Students feel psychologically safe, ready to learn
Students are supported, focused and ready to achieve their best.
Students achieve their best when they feel psychologically safe, supported and known as individuals. In this learning environment they grow in confidence, take responsibility for their learning and develop the resilience and resourcefulness needed for real world success.
Our culture combines strong relationships with high expectations. Students are encouraged to think independently, support one another and act with integrity. Through this approach they develop the character and habits that underpin our values of responsibility, resilience, resourcefulness and respect.
From the moment students join the Academy, they become part of a community that challenges them to grow both academically and personally as thoughtful, capable young citizens.
“Ofsted Report 2026Pupils feel safe. The school provides a stable and calm environment in which they can flourish.
A Focused, Distraction-Free Environment
To support concentration and positive social interaction, Hammersmith Academy operates a mobile phone-free school day using Yondr pouches.
Creating a Calm, Focused and Connected School
The Academy is committed to maintaining a calm, focused and connected environment where students can learn and thrive without distraction.
To support this, we use the Yondr pouch system – a simple, effective way of ensuring mobile phones are switched off and securely stored during the school day. This approach strengthens our long-standing policy that phones must be switched off and put away until the end of the school day, and aligns with the Department for Education’s national guidance empowering schools to reduce classroom distractions so that students can fully focus on learning and development.
Why We Use Yondr
Research shows that the average teenager checks their phone more than 100 times a day, often without realising it. This constant distraction can reduce focus, heighten anxiety, and affect learning.
By using the Yondr pouch, students keep possession of their phones but cannot access them during the day. The result is greater concentration, better communication, and a calmer atmosphere across the school.
Schools that have implemented Yondr have seen powerful results:
Calmer classrooms – fewer interruptions and a more positive climate for learning.
Enhanced focus – students concentrate more deeply on learning.
Improved academic performance – engagement and retention increase.
Better social interaction – students connect face-to-face and collaborate more effectively.
Healthier mental wellbeing – reduced exposure to online stressors.
Mindfulness and self-control – students learn responsible digital habits.
How It Works
The Yondr system is quick, simple and secure:
- At the start of the day: students switch off their phones, place them into the Yondr pouch, and lock it by pressing the close button. Tutors complete quick checks during registration.
- During the school day: phones remain locked in pouches and stored in students’ bags.
- At the end of the day: students unlock their pouches at designated magnetic stations before leaving the Academy.
Students remain able to communicate with parents and carers before and after school for peace of mind – however, the school day itself is a phone-free, distraction-free zone.
Strong Pastoral Care from Day One
Our pastoral structure ensures that every student is known as an individual, with adults who understand their strengths, challenges and ambitions.
Each year group has a dedicated Pastoral Team that provides daily guidance and long-term support:
- Form Tutor – meets students every day during tutor time, offering regular check-ins, encouragement and guidance. Tutors build strong, trusting relationships and are the first point of contact for advice or support.
- Pastoral Support Officer (PSO) – oversees student welfare, attendance and readiness to learn, ensuring that each child feels secure, valued, and able to thrive.
- Head of Year – monitors academic progress, wellbeing and behaviour, ensuring high standards are maintained and that students are supported to succeed.
- Head of Key Stage – oversees pastoral provision across multiple year groups, ensuring consistency, continuity, and care as students move through the Academy.
This structure guarantees that families have a clear, reliable network of support and that every student is known, guided and challenged to achieve their very best.
A Smooth Transition to Secondary School
The move from primary to secondary school is an exciting milestone, and we are committed to making it a positive and seamless experience.
Our Pastoral Team works closely with local primary schools to understand each child’s needs before they arrive.
We also run a comprehensive transition programme, including:
- Induction events to welcome families into our community.
- A summer school, where students make new friends, meet staff, and explore our facilities.
- Confidence-building activities to familiarise students with routines, expectations and enrichment opportunities.
This preparation means that by September, our new Year 7 students are confident, settled and ready to make maximum progress from day one.
High Expectations, Clear Standards
Our approach is firm but fair. Students are expected to behave with courtesy, respect and responsibility towards others and towards their learning.
Clear routines and consistent expectations create calm corridors and focused classrooms. Positive behaviour is recognised through a structured rewards system that celebrates effort, achievement and contribution to the Academy community.
By setting high standards and supporting students to meet them, we help young people develop the habits and self-discipline that support long-term success.
Positive Reinforcement and Rewards
We know that recognition is powerful.
The Academy places great emphasis on reinforcing positive attitudes, effort and conduct to motivate students, raise self-esteem, and build a culture of pride and achievement.
We use a wide range of rewards and recognition strategies appropriate to each age group, including:
- Verbal praise and written comments on work or planners
- Certificates and “Star of the Week” awards
- Reward tokens from subject teachers and senior leaders
- Positive phone calls, postcards and letters home
- Public recognition in assemblies
- Achievement assemblies and reward trips
By celebrating effort and excellence, we not only motivate students but also reinforce our shared values and help everyone understand that good behaviour and hard work are both noticed and valued.
Emotional Support & Counselling
Sometimes young people need a little extra support, someone to listen, or a safe space to work through worries. Our counselling and wellbeing offer sits alongside our pastoral care to ensure every student knows they are heard, valued, and never facing challenges alone.
If a student needs emotional support, parents or students can speak to the Form Tutor, who will refer them to the Pastoral Team. Each referral is handled sensitively, ensuring students receive the right level of help.
Specialist Wellbeing Services
To meet a wide range of needs, we work with:
- In-house Human Givens therapist, David Njie
- Local support from Hammersmith & Fulham
- Place2Be, offering 1:1 counselling, small-group work, and the Place2Talk drop-in service
These services help students manage worries, confidence issues, friendships, family changes, or emotional stress — so challenges never become barriers to learning or wellbeing.
Working in Partnership With Parents
We believe that students thrive when school and home work together. Clear communication between families and the Academy helps ensure that expectations are consistent and that every student feels supported.
This partnership allows students to approach their education with confidence, knowing that the adults around them share the same ambition for their success.
