St Peter's School Prospectus 2017-18

SUPPORTING OUR YOUNG PEOPLE TO BECOME THE SUCCESSFUL ADULTS OF THE FUTURE

An Academy of

WELCOME FROM THE HEADTEACHER Welcome to St Peter’s School. We hope that you will join the nurturing partnership between staff, pupils and parents which gives our school the right environment for students to make the most of their learning.

Through our unique combination of care and academic challenge, we are making sure that our students maximise their learning opportunities within a safe and secure environment and are delighted that Ofsted agree we are taking great strides towards these goals, rating St Peter’s as ‘good’ in March 2017.

At St Peter’s we are committed to providing a positive learning environment in which every student can achieve his or her best. Every single adult at St Peter’s has the same purpose – to support our young people to become successful adults of the future. We have high expectations and aspirations for all of our students and we work to prepare them fully for the future beyond school, recognising, nurturing and celebrating individual skills and talents.

We are focused on continuous improvement as we evolve and we are clear that it is our supportive school community of students, parents and staff that is our greatest asset.

We are delighted to have joined The Cam Academy Trust (formerly Comberton Academy Trust), with whom we had already been working to share ideas and best practice to further enhance the work we do.

“Teachers have very positive relationships with pupils, based on respect and learning” – Ofsted, March 2017

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Christopher Bennet Headteacher, St Peter’s School

“Pupils make the most of their learning time, and respond to staff instructions quickly and appropriately” – Ofsted, March 2017

HIGH QUALITY TEACHING & LEARNING All of our staff ensure that students arrive at their lessons ready to learn. The different curriculum pathways from Year 7 gives each student the appropriate degree of challenge to suit their individual needs.

As a result of our strong focus as professionals to continuously improve our own practice, the quality of teaching and learning continues to improve.

Knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff set high standards and work hard to ensure all students are stimulated and suitably challenged.

We are committed to securing the best educational outcomes for every student, but we also aim to create a passion for learning among students and to generate skills which allow them to become successful and independent learners.

This is leading to more engaging lessons, with ‘Teaching and Learning’ judged as ‘Good’ by Ofsted in March 2017 as well as in July 2016. This has supported students to make significant progress in their academic studies.

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We expect every student to achieve his or her best at St Peter’s School. Whatever an individual’s starting point with us, we aim to support each student to make the greatest possible progress.

Our totally student-focused and inclusive community are the foundations on which this is built. All students will be challenged to attain the highest possible grades at GCSE and A level.

However, we believe that high achievement means more than academic results.

It is important that students develop broad skills and confidence through involvement in the wider life of the school, their community and through engagement with the many and varied extracurricular opportunities available to them.

We have a responsibility to develop confident, competent citizens of the 21st Century in a totally inclusive environment. We develop skills to enable young people to make choices about their future.

STRONG PROGRESS FOR ALL 4

A POSITIVE & CARING ETHOS Importantly, 99% of our students progress on to further education courses, training or apprenticeships of their choice at the end of Year 11. Compared to the national average of 90% St Peter’s School is clearly demonstrating that the care for its young people extends into their early adult life.

The pastoral care that students receive at St Peter’s School is unique. With 17 adults dedicated to ensuring students are safe and ready to learn, your child could not experience a more nurturing environment.

Our teaching staff are dedicated, creating engaging lessons in which students make rapid progress. Due to the breadth of experience of our teaching staff, different routes through our curriculum are available from Year 7 to Year 13. The most able students will be challenged academically, with those requiring additional support receiving dedicated assistance either individually or in small groups. Often students will follow their own personal timetable.

This unique approach allows students to further develop positive attitudes to learning.

Supporting our students defines St Peter’s School.

“Pupils at St Peter’s are well mannered, respectful and considerate towards each other and staff” – Ofsted, March 2017

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WIDER EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES We take a holistic approach to the education of our students and we are committed to extending learning and opportunities beyond the classroom.

As well as our ever more rigorous academic standards, we also place a high value on opportunities for personal development to enable students to become confident and well-rounded young adults.

St Peter’s offers a wealth of opportunities within sport and the expressive arts. Clubs, fixtures, productions and performances are available to everyone, allowing students the chance to hone their own skills as well as work as part of a team.

All pupils have the opportunity to participate in the Duke of Edinburgh Award from Year 9 with several working towards the Gold Award in 2017. We have a thriving Sports Leadership programme and a range of charity fund-raising initiatives raising more than £3,000 in 2016-17. This amount has increased as our charity work is developed by our Student Leadership Team. The mixture of Year 11 and Year 13 (recognised by their different uniform) are raising aspirations among our students.

A wide variety of trips and visits take place for all students, both in this country and abroad. Whether students are travelling abroad on an exchange trip, competing against other schools in a variety of sports or perfecting their leadership skills, we are committed to making their experience at St Peter’s an enriching and memorable one.

“The school now champions best practice in safeguarding” – Ofsted, March 2017

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STARTING AT ST PETER’S The transition from primary to secondary school can be a daunting prospect for both students and parents alike. This is why we start our transition work with students in our primary partner schools in Year 5.

The member of staff who will be their Head of Year visits students in their primary schools. This contact accelerates through visits to St Peter’s School, moving on to a wider variety of staff visiting primary schools to meet staff and students. This allows our staff to plan support for students to give them the best possible start at St Peter’s School.

There is no ‘typical’ St Peter’s student, because we focus on nurturing and supporting each individual.

We help our students achieve the best possible educational outcomes, both academically and as members of our inclusive St Peter’s School community; working with parents is a crucial part of this.

We operate an ‘Open Door’ policy which means that – aided by initiatives like www.MyChildAtSchool. com – parents can stay informed at all times about how their child is doing, and always know who to contact with any concerns. This can help ease the transition from primary school, and should remain a source of reassurance and support throughout each child’s time with us.

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St Peter’s School St Peter’s Road Huntingdon, PE29 7DD 01480 459581 office@stpeters.cambs.sch.uk www.stpeters.cambs.sch.uk

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