Education at 'The Evolution Centre'
 At
New Reflexions we invest
in the development of the "whole person" and
this is both reflected in the philosophy of our education
facility, The Evolution Centre, where we offer a stimulating
and challenging environment for both our staff and our
Young People, and in our approach to develop the young
Person in the wider community, by encouraging them to
seek appropriate Further Education courses and vocational
placements.
At the Evolution Centre we put value on;
- Teamwork
- A sense of caring for the community, in its widest
sense,
- Tolerance
- The need to feel safe and secure
- Appropriate challenges, to achieve personal growth
and success, and
- Integrity
Our Mission Statement is to "Achieve personal
growth through educational challenge and teamwork".
As well as educating the Young People in our care,
the Evolution Centre also offers places to children
from Local Education Authorities, who, for whatever
reason are unable to access mainstream schools
 The
Evolution Centre offers a personalised curriculum that
allows our Young People to gain accreditation across
the whole ability range, from Entry Level through to
GCSE’s. The ASDAN award scheme also allows our
Young People to be accredited for developing skills
in the areas of PSHE, sport, outdoor
activities, work related learning, citizenship,
food Technology and independent living. The curriculum
is supported by agencies such as Connexions, by local
employers and by the community.
Where appropriate the Evolution centre provides every
Young Person with a full timetable of planned learning
activities from Monday through to Friday. Timetables
consist of a mixture of time in school, college, work
experience, sport, outdoor adventurous activities and
curriculum based projects designed to ensure the transfer
of skills not only between academic subjects but also
from education to practical applications.
Each Young Person has an individual education plan
(IEP) drawn up within four weeks of admission. This
IEP highlights specific educational targets to be achieved
during the Young Persons placement. The plan is reviewed
periodically to ensure that it reflects the ongoing
development of the Young Person. For Young People with
a Statement of Special Educational Needs, their targets
will be set in line with the objectives within their
Statement
A personal education plan is also requested shortly
after admission. This is completed in conjunction with
the Young Person, their care team and their social worker.
Our individual programmes recognise and build on the
Young People’s own skills. They are specifically
designed to promote individual achievement and aim to
allow our Young People to enjoy and feel empowered by
their participation in learning activities.
The care teams and school staff work together to ensure
that we meet each Young Person’s individual needs.
Young People can be supported in lessons by their carers
where this reflects the aims emphasised in their individual
placement plan, ensuring a seamless approach to both
their learning and the management of their behaviour.
Each Young Person has a form tutor who looks after their
day to day well-being and who also ensures good communication
between care, therapeutic support and education.
 Both
the teaching and care staff have been trained in the
use of TCI (Therapeutic
Crisis Intervention). This, along with a standardised
approach to praise, reward and positive role modelling,
enables us to apply consistent boundaries, including
consequences and expectations, to promote positive behaviour
in our Young People. This approach enables our Young
People to concentrate on working towards their specific
targets so as to gain a further sense of achievement.
Through all of the work with our Young People, be it
in or outside of education, we strive to empower the
individual, to develop social skills, and we encourage
open discussion when faced with an issue. This approach
is all about developing self-confidence and coping skills.
By giving our Young People a safe and nurturing environment
in which to hone these skills, we can deliver to them
a vital "life lesson" to help them make the
transition into adult life. As part of this approach
The Evolution Centre operates a School council, which
consists of a number of our Young People. This forum
enables the student group to have a say in how The Evolution
Centre is operated, to decide how some of the funds
for the Centre should be spent, and to give them the
opportunity to set some of the "expectation"
rules for their peers.
ULTIMATELY WE ASPIRE TO CREATE LIFELONG
LEARNERS WITH THE SKILLS TO BE SUCCESSFUL CITIZENS OF
THE FUTURE.
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