GUST Statement of Purpose

 

At GUST Independent School we worked together with our learners to create a core set of
values that we believe are essential qualities for academic success and personal growth.
These values make up our school moto of:

‘Who D.A.R.E.S Wins’

Determination, Ambition, Respect, Empathy, Self-control

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Determination: strive to succeed in every situation and don’t give up until we do.
Ambition: believe that through hard work we can achieve anything.
Respect: treat ourselves, others and our environment with care.
Empathy: demonstrate compassion to all in our community.
Self-control: manage our behaviour and emotions in order to accomplish our goals.


It is our intention that by developing these character values our learners will have the skills
to take control of their education and develop the determination and self-belief needed to
achieve their goals. We believe that a ‘Who D.A.R.E.S Wins’ attitude will encourage our
learners to attend school regularly and be motivated to succeed by developing a sense of
belonging and pride within our school community. Most importantly we hope that our
learners will develop the resilience, self-efficacy and social confidence to contribute
positively to society.

 

 

At GUST Independent School, we provide a safe and nurturing environment in which
students with additional needs, SEMH needs and challenging behaviours can re-engage with
their education. Our Curriculum has been designed to ensure each and every student at
GUST can enjoy learning and achieve their potential while developing the key skills they
need to thrive as independent, emotionally and socially confident individuals.

We have created a broad and ambitious curriculum with both academic and vocational
pathways to enable us to meet the wide range of needs of our learners. Our curriculum
entails the core subjects of English, Maths and Science; as well as Physical Education, PSHE,
RSHE, Art, History, Geography, Religious Education, ICT and Modern Foreign Languages.

It is our aim to enable all of our leaners to move onto the next stage of their education
journey with the qualifications that will help them succeed in life. When they are ready, our
students have the opportunity to achieve a Functional Skills qualification in Maths, English
and ICT as well as GCSE qualifications in both English and Maths. We also offer ASDAN
qualifications in Science, History and Geography. In addition to this, students who enjoy
engaging in our vocational subjects have the opportunity to achieve a recognised
qualification in Construction Studies, Motor Vehicle Studies and Hair & Beauty Studies.

It is our intent that all learners will leave GUST Independent School with the skills and
qualifications necessary to succeed in their future endeavours.

 

We are passionate about delivering the highest standards of teaching while meeting the needs of our learners in an accepting, positive and welcoming learning environment. We ensure our staff have the opportunity to participate in regular CPD to continually improve their practise. The broad and engaging curriculum we offer allows our learners to pursue both academic and vocational pathways, allowing individuals to grow and achieve as their interests and passions dictate.

Each area of the Curriculum is planned, taught and assessed to ensure that learners have a depth of understanding that will enable them to understand the world around them and contribute positively to wider society.

We promote the highest standards in everything we do. We collaborated with our learners to develop our school values - ‘Who D.A.R.E.S Wins’ - a key set of skills that will enable learners to become the best versions of themselves by encouraging:

Determination: strive to succeed in every situation and don’t give up until we do.
Ambition: believe that through hard work we can achieve anything.
Respect: treat ourselves, others and our environment with care.
Empathy: demonstrate compassion to all in our community.
Self-control: manage our behaviour and emotions in order to accomplish our goals.

Although our learners may arrive with significant challenges and negative attitudes towards education, we do not allow these factors to be a barrier to our high aspirations for their academic, social or emotional development. We work with learners and their families to ensure that every learner reaches their full potential and develops a sense of self worth and a ‘Who D.A.R.E.S Wins’ attitude.

 

By promoting a ‘who D.A.R.E.S. wins’ attitude towards learning our students enjoy coming to school, attend more regularly, and embrace new challenges and possibilities, pushing their boundaries beyond their own expectations.

Through delivery of our broad and engaging curriculum learners at GUST make excellent progress academically, emotionally and socially, compared to their baseline levels upon entry. Students leave GUST Independent School with improved reading, writing, speaking, listening and maths skills that will allow them to function positively in society. By offering a wide range of qualifications we ensure that our learners leave GUST feeling successful and achieving their own specific goals. We strongly encourage our students to continue with further education and give them the tools and skills to make this happen.

By promoting strong links between home, school and the wider community to support learning we enable learners to develop skills that will benefit them during their time at GUST Independent School and in their future endeavours. We often have past learners return to school to share with us their success stories and reflect upon their time at GUST and the positive impact it has had on their lives. Nothing makes us happier than knowing our learners have succeeded.