Welcome to Thornleigh Salesian College

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3 Welcome to Thornleigh Salesian College I am proud to have the opportunity to introduce our school to you and to give you a flavour of the extraordinary things that happen here on a daily basis. Our identity as a Catholic school and the inspiration we receive from the life of St John Bosco shapes our ethos and spirit, placing the developing child at the centre of everything we do. We aim to provide a vibrant experience of Christian community where everyone can flourish. Cooperation, consideration, mutual respect and care for each other determine the characters of our relationships. We create a calm, purposeful atmosphere where teachers can teach and students can learn. We have set our sights on being a centre of excellence where high levels of achievement are the norm and we constantly seek and develop opportunities to improve on our best practice. We offer our students a variety of opportunities and experiences which nurture their unique characters and talents and enables them to be the best that they can be and we welcome you to come and experience for yourself the very special spirit that is recognised by all who visit. Don Bosco and The Salesians Mrs A Burrowes Head Teacher Everyone needs a dream, a vision to inspire them. Don Bosco had a dream when he was very young - a dream that told him to change the way that young people were treated. This dream led him to be a priest and carry out his vocation. He dedicated his life to young people, many of whom were homeless and destitute. He saw their value and worked tirelessly to help them reach their full potential - through education. He founded the Salesian order and today the Salesian family continue this great work all over the world and here at Thornleigh Salesian College. Home School Church Playgr ound Welcome

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5 A Catholic, Salesian Community Thornleigh Salesian College is a Roman Catholic school, as such we have a commitment to ensure that our faith underpins all that we do in school. We aim to provide an environment which is secure, stable and orderly, based on Gospel values of love, peace, justice and personal responsibility. Don Bosco described his working with young people as building a home, a school, a playground and a church. He wanted young people in Salesian settings to belong, to learn, to celebrate life and to find meaning. At Thornleigh Salesian College, we strive to create a sense of belonging by creating a family atmosphere where everyone is welcomed, loved and forgiven. The quality of relationships between everyone in our community is at the centre of everything we do. Home

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7 Home Learning All students at Thornleigh Salesian College are expected to do home learning. The main purpose is to re-enforce, extend, support and enhance work done in school. It also plays an important role in the development of study skills. Learning at home will take a variety of forms which may include written tasks, reading, learning and research. At the start of each year students receive a homework timetable. Home learning is recorded in their Training Diary and is signed each week by a parent or guardian. As a learning community we understand the importance of ICT in and beyond the classroom. Students have access to a wide range of appropriate ICT resources to enable them to explore their learning and apply knowledge and understanding in a variety of new contexts. Students will be able to develop further their resourcefulness through the school s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). Our much improved ICT facilities will provide a valuable resource to the whole community enabling on-line learning and research. We are fully committed to working and learning in partnership with our parents and carers. Home

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9 A Broad and Balanced Curriculum The school has an excellent climate for learning and high expectations for achievement Ofsted At Thornleigh Salesian College we believe that the curriculum offered to our students and the way it is delivered should reflect the aims of our school and enable all students to learn in a way which means that they can fulfil their potential. Students are encouraged to think critically, communicate effectively and work collaboratively. They begin to discover life s vocation. At Key Stage 3 we provide all the subjects of the National Curriculum and we are constantly developing innovative practice based on competences which will meet the needs of all our learners. By departments working collaboratively we look to ensure that our students have the attributes, skills and knowledge to take their place in an ever changing world. At Key Stage 4 students are given the opportunity to follow a variety of pathways which enables us to personalise their curriculum to meet their interests and individual learning needs. Learning Support and Intervention We recognise that all students are individuals and as such, at times, have additional needs. In order to ensure all students receive their entitlement to a first class education, there are times when additional support and guidance is necessary for individual students. Additional support is provided in the classroom and within the Bosco Centre. Specialist staff are available to work with students in a variety of ways and additional resources made available to ensure that every one of our students is able to make the progress they are capable of. Our specialist Nurture provision underpins a supportive environment which supports students at transition to their secondary education. Opportunities also exist to meet the needs of our more able students. The provision of Latin, two foreign languages and the opportunity to study three separate sciences along with the opportunity for musical tuition, sports coaching and appropriate challenge ensures that we meet the needs of the most able students within our school. School

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11 Personal Development to Support Learning In order to provide an environment and ethos that supports each student in achieving their personal best, all staff strive to work to the inspirational guidelines of St John Bosco. Lead Learning Mentors for each year group lead a team of Form Tutors who monitor and guide the progress of each student. Subject leaders regularly monitor the progress of students and staff within the subject areas and work as teams to develop the learning opportunities within each curriculum area. Each student is given a Target Grade in all subjects at the beginning of each Key Stage. Three times every year, progress against their personal targets is monitored and a report is provided for students and parents so that achievement can be celebrated, underachievement identified and strategies devised to produce further improvement. Students are taught to recognise their own preferred learning styles and trained in techniques of independent learning with the ultimate aim of becoming lifelong learners in our rapidly changing society. Each student is provided with a Training Diary. This is a key tool to help the student be prepared for learning each day, to organise and record home learning and as a means of communication between home and school. School

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13 Faith In Your Child s Future Students are encouraged to put their Christianity into action through regular Charity work. Through this work students are being encouraged to address a wide range of moral issues and their own response to them within the context of the teaching of the Catholic Church. At the centre of our school is our beautiful chapel reminding us daily of what it is that is central to our lives. Church

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15 Throughout the liturgical year, Students are involved in preparing and participating in liturgies, masses, assemblies and prayer services. A retreat programme gives every student an opportunity to take time to reflect, gain a deeper understanding of themselves and who they are called to be. Students visit Savio House Retreat Centre which is situated in the beautiful countryside of Cheshire. Every year the theme for Mission Week encourages the whole school community to engage in a variety of activities and workshops that include keynote speakers. This extends their knowledge, understanding and experience of Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural (SMSC) needs of the local and wider global community. Church

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17 We aim to develop students into young people who have personal courage and vision and who can demonstrate resilience, resourcefulness, reflectiveness and reciprocity, all of which are essential attributes needed for the demands of the 21st Century. Sport plays a major part in the life of the college. There are a host of school sports teams and these compete very successfully and have achieved notable success at local and regional level with individual students achieving international honours. The sports facilities are available for community use. The school possesses a full size sports hall, a well-equipped gymnasium, a hard playing area, three playing fields and a full size floodlit astro turf pitch. Beyond the Curriculum Thornleigh Salesian College places great emphasis on students being given the opportunity to develop sporting, musical, dramatic, artistic and social skills. Music and Drama flourish in the school. Each year sees a major school production. Alongside this production there are also musical evenings, dramatic productions and charity concerts which give all students the opportunity to participate. There is a well-established orchestra and a wide variety of peripatetic tuition takes place. Educational visits go to museums, theatres, art galleries and every year, holidays to places such as New York, France and Tanzania. This gives students opportunities to enhance their learning. Playground

18 Our School Aims Following the example of St John Bosco the purpose of our school is to respond to the needs of each individual child, touching the heart and developing the whole person by fostering qualities of mind, body and spirit, feeling and imagination in a supportive Catholic community. We aim to help students: To develop lively, enquiring and creative minds, and the skills and abilities to reach the highest personal and academic standards; To develop personal spiritual lives, an awareness of God, and a deepening understanding and appreciation of their religious faith; To develop self-esteem and to understand and live moral lives based on Gospel values of love, peace, justice and personal responsibility; To understand and respond to the needs of others; to respect other races, religions and ways of life; To respond to the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life and the world of work, and appreciate human aspirations, achievements and interdependence; To celebrate and enjoy experiences of achievement, success, friendship, happiness and shared endeavour. We strive to achieve these aims for all our students. We see this task as a shared endeavour, as a partnership between, school, home and parish; working together to prepare young people to enter the wider community and to be a positive influence where they live and work.

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20 Sharples Park, Bolton, BL1 6PQ Tel: thornleigh.bolton.sch.uk