King Ethelbert School
Canterbury Road
Birchington
Kent
CT7 9BL
Tel: 01843 831999
Headteacher: Carole Bailey
www.kingethelbert.com

King Ethelbert School -  where every child matters !

King Ethelbert School in Birchington, Kent  is situated in the heart of Kent's selective system, on the Isle of Thanet. This 11 - 16 non - selective secondary school has experienced changing fortunes, and in 1998 was placed in serious weaknesses by Ofsted. Then, over 50% of pupils had identified special educational need, predominantly emotional and behavioural. A school facing challenging circumstances; staff, governors and pupils set about addressing the issues. Additional funding received through various DfES initiatives, including Excellence in Cities and Leadership Incentive Grants, whilst time limited, were put to good use in reworking the school's operations to best support each child.

At the core of the school's philosophy is a commitment to each child's entire well - being, and the centrality of their individual emotional health. All staff employed at the school have received training to enable them to use emotionally intelligent strategies in their work, whether in formal pedagogy or the informal daily life of the school. Pupils are taught about how the brain functions and the development of the teenage brain. A culture of respect is engendered in the relationships that develop, and this pervades the way pupils are valued and encouraged. The school today still has 33% of its pupils with additional need and has developed an infrastructure of diverse support including self - esteem sessions, anger management strategies, pupil leadership opportunities, alongside an expectation of achievement for all .  Accordingly, pupils are encouraged to accept and value diversity, and to show respect and tolerance in their relationships.

The school's commitment to creating an emotionally intelligent school has been far from "touchy, feely", but rooted in valuing each individual whatever their starting point. The goal for each child is to aspire high in their individual goals and achieve their personal best in academic achievement. Academic standards have improved significantly over recent years, with the school secure in the top quartile of contextualised value added results. Headteacher Carole Bailey is clear that this is rooted in the ethos established through her staff's enthusiastic commitment and passion for each learner being enabled and supported to be successful. The school has overtly embraced the five outcomes for every child; and is now seeking to further develop an entrepreneurial culture to promote economic well - being.

The school has gained a range of awards for its work, including "Healthy School" status, embracing the healthy food agenda in introducing of its own catering service. In conjunction with Kent County Council a modern sports complex promoting physical fitness and sport is in the final stages of construction. The school is in wave 3 of the Schools for the Future programme, and is delighted to have this opportunity to model a contemporary campus that reflects its vision enabling its learners to be safe, confident, caring and successful young people.

The school was re-inspected by Ofsted in December 2006, who reported,

"King Ethelbert is an inspiring school that provides an outstanding education."

To find out more visit www.kingethelbert.com