Welcome to Kingsbridge Community College
Welcome Firmly established over many years, Kingsbridge Community College s excellent reputation is well deserved. It is a vibrant, highly successful school and a fantastic place for young people to learn and develop. Like all excellent schools, great importance is placed on the quality of teaching in the classroom. Supported by talented, committed and highly qualified staff who are as exacting as they are caring, we are one of the highest performing state comprehensive schools in the country. This is, of course, very pleasing. However, we do not wish to be judged on examination results alone. Sport, Arts, Drama, Music, Community Service and Personal Development are taken equally seriously. A great education is a thorough preparation for life. We put great store in the widest possible recognition and celebration of achievement to nurture individual talents and to promote the understanding in our students that everyone is quite unique and equally different. The real judgement of our College is the students. All who visit us are struck by the happy, purposeful calm that pervades the school. This is no accident and comes from hard-working, appreciative, selfdisciplined, respectful and disarmingly polite young people and as such we instil in them those values that we see as essential in society, values that help build futures. We are unwaveringly proud of our confident, motivated, and aspirational students who are able to recognise their individual role in contributing to the wider College community. In 2011 Kingsbridge became one of the first schools in the country to become a National Teaching School. This prestigious status allows us to work collaboratively with many other schools, colleges and Higher Education partners and gives us access to an exceptionally wide range of opportunities. This is important as it helps us to develop our classroom practice and continually improve the experience of students in lessons. In 2016 we added to this national and regional responsibility by becoming a founding Research School, a role that engages us as leaders of educational research and teacher development. Our blend of traditional values, combined with innovation, creativity and success offers a rich environment for both staff and students to progress. This prospectus is intended to give you some important information about the College and to reflect our ethos and expectations. It cannot replace the vibrancy of day-to-day life at KCC and we strongly recommend that you take time to see us in action: visitors are always welcome. I look forward to meeting you. Kenny Duncan Principal
Excellence We strongly believe that, by having the highest expectations of ourselves and each other, we can all thrive and achieve excellence. We also believe that inspiring students to enjoy learning is key to them being successful. We are committed to our role in creating confident learners who will thrive in a changing world. This dual focus lies behind everything we do. We want our teaching excellence to inspire our students with genuine confidence; we believe that there is no limit to what they can achieve. We know that as the world continues to change so rapidly our students will have to learn new and different skills over and over again. If they are going to thrive they will need to be truly confident and capable learners and have the personal skills to get on well with others. We are sure that the inspiring and aspirational atmosphere students enjoy with us will both engage and challenge them, enabling all to grow and thrive in the modern world.
Ambition We place our students at the centre of all that we do and are ambitious for their futures, shaping their learning journey around their abilities and aspirations and preparing them to compete in the most demanding walks of life. Whatever subjects they decide to study, young people need to grow aspirations for their future and have support and guidance in planning their next step. We place considerable importance on ensuring that we create a learning environment where students enjoy coming to KCC and feel excited and challenged by the many opportunities that we have to offer. We believe in celebrating achievement and ambition, recognising success in all areas of school life as well as personal achievements. We guarantee that we will harness your child s unique strengths to help them to flourish and develop into a creative, confident and caring individual who is happy, excited about learning and ambitious for success. Nurturing We equip students with life skills for the world that awaits them, ensuring that they leave their time with us as confident and happy young people ready to excel in their chosen path. This involves plentiful opportunities to explore and develop their own values and beliefs, spiritual and moral awareness, a positive, caring attitude towards other people, and an appreciation of the diversity and richness of other cultures. British Values are an integral thread throughout College life. Thanks to our rigorous safeguarding processes our school is a safe and stimulating environment where young people feel secure, are encouraged to talk to adults they can trust and are listened to. High quality teaching encompasses the needs and ability levels of all our students. Our dedicated non-teaching staff can support students during the College day if they need it. This can involve additional support for students who have a special educational need or disability, or a unique programme of extra challenge and extension of work that highly able students thrive on.
Learning Learning is our core business. Our students learn in a way that develops independence of mind, enables their thirst for new knowledge and provides them with the skills they need to succeed in the diverse world they interact with. We offer a broad, rich and dynamic curriculum designed to meet the needs of the full age and ability range. All students study a compulsory core curriculum of academic subjects. At each key stage, these are complemented and enhanced by a wealth of other subjects and modules that enable all students to develop existing talents and discover new ones. We take pride in personalising the curriculum to ensure that the interests and talents of students are met even before they start with us, liaising closely with primary schools to give every student the best possible start at KCC. In the Sixth Form, our well established and highly successful post-16 curriculum provides students with access to an unparalleled range of courses and subject expertise. Our students benefit from first-rate facilities that enhance the quality of our education provision and encourage the very best outcomes for every student. These include: Outstanding Performing Arts facilities and high specification performance spaces. State of the art Media, Photography and IT suites. Purpose-built Post-16 Centre. Comprehensive sporting facilities including pitches, tennis courts, astro turf, climbing wall, fitness suite and dance studio. Well-equipped teaching spaces for all specialist subjects, including Science, Music, Art, Food & Nutrition and Product Design
Confidence Learning is fun and rewarding at this school, so students and staff work hard. Every child is good at something; our job is to find the potential and develop it. We offer excellent additional support for all students who need it, and we ensure that all students have the same opportunities to progress. This is how our students gain the confidence and self-esteem that underpins everything they do. Kingsbridge Community College has a superb reputation for the pastoral care it offers its students, working closely with parents to ensure the very best care and support possible. With several generations of families having attended the College, our reputation rests upon the level and consistency we provide to all our students throughout their learning journey. Inspired We are proud of the learning experiences that the College provides and confident that this inspires, supports and engages all learners, expanding their opportunities. Any journey will have its diversions and obstacles and one of our key aims is to encourage students to be resilient, to be open minded to all possibilities, to observe the world carefully and to enjoy the process of learning as much as the outcome. Students are encouraged to take an active role in the development of the College. Students from every year group make up our College Council and take responsibility for encouraging their fellow students to put forward views and ideas. Their work is highly valued and their input has had a direct impact on many aspects of College life including development of the campus, improving the ways the College is organised and co-developing learning experiences in the classroom. We take great pride in our vibrant local community and the beautiful environment in which the College is situated, which together enables an unrivalled programme of opportunities, partnerships and events to motivate and inspire our students.
Enriching Students engage in a wide range of experiences beyond the classroom to build upon their aspirations and talents. This enrichment supports and enhances their academic journey, making their learning real. Trips and field visits extend what goes on in the lessons and take place both near and far, from visits to East Soar Outdoor Experience at the beginning of Year 7 to five-week expeditions to India and Nepal. We believe that in order to develop as individuals, students need a range of experiences. Each summer term we organise and run Challenge Week with an exciting and diverse range of activities available from rock climbing to a cycling adventure journeying from Exeter to Swanage, from residential activities in London or North Devon to overseas trips to Holland and France. Students never know what they are capable of doing until they have a chance to try. Our weekly extracurricular programme ranges from Climbing Club to Choir, Film Club to Robotics. Our sports teams achieve regular success in local, regional and national competitions and the quality of our drama, dance and music productions is legendary. More than 80 lunchtime or after school clubs and activities are offered, giving students unrivalled opportunities to pursue their interests and hobbies.
Kingsbridge Community College Balkwill Road Kingsbridge Devon TQ7 1PL t: 01548 852641 admin@kingsbridgecollege.org.uk www.kingsbridgecollege.org.uk