ST BENEDICT S CATHOLIC SCHOOL

Transcription

1 ST BENEDICT S CATHOLIC SCHOOL BURY ST EDMUNDS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT FOR SEPTEMBER 2014

2 Classification: Office Times: Headteacher: ST BENEDICT S SCHOOL Voluntary Aided, Upper Co-Educational, Comprehensive, Day School, years 8.00 am 5.00 pm Mr H O Neill Chairman of Governors: Mrs M Oakes Number on Roll: 740 Morning: SCHOOL DAY 8.55 am 1.00 pm Afternoon: 1.55 pm 3.45 pm SCHOOL YEAR 2014/2015 Autumn Term Thursday, 4 September to Friday, 19 December 2014 (Half Term: Week commencing Monday, 27 October 2014) (Professional Development Days: Wednesday 3 September 2014 Friday 24October 2014) Spring Term Tuesday 6 January 2015 to Friday 27 March 2015 (Half Term: Week commencing Monday, 16 February 2015) (Professional Development Day: Monday 5 January 2015) Summer Term Tuesday 14 April 2015 to Wednesday 22 July 2015 (Half Term: Week commencing Monday, 25 May 2015) (Bank Holiday: Monday, 4 May 2015) (Professional Development Days: Monday, 13 April 2015) 1 Further Professional Development Day to be confirmed Director for Children & Young People Children & Young People s Services Endeavour House 8 Russell Road Ipswich IP1 2BX

3 St Benedict s Catholic School Mission Statement: To work in partnership with parents, the Church and society in order to be a community in which young people are well educated and prepared to be effective Christians in the modern world. ADMISSIONS POLICY St Benedict s Catholic School is a Voluntary Aided School. The Governing Body of St Benedict s is the Admissions Authority for the school. The Admissions Policy is reviewed annually by the Governing Body through the Admissions Committee. Applications for Admission to Year 9 for September 2014 are considered by the Admissions Committee of the Governing Body to scrutinise and approve the outcomes of the Admissions process. These outcomes are then transmitted to the Local Authority according to the procedures of the Common Admissions Framework. THE ACADEMIC YEAR COMMENCING SEPTEMBER 2014 Pupils are admitted into National Curriculum Year 9 who have attained the age of 13 years by 31 August prior to entry. The Governors are required by law to admit to the school those children who have statements of Special Educational Needs which specifically name St Benedict s as the appropriate school. Other students are therefore admitted to the school according to the following priorities. 1. Baptised Roman Catholic looked after children (children in care). 2. Baptised Roman Catholic children who attend St Louis Middle School with brothers or sisters or who live as a family at the same address as those who are currently attending St Benedict s School and who will continue to attend the school at the time of entry. 3. Other baptised Roman Catholic children who attend St Louis Middle School 4. Other baptised Roman Catholic children with brothers or sisters or who live as a family at the same address as those who are currently attending St Benedict s School and who will continue to attend the school at the time of entry. 5. Other baptised Roman Catholic children currently attending a Catholic school 6. Other baptised Roman Catholic children. 7. Non-Catholic looked after children 8. Non-Catholic children who attend St Louis Middle School with brothers or sisters or who live as a family at the same address as those who are currently attending St Benedict s School and who will continue to attend the school at the time of entry. 9. Non-Catholic children who attend St Louis Middle School who attend their place of worship at least monthly. A supporting signature from the appropriate leader of their religious community will be required on the Supplementary Information Form (see below). 10. Other non-catholic children attending St Louis Middle School 11. Other non-catholic children with brothers or sisters or who live as a family at the same address as those who are currently attending St Benedict s School and who will continue to attend the school at the time of entry. 12. Other non-catholic children currently attending a Catholic school. 13. Other non-catholic children who attend their place of worship at least monthly. A supporting signature from the appropriate leader of their religious community will be required on the Supplementary Information Form (see below). 14. Other Non-Catholic children

4 In the event of over-subscription occurring under any of the above categories, places will be offered to children within that category according to the result of an independent ballot. Parents will be informed whether their son or daughter has been admitted through Local Authority letter, sent on 3 March 2014 Parents who are unsuccessful in their application may appeal to the independent appeals panel. (See overleaf) If oversubscription remains following the allocation of places, a waiting list of names will be kept open until the end of the first week of spring term Children on the waiting list will be ranked according to the categories listed above, and further ranked within each category according to the distance from school criteria described above. Applications Please see the booklet Schools in Suffolk Copies of the booklet are available to parents on the Suffolk County Council website. St Benedict s Open Evening will be held on 8 th October at 7 pm. All applications are to be received by Thursday, 31 October By this date Suffolk applicants should return the Common Application Form (CAF1) to the Area Office, or complete the online CAF1 form which can be downloaded from the following website: Please note that the Supplementary Information Form (SIF), obtainable from the School or by downloading from the School s website should be returned directly to St Benedict s School. Applicants in another county should contact their own local authority for further information. The Admissions Officer at the School is Miss Stephanie Buchan, who can be contacted on Parents wishing to apply for a place for Year 9 after the deadline of 31 October 2014 should obtain a CAF1 form from the Area Office and a SIF from the school or by downloading it from the School s website. The deadline for late applications is Monday, 6 January Applications for a place in a year other than Year 9 can be made by contacting the Area Office on in the first instance, and obtaining a SIF from the School or by downloading it from the School s website. Completion of a SIF is not compulsory, but non-completion will result in the application being placed into Category 14. The completion of a SIF alone does not constitute a valid application. For the purpose of this admissions policy, Non-Catholic is defined as any young person not baptised into the Catholic faith. For the purpose of meeting the criteria in category 10 or 14, a religious community is defined as a recognised faith having a belief in God and meeting for collective worship and ritual. Brother or sister is defined as a relative having a common parent or guardian. Places Places available, September 2014: Year Roll in current Year 9: 150 Appeals Parents of children refused admission have a right of appeal to an independent panel. Appeal forms will be sent to parents with refusal letter from the Area Office.

5 EXAMINATION RESULTS AT ST BENEDICT S Examination results of all schools form the key part of School Performance Tables. These are published each year by the Department for Education. They contain a great amount of information, and this can be confusing. The tables we include in our prospectus supplement give you a lot of information. You can see how well students have done in each subject, and you can see some year-by-year trends at GCSE. We would draw attention to a few headline facts: Over the past few years, St Benedict s has achieved the highest ranking in Suffolk for A Level performance. It has actually been one of the top state comprehensive schools nationally. This is by the measure of Average points per candidate. Points are attached to each A level or AS award that students gain. The higher the grade, the more points that are given. The measure therefore reflects both the number of exams passed and the grades that were awarded, on average, to each student. Our score this year of 1060 points is our second best ever, and we expect it to maintain our reputation as a top school for 6 th Form studies. At GCSE, St Benedict s has consistently been the top-performing school in West Suffolk, using the headline measures of Percentage of Pupils achieving at least 5 A*-C grades including English and Maths. In 2011, our score of 82% was actually the highest in the whole of Suffolk. It was above what we normally achieve. As you can see from our table, our yearly average is around 70%. We use only one exam which is not a GCSE, which is the OCR National Award for ICT. This means that, when many existing non- GCSE awards are removed or downgraded from results tables by the Department for Education, St Benedict s results will be unaffected. Our GCSE results in 2013 were below our usual high standards, and we were disappointed that results in English were much lower than expected. In other respects, the results were strong, with the average points score (a measure like the one used for A level) actually rose to its highest-ever level. We will be working with the Suffolk advisory team to ensure that our results are back where they should be from 2014.

6 EXCELLENCE THAT IS NATIONALLY RECOGNISED We pride ourselves on our excellent exam results, because we know that having the best qualifications will open doors for our students as they make their way in the world. It is gratifying to have that excellence recognised at the highest level. St Benedict s is regularly in the top 5 state comprehensive schools in the country for our A Level results. In 2013, we were again achieving national recognition, this time by the Schools Minister. This is from The Independent newspaper, June 2013: Today's research coincided with the publication of new statistics from the Department for Education showing one in three state secondary schools failed to send a single pupil to Oxford or Cambridge last year. The statistics, showing for the first time the destination of school leavers, showed three state schools - St Benedict's Catholic school in Suffolk, Dame Alice Owen's in Hertfordshire and Cardinal Vaughan Memorial school in Kensington and Chelsea - tied for first place, sending seven per cent of their pupils to Oxbridge. "These statistics demonstrate the gulf between the schools and colleges which deliver for their students - and those which do not," said Schools Minister David Laws. At St Benedict s, we are committed to always being a school which, in the words of the Schools Minister, delivers for (our) students

7 Pass rate at A Level Grades A*-E: 98% Pass rate at A Level Grades A*-C: 79% RESULTS SUMMARY 2013 A LEVEL Percent 0-60 points points points points points points 360 or more points Average score per candidate School (1060) Note the A Level UCAS points scores are as follows: A Level: A*:140points,A: 120 points, B: 100 points, C: 80 points, D: 60 points, E: 40 points AS Level: A: 60 points, B: 50 points, C: 40 points, D: 30 points, E: 20 points A Level DfE points are different: A* 300pts; A 270pts; B 240pts; C 210pts; D 180pts; E 150pts AS DfE points are A 135; B 120; C 105; D 90;E 75 The Average points per candidate is given in both versions GCSE 2013: No. in year 147, No entered for 1+ GCSE 147, No. entered for 5+ GCSE 147 Result Target s s Percentage Achieving A*-C A*-C incl English & Maths 5+ A*-G A*-G Average Points Score (Best 8 passes) Average Points Score Achieving No Passes KEY STAGE 3 Summary sheet showing percentage of students, within the school, achieving each level at the end of Key Stage 3, Summer 2013 Teacher Assessments English % Maths % Science %

8 GCSE SUBJECTS SUMMARY 2013 Number of 15 year olds achieving each grade (on roll 3 rd Thursday in January): 147 SUBJECT ENTRIES A* A B C D E F G U Applications of Mathematics(2212) Art & Design(3510) Biology(1010) Chemistry(1110) D&T Food Technology(9020) D&T Graphic Products(9030) D&T Resistant Materials(9040) Drama(5210) English Language & Literature(5010) English Language(5030) English Literature(5110) French(5650) Geography(3910) History(4010) Media Film and TV Studies(5350) Methods in Mathematics(2214) Music(7010) Physics(1210) Portuguese(5730) Religious Studies(4610) Science Single Award(1310) Science: Additional(1320) Spanish(5750) Sport/PE Studies(7210) Statistics(2510)

9 OCR NATIONAL AWARDS SUMMARY 2013 OCR National in ENTRIES DISTINCT MERIT PASS I.C.T. ION Single Award A Distinction is equivalent to Grade A at GCSE, Merit to Grade B, Pass to Grade C GCE A LEVEL SUBJECTS SUMMARY 2013 Results achieved by pupils aged 16, 17 and 18 (on roll 3 rd Thursday in January) SUBJECT ENTRIES A* A B C D E U Art & Design(3510) Biology(1010) Business (Voc)(0002) Chemistry(1110) Computer Studies/Computing(2610 ) D&T Product Design(9080) Drama(5210) English Language & Literature(5010) English Literature(5110) French(5650) General Studies(7810) Geography(3910) Health & Social Care(0003) History(4010) Mathematics(2210) Physics(1210) Politics(4830) Portuguese(5730) Religious Studies(4610) Science (Voc)(0008) Science: Environmental(1750) Sociology(4890) Spanish(5750) Sport/PE Studies(7210) Travel & tourism(0017)

10 GCE AS LEVEL SUBJECTS SUMMARY 2013 Results achieved by pupils aged 16, 17 and 18 (on roll 3 rd Thursday in January) SUBJECT ENTRIES A B C D E U Art & Design(3510) Biology(1010) Business (Voc)(0002) Chemistry(1110) Computer Studies/Computing(2610 ) D&T Product Design(9080) English Language & Literature(5010) English Literature(5110) French(5650) Geography(3910) Health & Social Care(0003) History(4010) Mathematics Further(2330) Mathematics(2210) Music(7010) Physics(1210) Politics(4830) Religious Studies(4610) Russian(6090) Science (Voc)(0008) Science: Environmental(1750) Sociology(4890) Spanish(5750) Sport/PE Studies(7210) Travel & tourism(0017) These results are mostly Lower 6 th, but include some Upper 6 th students taking AS subjects alongside A levels.

11 PUPIL DESTINATIONS Returning to sixth form/further Education 98% 18+ Progressing to Higher Education in % Applying to Higher Education for % Employment 5% Returning to complete three year 5% sixth form course SCHOOL ATTENDANCE 2012/2013 Percentage of pupil sessions missed through unauthorized absence 1.48% Percentage of pupil sessions missed through total absence 6.87%

12 Curriculum Year 9; Key Stage 3 In Year 9, students follow a broad and balanced curriculum. The standard subject allocation for Year 9 is as follows: Subject Number of periods English 4 Maths 4 Science 4 RE 2 History & 4 Geography French 3 DT 2 Art 2 Music 1 Drama 1 ICT 1 PE 2 PSHEE 2 Students of above average ability, particularly in French, may be invited to include Spanish in their curriculum in addition to the standard subjects. Their subject allocation is the same EXCEPT for: Spanish 3 French 2 English 3 History & 3 Geography In science, students begin KS4 from September. This allows students to pursue the science GCSE course, while completing the remaining element of the KS3 curriculum, alongside. The majority of subjects are taught in sets according to prior attainment and ability. Exceptions include DT Music, Drama, PE and PSHEE all taught in Mixed Ability groups. In a normal Year cohort of 150 students, there are 6 groups for most subjects, giving an average class size of 25. PSHEE is taught in Tutor Groups of 30. DT, Drama and Music have 8 groups, giving an average class size of 19 for these subjects.

13 Years 10-11; Key Stage 4 (GCSE) At Key Stage 4, students can personalise their curriculum by a set of Option choices. At St Benedict s, 3 option subjects may be chosen; the rest of the time available is filled with a wide and comprehensive range of Core subjects. The core subjects consist of: Core Subject Number of periods English 4 Maths 4 Science (Triple or 6 Double Award) RE 3 ICT 2 PE 2 PSHEE 2 English and Maths include the new Functional Skills qualifications. Students can expect to gain 7-8 GCSE or equivalent passes from the core subjects. There are then 3 Option blocks, from which 3 additional subjects are chosen. At present, subjects offered include Spanish 3 French 3 History 3 Geography 3 DT Resistant 3 Materials DT Food 3 DT Graphic 3 products Art 3 Music 3 Drama 3 PE 3 ASDAN 3 Students are advised about appropriate choices of options. Subjects are arranged to enable the majority of students to take their preferred combination of subjects. Some individual students have modified timetables at KS4. Various types of alternative provision may be arranged after registration between students, parents and teachers.

14 Years 12-13; Key Stage 5 (GCE A Level) The main offering in Years (Sixth Form) is a selection of A Level subjects. Like all Sixth forms, we have a minimum GCSE qualification that students must meet before proceeding on to A Levels. For many years, we have operated a common timetable at Sixth Form with our neighbour, County Upper School. This enables both schools to offer each other s A Level choices as well as their own, affording a much wider selection of subject choices and combinations. All the standard A Level subjects are on offer. We review the subjects to include on a regular basis, so the list below is just an indication of what will probably be timetabled in future years: English Language and Literature English Literature Mathematics Further Mathematics Biology Chemistry Physics Religious Studies (Philosophy and Ethics) Geography History Sociology Computing French Spanish Art Music Government and Politics Theatre Studies Media Studies DT Health and Social Care Applied Business Applied ICT Applied Science Students also follow a Religious Education course of study, and the majority also take a further A Level in General Studies. On average, St Benedict s Sixth Formers each take 4 full A Levels. We encourage all students to progress to further education or training Post-16; for those students who do not wish to follow an A Level programme, we support their applications to other further education or training providers. This resulted in St Benedict s consistently having a very high staying on rate into Post-16 education or training.

15 Pastoral Care Pastoral care has long been recognised as one of the great strengths of St Benedict s Catholic School. Students are placed in Tutor Groups for Registration and Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education (PSHEE). The Tutors role is to provide a first point of contact between home and school, and to support the students both pastorally and academically. Tutors monitor each of their students progress and behaviour, and see every tutee twice daily at registration. Each Year group is managed by a Head of Year. Heads of Year play a vital part in managing the system of pastoral care within the Year, and intervene where necessary to provide further guidance and support. The Head of Year sets the focus of the Year group through weekly assemblies and through team meetings with their tutors. Each Year has a Pastoral Support Worker. As well as supporting and guiding each student s personal and academic development, Heads of Year also ensure that spiritual growth takes place through daily acts of worship, in tutor groups, year assemblies or school assemblies. Between them, Tutors and Heads of Year come to know every student in their care. In many cases, they will be the members of staff that students and parents look to for support, advice and guidance. The pastoral and academic support available to students is very comprehensive. All students have a programme of interviews with their tutor. All Year 11 students are mentored by a senior member of staff. Other support networks are in place to be used where needed, including 6 th Form subject support, focus groups and others. Our school counsellor offers a confidential service for all students. We try to make sure that every student can readily obtain advice and support as they need it. The school works closely with other agencies in Suffolk which offer specialist support in a range of areas (for example health, bereavement, young careers), and in consultation with parents, will refer students whenever appropriate. Students spend between 15 and 25 minutes per day with their tutor groups for registration, act of worship, daily notices and checks. Over the course of the year, they come to know their tutors and their peers very well. Inter-tutor sports and other competitions helps to develop a sense of community and mutual respect within the tutor groups.

16 Behaviour Respect for Oneself Respect for Others Respect for the Environment The 3 Rs are the foundation of our Behaviour Policy. Expectations of every student s behaviour are high. Through mutual respect and consideration for others, students help to create an atmosphere and an ethos which is caring, supportive and secure. When individuals fall below the standards we expect, there is a range of clear and consistent sanctions that will be applied. We will deal with minor matters without unnecessary fuss. When more serious offences happen, we will always inform parents or guardians of what has occurred, and how we intend to deal with it. Uniform St Benedict s has a smart and practical school uniform. We expect all students in Years 9-11 to wear their uniform and to follow the school guidelines on hair and makeup. Chaplaincy and Worship St Benedict s is well supported by the clergy of the Deanery. We draw upon the services of a team of Deanery priests, who visit us frequently and lead us in worship at school masses and other liturgies. They celebrate class masses and Penitential services at Advent & Lent and join us on special occasions. The school has a chaplaincy co-ordinator to support the spiritual development of our school community. We ask all our students to participate in the religious life of the school, whether they are Catholic or non-catholic, because our collective worship is at the core of our Christian ethos. Non-Catholics are encouraged to share acts of worship through participation in prayer and liturgies, for example by joining in the Lord s Prayer, the Our Father, the common prayer of all Christians. Weekly School and Year Assemblies begin the day and are centred on the teachings of the Gospels, and how our belief is relevant to our everyday lives; in other words, making us think about how to be effective Christians in the Modern World. When we are asked what makes our school distinctive, we point to those occasions when we come together in worship. From our beliefs, our values and ethos derive and from those spring the happiness and success of our school community.

17 The Sixth Form St Benedict s has a high staying-on rate after Year 11. We encourage all students to plan their futures and to discuss their ideas with appropriate adults. A large number choose to stay on into our Sixth Form. Those who do stay on enjoy great success. For many years, St Benedict s Sixth Form has established itself as one of the very best in the Country, with an A level success rate that stands comparison with any state school nationally. From Sixth Form, our students most often choose to go into Higher Education, and our students have won places at virtually every university in the country. The Sixth Form team, led by the Head of Sixth Form, and Assistant Head of Sixth Form is expert at advising and guiding students through the university admissions process, including the specific requirements of applications to Oxbridge. Our success rate at placing students at Oxbridge and Russell Group has also been nationally recognised. Exciting Opportunities Students often value and remember those extra events and occasions at school with great fondness. We understand that, by making many opportunities for extra- curricular activities, we can enhance the educational experiences of many students. Subject departments are always looking for such extension activities. There are too many to list, but here are some examples: Year 9 Activities week, including the opportunity to go on a watersports residential week in La Fosca, Spain School Plays; most recently, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Orchestral and Choral Concerts, including the celebrated Christmas Concert and performances at the Apex and Snape Maltings Modern Languages events, including Languages Day, Exchanges and conferences Enterprise events involving real contact with the world of industry A multitude of sports events and fixtures; St Benedict s has an enviable record for a small school competing often with much larger ones Debating and Public Speaking Art visits to museums, exhibitions and places of interest; an annual highlight the A Level foreign visit- recently to Rome and Venice; next to Paris Conferences and field trips for Science and Geography students Pilgrimages and visits to places of religious significance: including an annual pilgrimage to Rome This is a taster of what goes on in a typical year at St Benedict s. All students will participate in some of these events during the year. No one could possibly do them all!

18 HEALTHY SCHOOLS STATUS St Benedict s School achieved Healthy Schools status in July 2008, satisfying national standards in PSHEE, emotional health & wellbeing, school food and physical education. FACILITIES FOR THE DISABLED The school recognizes its responsibilities and endeavours to enable disabled members of the community to access the school s facilities and for disabled students to access a suitable curriculum. As well as regularly renewing procedures and the curriculum we also have a programme of improving facilities. Recently we have provided parking and access ramps and lifts, installed appropriate doors and created a safe haven in case of fire on the first floor. A lift is available in the main block. Toilet facilities have recently been further upgraded for more severe disabilities. The school s Disability Equality Scheme and Accessibility Plan are available on request and on our website. SEN POLICY The policy is regularly reviewed and kept in line with statutory requirements and guidelines. The Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator (SENCo) co-ordinates procedures to identify and monitor the progress of students with SEN. The recent Ofsted inspection found that pupils with SEN are achieving well. The school s SEN Policy is available on request. PROCEDURES FOR SAFEGUARDING CHILDREN The school takes great care to ensure students are safe in school. Correct staff appointment procedures are enforced and the headteacher has satisfied the Safer Recruitment assessment. Procedures for responding to suspected child protection situations are well known by staff. A copy of the school s Safeguarding Policy is available on request. FURTHER INFORMATION Further information is available on our website: We also welcome personal telephone enquiries and visits.