre’ and our school community.

Mrs Joanna Pearce
Head of The Endeavour Centre

Miss Harriet Carter
Assistant Principal Inclusion and SEND

Mr Jon Richardson
Principal

About The Endeavour Centre

The Endeavour Centre is a specialist resource provision for students, aged 11-19, who have an EHCP with a primary need of autism.

The Endeavour Centre students are assigned to one of the academy’s three colleges ensuring they are included as part of the mainstream school community.

Students within the centre follow an integrated model, where they attend mainstream lessons alongside their peers, for 80% of their time. The level of integration will be individual to each student. However, the general expectation is that this will increase over the course of their education, with the view of achieving independence by the end of their statutory education. The Endeavour Centre provides students with an alternative educational environment, where they receive personalised support, as outlined within their EHCP.

In addition, students are encouraged to embrace all aspects of school life, including assemblies, extra curricular clubs, educational trips and special events.

The Head of The Endeavour Centre is responsible for ensuring that the setting is appropriate to the individual needs of our students and will advise on the appropriate deployment of staff and resources. In addition, they are also responsible for ensuring that the provision and interventions offered have a positive impact in terms of outcomes for the student.

Admission Criteria

The Endeavour Centre is a Specialist Provision within Strood Academy that can accommodate students with an Education Health Care Plan (EHCP) who may not be able to access mainstream education full time.

Students must have needs that are specific to the criteria covered by The Endeavour Centre and outlined in this admissions policy. The Endeavour Centre admissions criteria is as follows:

Students must hold an EHCP with a Primary SEND need/diagnosis of ASD, where the student has Communication and Interaction difficulties but not where these needs present as complex and/or as challenging or defiant behaviour.

All students:

must be working no more than 2 years below national expectation upon entry
are able to demonstrate the ability to carry out some work independently
are able to access mainstream lessons with the appropriate level of support

When considering a placement of a student in the Endeavour Centre, Medway Council will consult with Strood Academy in accordance with the SEND Code of Practice 2015. Strood Academy will discuss each potential case with the SRP panel and will observe and meet with any potential students prior to responding to Medway’s consultation.

Our Curriculum

All Endeavour Centre students are integrated and taught within the mainstream environment by our subject specialists.

Our curriculum at Strood Academy is a 7 year curriculum, where students commence in year 7 and follow their educational studies through until year 13.

In years 7, 8 and 9, students access an ambitious and rigorous curriculum, which is delivered through the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IB MYP).

In Year 10 and Year 11, students select a number of options which enables them to personalise their GCSE curriculum. Our options are broad to enable them to fulfil their interests and continue their love for learning.

Our Sixth Form curriculum provides a number of courses and pathways for our students, ensuring they finish their educational journey with the appropriate knowledge, skills and attributes to either continue into higher education or step into the world of employment.

For full details of our curriculums and qualifications on offer, please refer to our prospectuses.

Our prospectuses

In addition to our mainstream curriculum, we provide a number of personalised provisions and interventions, delivered within The Endeavour Centre, as outlined within the EHCP.

The Endeavour Centre Provision

Each student will follow a personalised provision outlined within their EHCP. This provision will be delivered either within mainstream lessons via the support of their teacher or (where necessary) a teaching assistant. Alternatively, within The Endeavour Centre.

At present our offer consists of the following interventions/provisions:

Social and Communication Skills
Sensory Integration Support Intervention
Self-Regulation Intervention
Emotional Wellbeing
Speech and Language Support
Literacy and Numeracy Support
Gross and Fine Motor Skills Development – Including touch typing
Study Skills
Organisational Skills including visual timetables or personalised visual resources
Independent Life Skills – including money management, shopping, home living skills, using transport and career and employment
Individualised Personal Development Programmes
Safe and Calm space during unstructured times, such as break and lunch time
Smaller Examination Environment

Transition

We understand that educational transitions can be particularly challenging for students; especially those with autism. By keeping the student at the heart of the process, we will apply our best endeavours to ensure that the transition process is planned, delivered and communicated effectively to all.

The Endeavour Centre aims to put into place the correct level of support prior to the student starting at Strood Academy. In order to achieve this, we shall:

hold open evenings
attend a transition meeting with the previous school and other professionals prior to the student joining. This may also include attending the final primary annual review.
visit the student at their current setting, so that they can discuss their thoughts and feelings around moving to Strood Academy.
invite the student and parents for a transition visit and tour. Additional visits can be arranged if required.
provide a transition pack that has detailed information including; key staff, school map and example of a time table.

For students moving onto a new setting, we will ensure a suitable transition plan is in place with the receiving setting.