About Us

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We are proud to be Ofsted Outstanding 2019*** TES 2020 Winners of Alternative Provision school of the year ***

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We see innovation in all aspects of the school’s delivery, from the use of technology in classrooms to the design of physical spaces. Many of our approaches are rooted in an understanding of the psychology of the young people we work with and we have embedded a culture of continuous questioning, evaluation and improvement. Looking forward, we are building a research and development culture to seek out new models and methods of engagement and learning.

Vision and Values of Stone Soup Academy

SSA has done wonders for my son and
I’m so proud of what he has achieved.

– Parent

“Creating Unimagined Futures” is the vision of Stone Soup Academy. It is present in

everything that we do and it is alive in the Academy. We don’t see barriers, we see

opportunities and we all love what we do.

 

 

You have made me do better in life and put me where I
needed to be. I thank every one of you at Stone Soup for
every last thing you all did for me. I wouldn’t be where
I am now without my Stone Soup family.

– Year 10 student

 

Vision and Values of Stone Soup Academy

Stone Soup Academy is an alternative provision free school in the centre of Nottingham,
serving students outside mainstream education in an environment that encourages their
academic and personal development. We are committed to the education and welfare of our
students, with the goal of preparing them for a successful future in our community.
The foundation of our work is the ambition to create an educational environment for young
people who would otherwise be left behind. All too frequently, students who are deemed to
be ‘difficult’ or ‘disruptive’ are faced with a future of unemployment or social disadvantage.
The Academy holds at the heart of its work the ambition to create an environment that fully
equips students for the future outside of the academy. Our goal is to empower each
individual student to achieve in practical, functional, and long-lasting ways. When some

students join us they and their families believe that they have failed in some way, that they
cannot succeed and that education is not for them. We have the privilege of changing this to
enable our young people to access futures that they did not believe were possible to
achieve.

We celebrate their successes and use their successes to motivate and encourage those who
come after them. We are passionate about our desire to help young people to make a
difference to their lives and this strong relationship that we build with our young people is
demonstrated by the number who come back even after they have left to share what they
have achieved and who and what they have become.
With this in mind, we aim to:
● Provide a supportive environment that aids the learning and personal development of
all students;
● Improve the behaviour and attitude of each student with both adults and their peers;
● Reinforce each student’s self-esteem and integrity;
● Instil an understanding of fundamental British values.

Vision Statement
‘Creating Unimagined Futures’
We believe that every young person has the opportunity to succeed by being motivated and
inspired, rather than contained. We believe that through our work and intervention with our
young people that they can all achieve futures that they could not imagine when they join us.
Our school aims to develop young people into unique, responsible, receptive, discerning
human beings with a sense of their own value. Our school is structured to nurture the social
development of all the young people we work with, most of whom experience significant
disadvantages which compromise their ability to learn.

We facilitate young people’s learning, removing the barriers to their learning through a
holistic approach and developing their ability to maintain good relationships with each other
and with the members of staff, caring for and promoting the school and their community. We
apply a multi agency approach involving external and internal support personalised to each
child. 360 degree case studies of each child support our interventions and impact.
Our vision for Stone Soup Academy offers a broad and balanced curriculum delivered within
a family environment using a pedagogic approach rooted in learning by doing, inspiring and
motivating, where learning naturally involves exploration, curiosity, failing and learning from
mistakes, and a host of associated effective responses.

Our curriculum allows young people to develop their vocational skills, and be given the
opportunity to work in real businesses, learning not just the skills associated with their
vocational choices, but the long term life skills that are required for the workplace. It is our
intention that all young people attending our academy will leave with the skills and motivation
to become fully independent, contributing members of society.
Work experience is offered to students and links with local businesses support our learners’
development in this area. This alongside a comprehensive careers programme delivered by
our Level 7 Careers Advisor enables young people understand pathways to the future and
what they need to achieve in order to attain their goals and aspirations.

Core Values
● Respect: We believe that mutual respect allows us all the freedom to be open and
honest and to support each other to success.
● Aspiration: To instill in all of our young people the belief that they can achieve, they
can be successful that they can create unimagined futures for themselves.
● Positivity: To overcome these barriers to learning and to instil in our young people
that it is not where you have been but where you are going to that is important

Ethos
The school will be underpinned by 7 key ingredients for our Stone Soup:

Ingredients
We will always try to show relentless positivity
We will always be unfailingly ambitious for you
We will always try to respect and understand you.
We will always try to be kind and caring in our approach to you
We will always find creative ways to engage you in your learning through what we
teach and how we teach it.
We will always celebrate your successes
We will always be here for you even after you have left

Stone Soup Method
1. We will always try to show relentless positivity

Relationships are the core of our work as without positive relationships we are building a
house with no foundation.

Our first step is to focus upon creating positive relationships between staff and
students, this quickly widens to include parents/ carers and the wider community.
The secret to forming these strong relationships is to approach every situation with an open
mind and heart. No matter the challenge a young person’s attitude or behaviour poses the
team will always try to find a positive response – one that demonstrates Stone Soup is a
family, where individuals are encouraged to approach everyone in a non-judgmental way.
We all work together, I have a voice here and I feel
really supported. Year 10 student
We train our staff in the use of ‘refrains’ to ensure staff approach all situations in a
similar way. 5 of the most commonly used are;
“You have done so well today try to keep this up”
“How can we resolve this quickly for the best outcome?”
“It’s really important that we all show each other respect, how could you rephrase
that in a respectful way?”
“What is wrong?, What would you say to yourself right now?”
“What are we both doing here? how can move forward”

We never respond to aggression or anger from a student with those same emotions,
instead we will use humour, positivity and calmness to help them regain their space. We
find many of our young people arrived with us used to a cycle of anger from them being
met by anger from their school – the cycle frequently amplifying at a rapid speed.
“the school has a sense of community which
creates a feeling of belonging “.

 

SSA Welcome

2. We will always be unfailingly ambitious for you.

Many of our students arrive with a very pessimistic view of their future, for many their
experience in education has been centred around failure.
We work with the students (and staff) to help them see a new horizon.
We will not accept an easy route for their path, we show that we care about their hopes and
dreams. If we all care and aspire for our young people, they will start to do so as well. We
raise the bar high then scaffold their journey to help them to archive and succeed.
We try to remove any negative association with exams by encouraging students to take
useful qualifications and by sitting regular mock exams. We build resilience by
demonstrating that tomorrow is another day and we do not judge tomorrow upon
today’s mistakes.

‘When you are a youngster and things go seriously
wrong in your mainstream, you may well need a
second chance. Students in Nottingham who get that
second chance at Stone Soup find an of er and
opportunity that delivers on that chance and more
often than not brings them success.’

We help students expand their horizons by offering vocational qualifications (eg multi-skills,
beauty, mechanics alongside traditional GCSEs and BTEC qualifications.
Through our approach exams feel like a useful tool to help them have a positive life. We
talk about qualifications being like keys to open doors to the future of our young people.
Expectations for positive student behaviour are always high but achievable. We know they
can learn, no matter what barriers they encounter along the way.
We believe in our students and in time they start to believe in themselves.

How do we do it?
Real work experience opportunities in local business leading to part time and full time work.
Strong links with local businesses to give our students positive experiences and possible
funding for future projects.
Investment in careers and the employment of a level 7 careers trained professional sited in
the academy – The majority of our students go onto work, education and training and any
students who are NEET we continue to work with to help them transition successfully to
work, training or education.

3. We will always try to respect and understand you.
Many of our young people have experienced challenges in their lives and some students live
in environments and situations that are not conducive to learning. We will always try to
intervene to support both them and their families to negotiate the expectations of
education.
A common theme for all of our students is that they will have found working in mainstream
schools problematic, many just do not thrive in a mainstream environment. However the
last thing any of them need is to feel judged or labelled as a failure so we will always try to
give them a second chance!
We ensure the staff are aware of the particular barriers faced by every student by
sharing their situation and triggers, this knowledge is not used to label, or to pity,
but to provide an insight into strategies for engagement.

We will always try and find innovative ways to support our students, we always go
above and beyond what a young person has experienced to date.
Our students feel safe as we provide a safe community for them with simple expectations of
behaviour for everyone within our school community.

How do we do it?
We have a dedicated engagement team
There is a personal coach for every student
We provide 1:1 intervention as needed
A school counsellor is available
All staff known by first name
We welcome all students with a handshake and a smile at the front door every day and we
are there at the front door in the evening to say goodbye.
Suits Day – All year 11 students are bought a suit to celebrate the end of their journey with
us and to prepare them for their next step.

4. We will always try to be kind and caring in our approach to you

We all want to be cared for and kindness and care are key attributes of Stone Soup
Academy. They are an expectation and our staff are passionate about the role that they
play in the journey of each young person.
Our staff enjoy working at Stone soup and are passionate about what the academy does
and of their role in it!
This is not just a job for our staff – it is a passion.
Many students share this enthusiasm for the academy and will come alive when talking
about how it has helped them. Many students demonstrated real upset when they were not
able to come into the academy during the pandemic lockdown. We understand that due to
their life to this point every child demonstrates their happiness and their feelings of
belonging in many different ways. It is our job as the ‘adult in the room’ to unpick their
emotions, to understand and care no matter what.
Every week the staff contribute to a video praising individual students for their work in
the past days. This kindness is shared between staff members as every week they also
share Thank- you notes with each other – ensuring everyone feels appreciated.

Every student, every day is greeted with a handshake (virus permitting) and a positive
word Regardless of the challenges of any day there is always a friendly word to be found.
Students reported being ‘listened to for the first time at school’
Some students respond with anger, we respond with humour. Humour is an essential part
of the academy, with laughter an important tool between staff and students.
We do not eliminate poor behaviour but we do disarm it by ensuring that any behaviour
exhibited by a student will be met in a calm and caring manner.

How do we do it?

Weekly meeting where every student is discussed and action agreed on – We share
information to increase our depth of understanding.
Regular updates to referring schools so that everyone joins us on the journey for every
student.
Daily follow up for any absentees
Communications Spreadsheet is used by all involved with students to ensure
consistency Staff & engagement team work as one large student team.
Student success is celebrated at every opportunity, by email, in meetings and in
publications.

5. We will always find creative ways to engage you in your learning through what we
teach and how we teach it.

The core purpose of any education establishment must be learning and alternative
education is no different. Many students arrive into Stone Soup used to a model of
learning which just does not work for them.
The underlying cause of many of our students’s disaffection is their disconnect with whole
class learning. Individuals who do not see the relevance of their education are unlikely to
feel positive about it.

We design an individualised timetable for each student, with the mix of subjects and
methods of delivery suitable for them. For example, some students benefit from intensive
1:1 in some subjects whilst others will be accompanied to attend vocational college
courses.

The timetable of a student may be changed quickly in response to a particular need or issue.
Staff undergo weekly CPD and monitor their development against national teacher
standards using Blue Sky.
Staff carry out action research and to use principles founded in the neuroscience of
learning. Without engaging learning techniques, the progress of the individual is limited.
We publish a Stone Soup Journal bi-annually to share knowledge and good practice, written
by staff, for staff. We share this with all our referrers.
We get to know the students, to know what works, what does not and then to devise the

most personalised approach that is possible. Where support is needed we try to ensure it is
made available.

How do we do it?
Weekly CPD sessions delivered in house and by ‘experts’
Regular Teaching & learning briefings where good practice is shared.
Use of technologies such as Google Classroom, Interactive TVs, VR, and educational
software to ensure e-learning is available when needed.
We strive to be at the forefront of emerging classroom technologies such as virtual reality.
Teachers are keen to explain the curriculum in as varied and interesting ways as possible.
We work with families and students by supporting them to choose a suitable curriculum that
matches their interest and opens future doors.
SEND is across every fibre of the golden thread of creating unimagined futures which is the
vision at the heart of our school community we ensure that no learner is left behind.
The curriculum incorporates work placements as appropriate to the needs of the individual
student.

6. We will always celebrate your successes

The celebration of success for our Stone Soup family is essential and it is
well-known that rewards are far more effective in changing behaviours than using
punitive measures.
Stone Soup has a culture of reward embedded in all it does.
One immediate indication of this is the effective use of Class Dojo across all year groups.
Every lesson students can gain dojos, not only do these build towards attractive rewards,
but they are also a way of sharing positives every hour. All members of staff can
immediately see the positives achieved by the students and the engagement team are able
to respond instantly to support students. These electronic points equate to real money,
forcing students to realise that their own actions affect their success.
Students of the day / week are also used to identify success.

We hold celebration evenings in place of parents evenings with the focus being on
the achievements of the individuals. We use every opportunity to share success.
As well as regular calls home to relay any success throughout the day, our learners often
get excited and ask that we make a positive call home for them
students are ‘earning’ money in their academy account by attending and behaving well.
This builds up over time and at the end of the student’s time at the academy is
celebrated on ‘Suits Day’ when it is used to buy formal attire which can then benefit the
students as they have interviews for college or work.

How do we do it?
Students and staff are regularly entered for regional / national awards (- with an impressive
success rate!- We are TES Alternative Provision of the year 2020)
The academy walls hold many photos of student success.
We also have a ‘Wall of Pride’ for our alluni to demonstrate that it is all about your
future regardless of the challenges of your past.
A termly newspaper is widely circulated to our community and
beyond Our website contains many examples of student success
Daily phone calls and rewards, weekly postcards and rewards, half termly
rewards.

7. We will always be here for you even after you have left

Engagement is the core of all we do and without engagement there would be no Stone
Soup. Engagement and relationships with our young people is at the heart of what we do.
It is such a key part of our work that we have a large group of staff identified as
‘Engagement team’ This team works alongside the teaching team to form the
student support team.
Akin to a medical support team, the Engagement staff try to respond quickly to any issue,
diagnose the problem and then put into place a plan to diminish it.
Many of our students form intensely strong positive relationships with their engagement
team, often citing this as the single most important motivation for them to reconnect with
education and employment.
We have created a Pastoral Sixth form to address the issues of our young people becoming
NEET once they have left the protective walls of Stone Soup Academy. Although we do not
offer a discreet curriculum, we do continue to offer pastoral support both at Stone Soup
and in Nottingham College where the majority of our young people transitioned to. We
advocate for them, we support them in meetings and we help them and provide facilities
for the completion of work after school, If they do not have these facilities at home.
Through this continued relationship we have been able to support some of our most
vulnerable young people as they take their next steps in their adult lives.
It would be nonsensical for this relationship to be limited to 9-4 weekdays term time only
for the duration of a student’s placement in the Academy. Therefore not only do we keep
electronic contact at weekends and holidays, we encourage past-students to drop in and
see us at any time.

We have regular drop-in facilities for ex-students who need support in the next stage of
their life. To help them focus on where they want to be and to help them break these
goals down into small steps, we then have a trust fund which makes bursaries available to
support their journey.
For some of our students our academy is a place of refuge, a safe place and it provides care
and kindness for them. The transition to their next phase can take some students longer to
adjust to, we understand this.

How do we do it?
Student – staff relationships are at the centre (and every part) of academy life
The strength of the staff team ensures that any individual links are effectively shared
amongst the whole academy.
We are always there for our students because that’s what families do.
Pastoral Sixth Form. Investment into post as Head of Sixth.

We aim is to give students the support they need to develop the skills necessary to re-engage with education and make significant progress in their personal and academic development.

Creating Unimagined Futures

Stone Soup Academy is an alternative provision free school in the centre of Nottingham, serving students outside mainstream education in an environment that encourages their academic and personal development. We are committed to the education and welfare of our students, with the goal of preparing them for reintegration into mainstream education or the personal skills to be successful members of our communities as they enter the world of work.

The foundation of our work is the ambition to create systems that equip young people who would otherwise be left behind. All too frequently, students who are deemed to be difficult or disruptive are faced with a future of unemployment or social disadvantage.

The Academy holds at the heart of its work the ambition to create an environment that fully equips students for their personal and academic development. Our goal is to empower each individual student to achieve in practical, functional, and long-lasting ways. To access futures that when they joined us they did not seem possible to achieve.

With this in mind, we aim to:

Provide a supportive environment that aids the learning and personal development of all students;

Prepare students, where appropriate, for reintegration into mainstream education;

Improve the behaviour and attitude of each student with both adults and their peers;

Reinforce each student’s self-esteem and integrity;

Instil an understanding of fundamental British values for citizenship.

The curriculum offered here focuses on achieving these goals through a wide range of courses to ensure continued student engagement and attendance.

We believe that a diverse curriculum encourages students to develop integrated skills that will more truly prepare them for the responsibilities and experiences of adult life. As an alternative provision academy, a creative outlet increases focus and guides learning. Here at Stone Soup we combine Functional Skills qualifications and core GCSEs in Maths and English with classes in creative subjects such as Media, Music Technology, and Creative Arts and access to Nottingham College and Nottingham Trent University. All of these are aimed at growing the skills and confidence of students as well as teaching them new crafts that could potentially turn into a career.

Students also have classes in PSHE/RSHE which explore a wide range of topics aimed at equipping them for citizenship and ensuring they understand fundamental British values including democracy, rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect for and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs and for those without faith. While these are specifically addressed in form time and PSHE/RSHE, these values are additionally embedded in the curriculum and environment of the Academy. We deliver these aspects through Votes For Schools, an online package that poses a question which allows for debate within the classroom.

Alongside the academics offered, we also have a system that ensures the welfare of our students by providing services to students and their families. Most importantly, our policy is to tailor the learning career of each student to their particular needs, and cross-reference initial assessment with future progress to maintain a positive learning experience.

Individual pastoral support is also available to our students, as well as both individual and group sessions with educational specialists. We maintain regular contact with parents/caregivers and outside agencies involved in each student’s welfare to provide the best possible level of support and protection for all-round development, in keeping with our mission as an organisation.

Meet the team

Kerrie Henton
Principal
Younes Henini
Vice Principal
Oliver Sillito
Assistant Principal Behaviour for Learning
Stephen Thompson
Assistant Principal-SENDCO
Susan Murphy
Head of Business and Operations
Katy Smith
Assistant Principal: KS3
Rebekka Ashmore
Head of Engagement
Duncan Bennett
Head of Sport, Business and Enterprise
Fred Slaney
Personal Coach
Channon Cross
Personal Coach SEN
Megan Lees
SEND Admin
Keely Stephens
Receptionist
Josh Cassidy
Personal Coach
Alexandra Horder
Personal Coach
Siobhan Stevenitt
Parent Engagement Coach
Rebecca Wilkes
Carli Dilks
Personal Coach
Molly Campion
Personal Coach
Micha Davis
English Teacher
Khia Lewis-Todd
Media Teacher
David Richardson
Key Stage 3 Teacher
Priyom Das
Key Stage 3 Teacher
Emily McCann
Art and Photography Teacher
Dafni Florou
Admin Assistant
Paolo Iannattone
Media Teacher
Nathan Edwards
Darrell Drummond
Head of Core
Dominique Maragh
Food Teacher
Michelle Rogers
Attendance and Behaviour coordinator
Laura Hendren
Deputy DSL
Shanine Stephens
Catering Lead
Jordan Senior
Personal Coach & Head of Careers
Chelsey Reid
Personal Coach
Rachel Burton
Receptionist
Amy Bradley
Teacher
Maria Cabardo
Admin Assistant
Taylor Gilmour
English Teacher
Annie Gadsby
Art Teacher
Alesha Rogers
Assistant head of Engagement KS3
Michelle Bramhall
SEND Lead KS3
Lovelle Pennant
English Teacher

Our History

Over a decade ago, Stone Soup started as a small community project in Nottingham. Having recognised a gaping need in the community, the Project began by offering an alternative provision for students through music. Initially only operating in a small studio and within schools, the project quickly grew to require additional space. This took the form of an alternative provision centre, with facilities for 50 students in part-time music and construction courses.

With the opportunity to apply as a Free School, Stone Soup seized upon this chance for progression and was accepted. In September 2012, a temporary school opened in St. Ann’s, Nottingham, and began working with local schools to provide a wider set of educational opportunities for students. During this time, a project to refurbish the new facility was underway which operated as a training programme with apprentices undertaking much of the work.

Stone Soup Academy opened its new premises in April 2013, now located in the heart of Nottingham city centre in the historic Lace market area. Immersing the students in an area that is itself inspiring and professional was a priority for the governing body, offering the city centre itself as an extended classroom.

An assessment by Ofsted in 2014 found the Academy ‘outstanding’, an accomplishment of which we are incredibly proud. However, we have not allowed it to make us complacent and have continued developing our facilities and services. The school has taken on additional students, developing a variety of avenues for working with learners who need specialised attention beyond an alternative provision. We have supplemented this by working closely with families to provide evening schools, as well as electronic learning for students who may have complications from home or hospital.

We have an ambitious set of plans for the future which are constantly in the process of being developed and realised. These include an expansion of opportunities for off-site learning, immersing students into a working business environment to foster self-reliance, ambition, and practical skills. In preparation for employment, we are looking to provide our students with supported work experience in retail, catering, creative industries and enterprise.

Our Enterprises

A large part of our commitment to our students is to improve long-term outcomes by equipping them for the future. We have set up a range of enterprise opportunities which enable students to develop practical work skills and start creating marketable items. Our enterprise activities are based around making a positive impact on local schools, businesses, and communities.

One of the earliest projects we developed involves the external restoration of buildings around Nottingham. Students worked on site, removing windows and bringing them back to the school to be refurbished. These have then been returned to the original sites and replaced.

The success of this scheme has led to the initiation of additional enterprise projects. Students have been able to create items for sale to both the local community and on the internet, combining practical abilities with the development of employable skills. We have also encouraged them to begin compiling work as budding designers, and several have submitted work for national competitions. Soon, we will be looking to receive public commissions for student work.

Student success story

When I arrived at Stone Soup Academy, I felt as if the education system had given up on me. Traditional schooling had failed me as a student, failing to support me in the ways I needed in a time of need. I was labelled as ‘difficult to work with’. I was excluded from multiple schools, this led to a lot of anxiety and a complete lack of ambition and self-confidence, especially academically. I had completely given up on myself and felt like others had too.

I did not recognise it at the time, but Stone Soup was my last chance for an education and though it was a long and challenging journey, Stone Soup supported me and encouraged me to explore interests and talents, things that had been forgotten due to my difficult time in mainstream school. I was given independent support that was tailored to my needs, such as one to one mentoring instead of a regular form tutor. I was often given opportunities to reflect on my own behaviour in an understanding environment, enabling me to progress as an individual and to gain a focus on positive behaviours instead of challenging ones.
My most memorable moment from my time spent at Stone Soup Academy was when I was announced as student of the term, this was my first ever positive academic achievement. My progress was recognised by everyone! I was rewarded with a trip to Sea world in Birmingham and a trip to Five Guys. I had never felt so acknowledged as a student before.

I am eternally grateful for my support at Stone Soup and for the inspiring and patient individuals I crossed paths with. I am now in my second year at The University of Derby studying a Degree in Creative Expressive Therapies, aiming to one day support students who are also too often described using the label ‘challenging behaviour’. Without the support I was given by Stone Soup Academy, none of this would have been possible.