Trees

The Trees Phase is your child's introduction to Sutton School, and is probably the most important time of all, especially from a parent or guardian's point of view. As parents and carers we want our children to feel safe, secure and the recipients of an education that they deserve, and one that will form a firm foundation from which they will grow into well rounded young adults. Our staff have your childs' needs foremost in their minds as they embark on their journey through our Phase, emerging with developed skills in literacy, numeracy, science, ICT and a number of other areas that the school has deemed essential to prepare them for their years ahead, and the transition to the Hills Phase in Year 9.

YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING ENVIRONMENT

Pupils in the Trees phase are taught within the same fully resourced classroom throughout their learning week. Trees Phase is located in a designated area of the school and generally does not mix with pupils from other Phases. We have the use of our own toileting facilities and play areas. Pupils also leave and enter the building at the start and end of the day via a designated route that does not mix with other Phases. 

Pupils eat their lunch in their classrooms, this may be packed lunches brought from home or pre-ordered hot dinners or sandwiches prepared by on site catering staff through the school Parentmail portal.  We are very proud of our kitchen facilities which provide balanced and nutritious meals in line with Dudley’s Healthy Eating Policy.

LEARNING STYLES AND PEDAGOGY

Trees classes are allocated based on year group and ability. Generally, Trees 1 through Trees 4 are Year 7 classes, and Trees 5 to Trees 8 are Year 8 classes. Each follows a bespoke curriculum that is tailored to the needs of our pupils. Core subjects such as Maths and English form a basis of a weekly experience supported by topic-based projects that encompass other disciplines such as science, ICT, history, geography, art and design and technology. Life skills is taught across the phase, as is PSHE and citizenship.

Throughout the week children are heard reading and interventions in areas determined by their EHCPs and pupil profiles are carried out on a one-to-one basis. Where deemed appropriate children receive extra support in speech and language. 

The class-based environment means that pupils maintain a consistency in their education and carry out all of their classes with a small number of staff. This enables staff to develop keen working relationships with pupils which in turn, allows staff to adjust their approach based on the familiarity with the pupil’s needs and motivations. 

KEY LEARNING RESOURCES

Many of our resources will be familiar to our pupils, such as; Education City, Maths Wizz, Accelerated Reader, TT Rockstar, Google Classroom and Phonics Play. These resources support an appropriate, enriching and engaging curriculum.

EXAMPLE TIMETABLE

Below is a sample timetable from one of our classes.

RESIDENTIAL AND OFF SITE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

Sutton School has a proud history of providing residential opportunities to all pupils, including overnight excursions and experiences, day trips with educational focusses and even residentials on foreign countries. Whilst the current climate provides challenges to providing these it is the school’s aim that we will re-commence at a suitable time. Currently pupils are able to engage in off site learning at a variety of venues, be it a walk in rural areas, discovering the wonders of nature or simply visiting parks and embracing the outdoors.

PARENTAL ENGAGEMENT

We are keen to create, build on and maintain positive relationships with parents and carers. This begins with communication through our Parentmail system, which enables quick and easy access to school, class and even individual lines of communication (you can find out more about Parentmail here) Our phase leaders are always contactable via the school switchboard and class teachers are expected to make contact with parents to discuss individual matters during school working hours. Our staff work very hard to make themselves available, so please be assured that if you cannot contact anyone immediately, you will be contacted at the earliest opportunity. Historically we have conducted face to face parent evenings throughout the year, in the current climate unfortunately face to face meetings are not permissible and we have effectively conducted conversations by telephone or video chat service.