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The ACE Programme
A Champion for Every child
What is ACE?
ACE is a TKAT initiative that was started during covid. It aims to support students and their families to overcome barriers they may face. At Horizon we aim to support students with their attendance, reading and personal goals that they have chosen. These goals can support them academically and socially. If students achieve their goals for the term we celebrate with a termly celebration to show them we are proud of their progress. We feel this is an important part of ACE and supporting our students through their development. Within ACE at Horizon we work collaboratively, involving teachers, students and parents to help the personal development of our ACE students.
How does ACE help?
ACE can help both parents and students in a variety of ways. ACE aims to support students' engagement in school alongside improving their reading age and attendance. ACE also aims to support the emotional needs of our students. We do this by offering tailored support to students in sessions with their designated ACE tutor. ACE also helps support parents with things they may be struggling with, for example, their mental health, parenting advice and outside agency referrals.
Meet the ACE team
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Mrs Wright (Deputy Head/ SLT ACE lead and ACE Tutor) I absolutely love being part of the TKAT ACE initiative and I'm really proud of the way Horizon Primary Academy is beginning to change and impact the lives of children (no matter how big or small) through the ACE programme. To watch children grow in confidence; try something new that they wouldn't have before and be physically and mentally fit for learning is truly inspiring. Working with the families, being able to support them and share their child's achievements with them makes ACE the positive force that it is. |
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Mrs Broster/ ‘Phoebe’ (Pastoral lead/ ACE Lead and ACE Lead Tutor) I love being an ACE tutor. I enjoy spending time with the students and getting to know them, their likes and dislikes. I find it fun completing different tasks with them all and them showing me their different skills and abilities. My favourite thing about being an ACE tutor is watching the ACE children at Horizon blossom and grow with the support of their tutors. I love working with the other ACE tutors to find new and exciting projects to get involved with and give our students opportunities they may not otherwise have. |
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Mrs Chamberlain (ACE Tutor) I love the ACE program, and how it helps the children to feel part of something special. There are some fantastic projects they will be working on, including raising money for our new library area! I want to bring my Marine Biologist background to our ACE students looking closely at the jellyfish life cycle and how we can culture our very own jellyfish within school! I hope to find some budding aquarists amongst them. |
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Miss Davies (ACE Tutor) For me, having the role of an ACE tutor gives me an opportunity to build relationships with the children and parents who most need support. It allows me to identify needs and offer help to the families. My ACE children enjoy having goals and targets to work towards. During our sessions we discuss many things such as: friendship issues and how to resolve them, low self esteem and confidence building tasks. We make charts together to take home to help with routines, whether it be bedtime or getting ready for school. We also set Green Projects, our latest being to contribute our ideas to regenerating the park opposite the school. Both parents and parents have been involved in this. My own project is to work with our current Year 6 pupils, who will be attending Orchards Academy in September, with the transitioning process. I am very proud to be an ACE tutor within our Horizon family. |
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Mrs Coole (ACE Tutor) What I enjoy most about my ACE sessions is watching children grow in confidence. Our ACE team celebrate the wins, no matter how big or small. It makes me extremely proud of my ACE students seeing them work so hard. We work together to set personal goals then work towards achieving them. ACE provides children with a safe space to be themselves, talk about worries, successes, dreams and ambitions. We believe in our children so they can believe in themselves! |
If you would like to know more about ACE please contact us using the ACE report button or send a message Via Arbor, alternatively (Monday, Wednesday or Friday) you can call and ask for Phoebe.
At Horizon, we set a termly project to help improve the aspirations of our students. Our first ACE project was set in term 2. Our ACE children spent time with their ACE tutors making Christmas tree ornaments, which they then delivered to our local care home residents.
In term 3, our Deputy Head secured us the amazing opportunity to support the local council in improving parks in the area, this included contact with our local MP. Our ACE children spent time writing letters, creating park designs and filling forms out about their favourite equipment. They later met with an architect and Swanley council to pitch their ideas, share their mood board and support the architect with the bid for money from the National Lottery.
Our latest project is our school library. ACE students are currently raising money in a variety of ways to put towards creating a school library. They have started this by doing a raffle.
As part of ACE at Horizon, we work with the parents as well as the children. We hold coffee mornings, 1-1 meetings with the pastoral lead and support with parenting, mental health and referrals to other agencies.
Other agencies we work with include community cupboard, NELFT, Early Help and We Are Beams.
‘What an absolute credit they are to you and the staff. All of the kids were confident, engaged and clearly passionate about the project and had done some brilliant work on their ideas and suggestions for the play area.
‘My conclusion was so positive that whatever you are doing as part of the ACE (A Champion for Every Child) initiative is clearly working and you should continue with this ground breaking work, as I could see the confidence and high self-esteem in the eyes of your children, as I say a true credit to themselves and the school.’’
‘MT looks forward to Ace project time. He speaks positively about what he has been doing during this time at home. He has enjoyed being involved in the playground design project and this has made him think about the design and research process. Most of all he has enjoyed being part of the football team. Being part of the football team has also allowed him to have the confidence to be part of a football group outside of school.
I am pleased that the Ace projects have given MT another focus other than the academics that take place in the classroom.’
‘ACE Tutors are very friendly and helpful’
“It was a lovely meeting, nice to reflect on all of the work that ACE workers and
students have been doing. Thank you for the invitation.’
‘I very much enjoyed the opportunity to attend Birchwood Heights with the children and
seeing them in that setting. It was lovely to witness first hand how appreciative the
residents were and how great it made the children feel. Thank you again for the
Invitation.’
These are comments from our students about their ACE sessions:
‘It helps me when I lose control’
‘In ACE we talk about how I feel and what I like and want to do. Also we do fun ACE projects that are super fun and I love them’
‘I have my favourite ACE tutor, Phoebe and she is kind, loving and really fun’
‘I like my ACE time with Miss Davies. We have a chat and I read to her’
‘In ACE we do colouring and talk about my day. We talk about friendships and ACE targets’
‘We talk about how my day is going’
‘I like talking to Miss Davies, we play games’
‘I like ACE because they are kind and they help me’
With some students, we take part in projects… this is what our students have to say about these experiences…
RB- “It felt like I was better for helping other people”
DGK - “I felt happy and proud when I gave the person my christmas tree”
AA - “It is the best thing I have ever done. I felt that my ACE sessions gave me the confidence to be part of the team and they also prepared me to play the game.”
AM - “I felt good and happy when I played in the tournament. I enjoyed playing in the matches and because Phoebe had told me I was good, I felt good.”
SG - “It makes me feel like a teacher and it has encouraged me to read more at home myself.”
LSD - “It makes me feel good when I read to them as I can tell that they are enjoying my reading of the story.”
FHF- “I felt nervous and happy to speak to new people and I’m so excited that ACE gave me the opportunity to design a new playground.”
EBL -”I feel really happy because I have helped make a better park for everyone.”