“Taking PRIDE in progress through partnership with learning at the heart of all we do” Charlton is a very successful 11-­‐16 comprehensive school. We are well established in our local community, with a consistent record of high standards and are regularly oversubscribed. This is attributable to excellent examination results and acknowledges our caring and disciplined environment, combining a degree of formality with good relationships between adults and students. The school works in federation with one of our six partner primary schools, Dothill Primary School, with a Principal, Mr N Renshaw, over both schools and a Head of Primary (Mrs D Cawte) and Head of Secondary (Mr L Tristham) respectively. This relationship enables the innovative development of an all-­‐through curriculum which is currently being developed within a culture of collaboration and cooperation. This arrangement sits within a wider learning community which includes the other partner primaries. This model has been strategically led within the local authority and forms part of our ongoing Building Schools for the Future programme. At Secondary we are due to move to a new site nearby with a new build scheduled to be open for all students by January 2016. This is an exciting time and will enable us to support the transformation of education for all our young people. As a Learning Community our team seeks to further develop our vision of raising achievement through high-­‐quality teaching and learning, whilst promoting an inclusive ethos. In our Learning Community: • Learning is at the heart of all we do; • Progress is seen in all we do; • Partnership with each other, students, families and our community is crucial to our success; • Democracy, openness, equality and sustainability are actively promoted. Our previous Ofsted inspection judged the school as ‘good’, acknowledging the consistently effective leadership, which has improved the progress of students in all groups. Teaching is ‘good’ with further developments related to the use of assessment. ‘Our wider partnership working, especially with local primaries, is a real strength, as too is our capacity to further improve; thus the school is well positioned to sustain this improvement’. As a school we have a wide range of extra-­‐curricular activities supported through our partnership work with many outside agencies. This, linked with our work to promote community cohesion, provides our young people with every opportunity to meet their potential. We are a truly comprehensive school, admitting children from 20 primary schools in total, with children’s prior attainment at KS2 in line with National Average. We are developing an increasing focus on the use of assessment for learning, and the promotion of ‘deep learning’ via the introduction of cross-­‐subject and cross-­‐phase Teaching and Learning Communities (TLCs). These involve primary and secondary team members working together to promote effective learning opportunities as part of our professional development programme. At the heart of this is the Teacher Effectiveness Enhancement Programme (TEEP) model of teaching May 2014 and learning. TEEP provides a holistic framework that goes far beyond the lesson planning tool, influencing aspects of our school including culture, ethos, behaviour, visions and values. Within the previous framework, Charlton was a designated Science Specialist College. This enabled us to further develop a scientifically rich curriculum. We continue to enable our students to develop a reasoned view of their place in society through questioning and making judgements about moral, cultural, ethical and social issues. Funding resulting from this status linked to BSF developments has already enabled significant investment across the school. This investment allows us to further enhance our learning and teaching pedagogy. The Charlton team and governors are committed to providing an exciting curriculum, supported through a full range of extra-­‐curricular opportunities that allow students to realise their academic and social potential. Our curriculum allows for the needs of all learners to be met as they progress through their five years in our care, providing opportunities for enrichment to develop wider aspects of learning. They also maintain a vision of our Learning Community as a hub of integrated extended children’s services, as part of plans to develop ‘Learning Communities’ across the Borough. The curriculum is organised into eight curriculum areas with colleagues working collaboratively to support the complete learning experience for our students. We currently implement a two-­‐year KS3 programme followed by a three-­‐year KS4 where students make their option choices at the end of Year 8 in most areas. Overall attainment is significantly above national average for total APS at end of KS4 and at 93% for 5+ A*-­‐C and 61% (A*-­‐C including English and Maths). Within curriculum areas, our teams consider the views of learners using student self-­‐
evaluation as part of their assessment procedures. This gives learners the opportunity for reflection and to improve good practice. Students are encouraged to share their views and opinions and play a key role in shaping the future of our school. Students take tremendous pride in what they do and have a sense of loyalty with good relationships with staff. Students are guided via a strong pastoral system, with experienced staff who support our effective learning environment. All students have form tutors who serve as academic mentors to track progress. Pastoral Managers offer further support and where required access external agencies and family support. Each year students apply for and are selected for positions of responsibility within our student leadership structure. Students are asked to produce an action plan for development in which they outline their own improvement priorities and a budget is allocated for them to spend as they see appropriate. Professional development is given a high profile in our Learning Community. In self-­‐
evaluation, our team rate our CPD programmes to have overwhelmingly met their needs. At the heart of this is our developments linked to Teaching and Learning with additional support such as curriculum innovation, NCSL programmes such as Leadership Pathways and Leading from the Middle and NPQH. Our team has a strong track record of supporting colleagues into senior leadership, advisory and headship roles. Several colleagues are also currently supported in their work towards masters degrees. Currently, CPD opportunities include work across primary and secondary phase as well as membership of TLCs, which May 2014 meet regularly to support teachers’ individual teaching needs via peer coaching and mentoring. We aim to keep learning at the heart of all we do, recognising the strengths of collaboration and sharing best practice. We are a true learning community where every individual has the opportunity to develop, maximising their full potential. We look forward to welcoming you to our school. Nick Renshaw and Lee Tristham Charlton School May 2014