We want students to benefit from the experience of attending a small school. We want them to gain a high-quality, personalised learning experience where they are known by name to all adults and their needs and preferences are known and met.
We are a kind, caring community where all members support each other and feel valued. Students and staff offer to help each other wherever possible and work together to improve the school community and the community which our school serves.
We want students to feel part of the future of Hackney. We want them to understand how they can access what the borough has to offer and benefit from its proximity to finance and creative hubs including access to these industries during their time in school.
We have high expectations of ourselves and others. We strive to become and create exceptional learners. We give and accept honest open feedback. We act quickly to ensure improvements.
We encourage everyone to try new things. We embrace the creative arts as we believe they improve learning, communication, engagement, confidence and enjoyment of school. We offer a range of opportunities to perform and engage with new experiences. We accept and celebrate difference.
We are professional and aspirational. We expect politeness, punctuality, smart attire and accuracy. We aim to prepare our students for the world of further education and work effectively so that they are able to compete at the very highest level, both in the industries that are based in the locale and further afield if they so choose. We want them to emerge as confident, articulate, well-adjusted and able employees.
Our objectives can be summarised as follows:
We want to embrace the benefits of a small school which include a tight-knit learning community and a personalised bespoke educational experience.
We want all pupils to make better progress than their peers nationally.
We want all students to have fond memories of school when they leave.
We want all lessons to provide effective feedback to students so that they know how to improve, are fully engaged and are applying basic skills appropriately.
We want strong leadership from governors, senior leaders, middle leaders, teachers and students alike.
We want effective systems to support the good order and success of the schools.
We want Waterside Academy to be the school of choice in Hackney, offering an educational experience that is on a par with or better than the most popular and successful secondaries in the borough.
Our students will demonstrate:
Their friendliness by greeting all adults in the school with a handshake and a ‘good morning, sir or miss’.
Their politeness by making eye contact and using STEPS (sir or miss, thank you, excuse me, please and smile).
Their helpfulness by holding doors open and offering to carry things. They will work towards the community aspect of their Master Mission.
Their professionalism by arriving to school and lessons on time, wearing the uniform correctly and using formal language.
They are listening by using SLANT (sit up straight, listen carefully, ask and answer questions, never interrupt and tracking the speaker).
They want to achieve by working hard in class, completing all their homework, reading regularly, visiting the school library and engaging with the DPR.
They are willing to try new things by adapting to change with an open mind, performing for an audience and demonstrating their work in front of their peers.
They are proud of their school by showing visitors around, keeping it clean and tidy, volunteering at events and producing termly newsletters.
They can make a positive contribution to their community by acting in an orderly manner when out and about, volunteering at local events, taking opportunities to learn about local industries through the careers programme.
Their creativity by engaging in the arts both in and out of lessons.
