Altwood CofE School Prospectus

From Maidenhead Station – Altwood Church of England School is a five minute taxi ride. There is also a regular public bus service from the centre of Maidenhead serving Altwood Road where the school is located.

From M4 – exit the motorway at junction 8/9 and take the A404 signposted for Maidenhead and High Wycombe.

Leave the A404 at junction 9a signposted for the A4. At the roundabout take the third exit signposted A4 heading towards Maidenhead town centre. At the next roundabout take the third exit on to Cannon Lane. Once on Cannon Lane, take the second left in to Altwood Road. Altwood Church of England School is located approximately 300 yards down Altwood Road on the left hand side.

Altwood

Church of England School

A Business and Enterprise College

From M40 – join the A404 heading towards the M4 / Maidenhead / Reading. Leave the A404 at junction 9a signposted for the A4. At the roundabout take the first exit signposted for Maidenhead town centre. At the next roundabout take the third exit on to Cannon Lane. Once on Cannon Lane, take the second left in to Altwood Road.

Altwood Church of England School is located approximately 300 yards down Altwood Road on the left hand side.

School transport – In addition to public transport, a significant number of students travel to school using the school coach. Details of this means of transport can be obtained via contacting the school.

Altwood

Church of England School

A Business and Enterprise College

Altwood Road Maidenhead Berks SL6 4PU

Telephone: 01628 622236 Fax: 01628 675140 Email: altwood@rbwm.org

Aspire and Achieve www.altwoodschool.co.uk

A Business and Enterprise College

Church of England School

Altwood

OUR PHILOSOPHY Our Mission is to be a high achieving learning community based upon Gospel Values, where all feel valued and secure, all are enabled to fully develop, progress and attain and all fulfil their academic and personal potential.

Our school is therefore a community where: • standards of excellence are promoted and achieved in all areas of school life; • young people receive an holistic and challenging education; • young people are fully prepared for their future lives; • there exists a happy, exceptionally pleasant, stimulating and extremely well-resourced environment worthy of learning in the 21st century; • staff are highly trained, high quality professionals who maintain the highest of standards.

Aspire and Achieve

WELCOME Welcome to our school. I certainly hope that you will find our prospectus informative and that it begins to give you an insight into what is so special about the Altwood School community. Nothing compares, however, to visiting a school and spending time with students and staff.

I therefore warmly invite you to come along and visit us. We hold many ‘Open Mornings’ but are always happy to welcome you at a time convenient to you.

The young people of Altwood and staff who work alongside them, very much enjoy sharing their learning experiences, achievements and successes with visitors.

There exists a real sense of pride to be part of this thriving, highly successful and very popular school. When you visit, I know you will meet young people who are excited by learning, love challenge, aim high and experience great success and fulfilment. This is the reality for our young people because they are fortunate to be working with highly expert, experienced and committed staff who inspire and invariably do the best for, and get the best from, our young people. Because this is the day-to-day reality within our school, I feel incredibly privileged to be the Headteacher of this dynamic and vibrant learning community.

• What makes us distinctive?

• What makes us successful?

• What makes us the right choice of school for a child?

The answers to these questions lie in the simple fact that we see every young person as unique and special. We believe that all young people have gifts and talents and that all can achieve great things as a consequence. How we view our young people and what we believe about their potential is firmly rooted in the values we hold as a Church educating community.

We welcome all, value all, respect all and expect the best from everyone. Standards are therefore exceptionally high and anyone joining our school community will be asked to aim for excellence in all that they do.

When a child joins our school community, we engage in a partnership and embark upon an exciting journey. This journey will be one spanning many years and will

see your child become a young adult. We know that when you entrust your child into our care, that we have a significant responsibility. In return for the trust you place in us, we make you a promise that within this school community which is founded upon Christian values, your child will have a rich, balanced and personalised education which will enable learning, excellence and fulfilment to be achieved, not only academically but also in respect of their spiritual, social and cultural development.

I look forward to meeting with you in the future and to discussing with you how you can gain a place for your child within our school.

Kathleen M. Higgins, Headteacher

“Exceptional Leadership and Management have sustained the outstanding curriculum and the outstanding care, guidance and support students receive.”

OFSTED

01

OUR COMMUNITY We are a Church School founded upon Christian values.

• regular opportunity for prayer and worship;

As a Church School we:

• a Student Prayer Group;

• welcome all, value all, respect all;

• a Young Christian Group;

• celebrate the fact that everyone has God-given gifts and talents and embrace the responsibility we have for enabling students to make the most of these gifts and talents so that they can go on to achieve highly;

• a highly successful Religious Education Programme;

• follow Christian teaching and have excellence as our goal; • see it as our duty to take action to ensure we realise our goal of excellence; • provide extensive opportunity for spiritual development and personal support.

Our Church School aims are met as we have: • very close links with our Parish Church and pastoral support provided for our young people by our Parish Priest and local clergy;

• a very well established and successful assembly programme which enables young people to have contact with representatives from local faith communities; • a very effective and extensive ‘Lifeskills’ programme; • a school community enriched because it is made up of young people who are of the Christian faith, other world faiths and of no particular faith and all have a valuable and valued part to play.

“Students gain relevant qualifications and develop outstanding work-related skills that prepare them extremely well for the future.”

OFSTED

02 Aspire and Achieve

OUR STANDARDS All our young people are expected to show their pride in belonging to their school community.

They do this by: • working as hard as they can not simply to fulfil their potential but to try and exceed all expectations that may exist in light of their prior academic performance; • aspiring to excel in all that they do; • wearing their uniform with pride; • behaving in a way that shows that they have respect for themselves and a responsibility to show respect for others.

“Students’ spiritual, social and moral development is outstanding.”

OFSTED 03

OUR YOUNG PEOPLE Engaging, enquiring, energetic, enthusiastic students is what you will find at Altwood Church of England School. A belief in self, tempered by humility and absolute respect for the value of others, are the distinctive qualities we endeavour to foster. We want the young people of Altwood to leave us as the discerning, responsible leaders of the future, who will make a positive difference in our world. To this end, extensive opportunity is provided to develop leadership skills.

• Extended Learning Group

All students join a student leadership group and choose from one of the following:

• Community Service Group

• School Council

• Charity Representatives

• Environment Group

• Subject Representatives and Monitors

• Diversity Group

• School Sports’ Captains

• International Awareness Group

04 Aspire and Achieve

• Outside Interests Group • School Website Group • Book Club • Library Committee • Cross-Curricular Committee • Healthy School Representatives

In this way, our young people have the opportunity to develop very many key skills whilst making an extremely positive contribution to their school community, the local community and the national/ international community. They quickly learn the importance of dedication and determination.

• School Display Group • Assembly Working Party • ‘Themes for the Week’ Committee • School Site and Buildings’ Committee

“ A strong ethos of care and respect permeates the school.”

OFSTED

OUR CURRICULUM The Curriculum offered at Altwood Church of England School has been repeatedly described as Grade 1 ‘outstanding’ by OFSTED inspectors. The reason for this is because we genuinely personalise the learning experience of our young people to meet their needs and match their aptitudes.

As a Business & Enterprise Specialist College, at every stage and phase we place great emphasis on the development of enterprise skills.

If young people have the chance to develop these skills, they not only are positioned to succeed in examinations but become lifelong learners positioned to achieve in their future adult lives.

“The outstanding curriculum meets the needs of students exceptionally well.”

OFSTED

“Teachers have high expectations of behaviour.”

OFSTED

05

06 Aspire and Achieve

OUR STAFF All members of staff seek to serve our young people and their families and welcome communication with home.

All our staff are highly capable and effective.

Our Raising Attainment Team, consisting of Directors of Studies, Senior Leadership Team members, Learning Advisers and Achievement Support Directors ensure that all our young people are known, are supported and receive extra help if they are at risk of not achieving as highly as they

can. The impact of this support is such that OFSTED inspectors described our care, guidance and support as ‘outstanding’.

“Staff at all levels work with commitment and enthusiasm.”

“This is a very harmonious school.”

OFSTED

OFSTED

OUR PARENTS Partnership with parents is the key to success. We have a very supportive and proactive parent body exemplified by the work of our well established ‘Parent Council’.

The ‘Parent Council’ meets with the Headteacher termly and focuses on: • policy development; • development planning; • trialling new materials/study support strategies; • providing feedback on new initiatives;

• developing communication/partnerships; • making recommendations as to how parents can be supported.

Membership of our Parent Council is open to all.

“The school has developed an excellent range of partnerships.”

OFSTED

07

OUR SIXTH FORM We have an ‘outstanding’ Sixth Form (OFSTED). To meet one of our Sixth Formers will provide an instant understanding of what joining our school community will mean for a young person.

Our Sixth Form students are composed, confident, articulate young men and women who have a clear sense of right and wrong and how they can make a difference in the world.

With academic standards high and success rates extremely impressive, Sixth Form students are exceptionally well placed as they progress to university and in to the adult world. All our Sixth Form students are excellent role models for our younger students who value their support as ‘buddies’ and ‘study mentors’.

08 Aspire and Achieve

More information about opportunities in our Sixth Form and securing a place can be found in our separate Sixth Form prospectus.

“Students acquire outstanding personal qualities that enable them to flourish and be well prepared for their future as mature, confident and thoughtful young adults.”

OFSTED

OUR PHILOSOPHY Our Mission is to be a high achieving learning community based upon Gospel Values, where all feel valued and secure, all are enabled to fully develop, progress and attain and all fulfil their academic and personal potential.

Our school is therefore a community where: • standards of excellence are promoted and achieved in all areas of school life; • young people receive an holistic and challenging education; • young people are fully prepared for their future lives; • there exists a happy, exceptionally pleasant, stimulating and extremely well-resourced environment worthy of learning in the 21st century; • staff are highly trained, high quality professionals who maintain the highest of standards.

Aspire and Achieve

From Maidenhead Station – Altwood Church of England School is a five minute taxi ride. There is also a regular public bus service from the centre of Maidenhead serving Altwood Road where the school is located.

From M4 – exit the motorway at junction 8/9 and take the A404 signposted for Maidenhead and High Wycombe.

Leave the A404 at junction 9a signposted for the A4. At the roundabout take the third exit signposted A4 heading towards Maidenhead town centre. At the next roundabout take the third exit on to Cannon Lane. Once on Cannon Lane, take the second left in to Altwood Road. Altwood Church of England School is located approximately 300 yards down Altwood Road on the left hand side.

Altwood

Church of England School

A Business and Enterprise College

From M40 – join the A404 heading towards the M4 / Maidenhead / Reading. Leave the A404 at junction 9a signposted for the A4. At the roundabout take the first exit signposted for Maidenhead town centre. At the next roundabout take the third exit on to Cannon Lane. Once on Cannon Lane, take the second left in to Altwood Road.

Altwood Church of England School is located approximately 300 yards down Altwood Road on the left hand side.

School transport – In addition to public transport, a significant number of students travel to school using the school coach. Details of this means of transport can be obtained via contacting the school.

Altwood

Church of England School

A Business and Enterprise College

Altwood Road Maidenhead Berks SL6 4PU

Telephone: 01628 622236 Fax: 01628 675140 Email: altwood@rbwm.org

Aspire and Achieve www.altwoodschool.co.uk

A Business and Enterprise College

Church of England School

Altwood