SHARNBROOK’S VALUES
Head teacher’s welcome: Mr Peter Rattu Welcome to Sharnbrook. This is an exciting time! As the meticulous and careful planning towards becoming a two tier educational system comes to fruition, Sharnbrook is delighted to welcome new students not just into year 9, but into years 7 and 8 for the first time as well in 2017. Let me reassure you that we will do everything we can to make sure that your child’s transition into years 7, 8 or 9 will be a positive, successful experience. We care about every single person who joins our school, and so we have been working very hard to ensure that your child’s experience here, both in the classroom and in all other aspects of school life, will be second to none! At Sharnbrook, children have always come first. Our aim is to create confident, rounded young people within a safe, caring community that cultivates a passion for lifelong learning. We are proud of this school, where our young people are valued, no matter who they are, and not just as academic performers – we celebrate all their achievements! The ethos here is of a community where staff, students and parents work as a team to fulfil each student’s potential. Of course, a primary purpose of any school is to make sure that every student moves through each key stage achieving their best. Our focus is on providing an exemplary learning experience for all via innovative teaching that celebrates resilience and intellectual excellence while encouraging growing independence throughout years 7 to 11, and then on into our high achieving sixth form and beyond.
We believe that the considerable academic success we achieve here is based on providing an environment in which students are happy and know they always have access to the support and guidance they need. Beyond the pursuit of academic excellence, Sharnbrook offers an incredible range of opportunities to enable students to develop their interests and skills, and to foster confidence and the desire to engage fully in all aspects of life. The range of extracurricular activities and leadership opportunities we offer has long been a strength at Sharnbrook, and those joining us in years 7, 8 and 9 can look forward to an exciting, rewarding programme of activities and experiences. Our young people are precious. They can only flourish if they feel protected, valued and supported. We ensure a safe, secure environment for all at Sharnbrook, where we promote excellent behaviour by applying a clear and consistent behaviour policy, known by all, but also by establishing an atmosphere of honesty, fairness and respect. We listen to our students and parents, engaging and empowering parents to support us in educating their children. I hope that this prospectus will provide you with the information you need about how we will achieve all of these things, whilst giving you a taste of the special qualities that Sharnbrook has to offer. Do, please, get in contact if there is anything you would like to discuss about life here at Sharnbrook.
“The drive and the commitment of the head teacher has ensured the school has focused successfully on improving teaching and learning.” Ofsted
Sharnbrook Prospectus
TRANSITION
At Sharnbrook, we want to make our students feel welcome and confident about moving to a new school. We work closely with our feeder school partners to ensure that we have a detailed understanding of the needs of all who join us, and this will be especially important when we welcome students into years 7 and 8. Our curriculum is carefully planned to complement perfectly that offered by our feeder schools. We have a comprehensive transition programme in place to make sure that students joining us in year 7, 8 and 9 will quickly settle into their new school. We will be undertaking assemblies, activities, meetings and the sharing of data to enable a smooth transition. In the summer term before joining us, students will have the opportunity to visit the school for three days so that they will already be making friends and will know what to expect when they start in September.
“This is an extremely welcoming place of learning. Students’ behaviour is excellent, as seen in the high levels of concentration in lessons and in the exemplary attitudes shown by students in classrooms. They are polite, friendly and respectful to staff, visitors and each other.” Ofsted
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Sharnbrook Prospectus
PASTORAL CARE
Our pastoral system focuses on caring for every aspect of our students’ needs, from being one of the key means of delivering our extensive PSHEE programme through to nurturing academic achievement and looking after the day-to-day needs of our students. Tutors know their students well. They are in daily contact with their tutees and are always the first point of contact for parents. Tutors are skilled in easing the transition to secondary school, and parents of new students will have the opportunity of meeting their child’s new tutor very early in the first term to establish the parent/ staff partnership we value so much at Sharnbrook. At Sharnbrook, we pride ourselves on providing a safe, happy atmosphere in which students are able to thrive. Good behaviour is essential in any school, and our behaviour policy is known by all and consistently applied, so that students and teachers can focus on the important business of developing each child.
seems large at first. However, our pastoral system is designed to make it feel much smaller. Years 7–11 are allocated to six houses, each led by a head of house: Colworth – YELLOW Grange – GREEN Loring – BLUE Ouse – ORANGE Parentines – PURPLE Templar – RED
The House System
Around 280 students belong to each house, making the school feel much smaller than it actually is. Each form group is vertically tutored, meaning that it contains around five students from each year (7–11). We find that students make friends more quickly this way as they mingle with fewer new faces from their year group. The extra benefit is that they have the built in support network of the older students who, guided by the form teacher, will offer advice and assistance to younger students in the form.
We realise that students joining Sharnbrook may find the school
On top of that, each tutor group will be linked to some sixth form senior
From time to time, of course, students may need extra help in dealing with difficulties and issues that arise outside school, so we have a dedicated student support team in place to make sure that we can look after our children when they need it most.
students, who will be available to help our new students whenever they need it. They will be timetabled to work with younger students at key times of the year (such as when choosing GCSE options), and also more regularly throughout the year when they will join their affiliated 7 – 11 tutor groups to offer help, support and guidance. Break and Lunch Supervision Especially for our younger students, joining a secondary school might feel a little daunting at first, particularly at break and lunchtimes. Each break and lunchtime is closely supervised both by teams of teachers allocated specific duties, as well as by our dedicated full time site supervisor. In addition, next year will see a team of carefully selected and well trained “sixth form supervisors” out on duty every break and lunchtime, clearly identifiable via their supervisor’s jackets, and stationed around the school to offer help and assistance whenever needed by our younger students. There will always be someone close to hand if our young people need some help!
“Relationships between staff and students are very positive and supportive. The excellent care that students receive helps them to feel safe at school.” Ofsted
Sharnbrook Prospectus
CURRICULUM
All of our subjects are taught by specialists who are able to offer engaging and highly effective lessons. Each year is an important stepping stone to the next, and our broad and balanced curriculum is carefully designed to provide clear, supported progression through each key stage, all the way through to our very successful sixth form.
•E ither a second language (Spanish or German) OR pre-vocational studies • Geography • History •E xpressive arts •E lectives (enrichment activities)
Staff will employ a range of strategies designed to make lessons enjoyable, yet appropriately challenging, making sure that every student is fully supported along the way. Years 7 and 8 will experience lessons that are varied and imaginative, yet also focused on successful preparation for the next key stage.
Our GCSE students will study: • English • Maths • Science •R eligious studies •P hysical education • IT •P lus 3 or 4 optional subjects (see website for details of the many courses available)
have an impact on their learning, we have a dedicated student support facility within the additional needs team in place to make sure that we can look after our children when they need it most. Homework
A real opportunity for the school once we have welcomed years 7 and 8 alongside our year 9 students in 2017 is that, from the following year (2018), we can offer a three year GCSE. This means that students and staff in each subject will have the time to develop the skills and to acquire the knowledge needed to get the very best from their studies. We believe that this will not only ensure every student achieves the best they can in each subject, but it will also enable staff to teach in the most engaging and student-centred way possible. In 2017, years 7, 8 and 9 will study: • English • Maths • Science • Religious studies • Physical education • IT • Design • French
Additional Needs (SEND and Student Support) Sharnbrook is fully inclusive. We make sure that those students who join us with specific educational needs are well looked after, both in lessons and also via our additional needs team. In class, lessons are well differentiated to enable students of all abilities to access learning, and, where needed, teaching assistants are available to offer thoughtful, discreet support for those who need it. In addition, where it makes more sense to do so, we have a team of high level teaching assistants who are attached to a specific department and who can offer bespoke small group work to augment the learning of the classroom. Where students need extra help in dealing with difficulties and issues that arise outside school but which might
Homework is an important part of secondary school life, and something that grows in significance as students move through the years. Each subject will set regular homework that is designed to support and develop students’ learning. The type of homework set, of course, varies according to the specific needs of each subject. Our policy is to make sure that homework is always linked to the curriculum; there is always a good reason for the homework our students are asked to complete! To help students and parents keep track of this, we use a system called Go 4 Schools. It’s web-based, requiring just a username and password to access securely, so it is always clear what has been set and when it is to be completed. We appreciate parents’ help in encouraging their children to focus properly on their studies at home! Careers Our curriculum is designed not just to be stimulating but also to lead to a rewarding career. To help and guide our students as they think about that journey, we have a dedicated careers advisor who arranges and delivers an impressive programme.
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Sharnbrook Prospectus
OPPORTUNITIES
Whilst academic success is important, so is the development of the whole child. At Sharnbrook, we are committed to preparing our students for all the joys and challenges that lie ahead of them as they progress through life. That is why there are so many varied extracurricular opportunities for all of our students in every year they are with us. School Trips School trips at Sharnbrook are designed to augment and develop our students’ understanding of the wider aspects of the curriculum as well as to provide life-enhancing enrichment opportunities. One of the big bonuses of being a large school is that we can offer such a broad range of experiences, so that there are always opportunities that fit the needs and
Day trips: Luton Crown Court sociology trip Tate Modern Victoria and Albert Cranfield Business Challenge Thorpe Park Physics Day Cambridge Physics Experience (Cavendish Laboratory) Imperial War Museum, Duxford (STEM) History – Churchill War Rooms
interests of all who study here. Our programme is always under review to make sure we continue to meet those needs. Below is just a flavour of what we do. Our new year 7–9 students can look forward to a varied and rewarding set of extracurricular visit opportunities. For example, our year 7 students will be able to enjoy a residential outdoor adventure trip, while year 8 will be able to attend an outdoor activities camp, perhaps even overseas, while year 9 will also be invited to participate in a similar residential experience.
Big Rock climbing centre (Milton Keynes) Warner Brothers Studio visit Sky Academy Backnoe End Equestrian Centre stables visit National Apprenticeship Show, Milton Keynes
Sports feature highly, with inter-house competitions throughout the year and
Outdoor Education trip Blue Peris Climbing expedition DofE canoe expedition DofE walking expeditions French exchange German exchange Spanish exchange
French exchange UK cultural trips
French & German Christmas market trips
Chiltern Hills outdoor education trip
English theatre trips Media IMAX visits
Good Food Show
Cardington Slalom Course (kayaking)
Spanish / German exchange UK cultural trips
Queen’s tennis trip
Geography field work in Cromer
Our house system provides many opportunities for students to engage in all sorts of extracurricular activities and countless roles of responsibility. Activities include our inter-house tug of war, encouraging teamwork and resilience, the inter-form “University Challenge”, culminating in a live televised final, our Christmas hamper drive, fostering a sense of citizenship and community engagement, and many more.
Spanish exchange UK cultural trips
Various food trips to restaurants and food producers
Language enrichment days at Cambridge University
Houses
Residential trips: Ski trips – all ages South Africa
French work experience & study trip Iceland geography fieldwork Norfolk biology fieldwork Poland – history trip Food trips to Morocco Food trips to Sorrento A range of Duke of Edinburgh award trips
Sharnbrook Prospectus
“This is a calm and purposeful school. It is a very friendly and welcoming place for staff, students and visitors. Students get on extremely well together and are most respectful to all.” Ofsted
a whole-school sports day in July. In addition, each house nominates a charity each year (ranging from local concerns, such as Autism Bedfordshire, to the NSPCC) and holds fundraising events throughout the year to raise money for their chosen cause. Beyond such events, the house system offers students the chance to experience roles of increasing responsibility as they get older, culminating in real leadership roles. Each tutor group has its own form captains who take responsibility for
organising teams and running events, and each house boasts a team of house captains, who help with whole school events, assemblies and other activities within and across houses. Sport Sport teaches students the value of working in a team and aspiring to achieve the best whilst showing them how to cope when things don’t always go their way: all incredibly valuable life lessons, and it’s fun too! Our PE department is passionately committed to inspiring the next generation to get active through sport. We offer an
incredible range of sports and clubs for students to engage in, and our individuals and teams often achieve incredible success in the many competitions the school enters. Clubs (which are fully inclusive) include football, rugby, netball, hockey, badminton, basketball, table tennis, athletics, rounders, cricket and tennis. We also hold regular inter-house competitions in a number of sports. Over the past few years, we have sent teams off on overseas sports tours, and these have included Canada, Sweden and Dubai, with plans for more in the future!
“Teachers are generous with their time and students benefit from a wide range of extracurricular and enrichment activities. Well planned and focused support programmes are available to individuals before, during and after the normal school day. There are many opportunities for students to attend clubs and extra classes which enrich their learning.” Ofsted
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Sharnbrook Prospectus
OPPORTUNITIES
The Duke of Edinburgh Award
Music
We are justifiably proud of the opportunities our students can experience if they choose to get involved in our Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme, which stretches all the way to the gold award.
Music plays a major part in the life of the school, well supported by a strong music team of both school staff and peripatetic teachers, and there are regular events throughout the year that help to showcase our talented young musicians.
Over the years, students have been able to visit some amazing places as part of this scheme, including Nepal, Ecuador, Morocco, Kenya & Tanzania, India, the French Alps, the Italian Dolomites, Sweden, Finland. Whilst the scheme’s regulations mean that only students in years 9 and above can take part in the award itself, in years 7 and 8, students will be invited to get involved in a series of activities designed to give them a taste of the exciting challenges on offer. They are also designed to help prepare students to meet those challenges confidently once it all begins in year 9.
These include termly concerts for both rock and for classical enthusiasts, a battle of the bands, music showcases, the Fiddle Fiesta, Christmas concerts, musicals, and both wind and brass days. These events complement our wide range of extracurricular activities, which include studio and computer music clubs, the soul band, rock school, choir, wind band, jazz orchestra, orchestra, string orchestra, string quartet and our saxophone group. The music team are always
willing to respond to students’ talents and needs, creating opportunities as required. Drama, Dance and the Performing Arts Our drama department is incredibly successful, and it is fair to say that the productions they put on challenge even professional acting groups. Our annual performing arts showcases are equally impressive, as are their regular events, such as the Creative Arts Festival and the jewel in the performing arts crown, the BTEC Performing Arts Show. Innovations School of Dance is a dance-based initiative that reaches the gifted and talented students at Sharnbrook and our federated feeder schools. We begin with Sparkz in years 6, 7 and 8, and progress on to Ignite, Activate and Fully Charged.
“The school prepares students well, both academically and personally, for future success. Examination results have been consistently above the national averages over the past few years.” Ofsted
Sharnbrook Prospectus
FC has gained national recognition for its high end performance standards in dance competitions. Some dance classes are led by sixth form A level dance students, while others work with our younger students, mentoring them in preparation for future qualifications.
interests of our students, but current favourites are:
Art
• School Dance Club
The art department has an open access policy for lunchtimes so that students can continue working on their art if they wish. They also run a number of art clubs, and there are opportunities for art trips to local sites and galleries as well as visiting artists coming to school to introduce professional ideas and practices.
• School Drama Club
Languages As a core skill, useful with any combination of subjects, Languages are a highly valued part of the curriculum. Our highly qualified, enthusiastic and innovative languages teachers offer a range of cultural and linguistic enrichment opportunities, both in and out of school, including residential trips abroad, theatre experiences, Christmas market trips and a film club. All activities are designed for students to learn language and experience the culture in a relaxed and supportive setting. Clubs and Societies Our students can look forward to choosing from a wide range of clubs and societies at lunchtimes and after school. New ones are being formed all the time, according to the
• Art Club (open to all year groups and will run Mondays after school from 3.15-4.25) • Learn Photoshop Club (for years 7 and 8)
• A range of Sports Clubs • Christian Union • STEM Club (science, technology, engineering and maths) • Science Club (for years 7 and 8) • Studio Music Club • Computer Music Club • Debating Club (all years) • Languages Film Club • Climbing Club (all years) • Canoe Academy – aiming at slalom competition (all years) • Wakeboarding And many more… Leadership and Student Voice Our young people deserve a voice, and they deserve to have the opportunity to develop their leadership potential. Our house system provides multiple opportunities for student in all year groups to get involved and to have their say, but the opportunities for this increase as students progress from year to year.
Students can join our team of trained and experienced peer mentors who help younger students develop strategies to deal with issues and provide a listening ear for those who need it. They are also involved in planning and delivering a programme of powerful and well-received PSHEE events for their peers. A significant number of sixth form students also engage in academic mentoring, passing on their experience and expertise in organisation and study skills, revision and exam preparation, as well as subject-specific topics. Our live weekly TV broadcast is manned almost entirely by students, both behind and in front of the camera, providing them with the opportunity to develop practical and presenting skills. It also provides the school with a means to share a breadth of experiences and viewpoints with the whole student body, ranging from language exchanges and trips to current affairs and school events. Those with a particular interest in the world of politics have prepared debates for the student body linked to significant current affairs, culminating in the whole school ‘casting their votes’. This always stimulates much debate and discussion in school!
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Sharnbrook Prospectus
FACILITIES, COMMUNICATION & GENERAL INFORMATION Sharnbrook offers a large and impressively equipped campus that enables our students to enjoy experiences that are simply not available elsewhere. Highlights include: • our state-of-the-art science block; • our dedicated music centre, boasting a suite of practice rooms, professional quality mixing facilities, a performance area, a suite of music PCs and much more; • a suite of fully equipped media editing rooms; • a professionally equipped TV studio; • projectors and whiteboards in every teaching room; • the facility for a live televised broadcast every Thursday to every tutor group; • “AA1” – our dedicated, large presentation centre; • a large dance studio; • two specialised drama studios; • a large gymnasium and sports
centre, including a fitness suite, aerobics studio and well equipped changing rooms; • a full-size climbing wall; •a large all-weather sports ground in addition to our tennis courts and sports fields; •o ur learning hub, staffed by full time librarians and boasting two suites of computers; •a n additional 20 computer suites across the school site; • two dining facilities serving a broad and varied range of hot and cold meals. Communication Schools must work in partnership with parents, and excellent communication is key to making that a success. Parents are, of course, always encouraged to contact the school
whenever they need to, with their child’s form tutor being the first point of contact in most cases. Should the need arise for more serious or urgent issues, then the head of house can readily be contacted as well as our senior team. Just call reception on 01234 782211. If you are unable to speak to the person you need immediately (they may be teaching), then email is available, or we can arrange to call you back. We do also use email to contact parents with important information, but we can promise that this will always be directed specifically to parents who need to receive the email rather than filling up your inboxes with general information. Perhaps the most important reason to communicate with parents is to let them know how their children are getting on at school, both academically and in general.
“The school tracks students’ progress well, and acts quickly to support individual students who are not progressing as well as they should be.” Ofsted
We have recently introduced a new system called “Go 4 Schools”, which provides easy access to a range of information about how your son or daughter is getting on at school, available 24 hours a day via a simple login. Parents are also invited into school to meet their child’s subject teachers as well as their form tutor so that they can discuss progress and work together with us to help their child to succeed. Additionally, parents will receive a detailed written progress report on their children during the year for each of their subjects, which will provide information about progress to date and advice on how performance might be improved. Our website is another useful source of information, including a calendar to let you know when key events are
happening throughout the year, regularly updated news items and notices to inform you of current school events and extensive information about all aspects of the school and its organisation. General Information Transport There are Bedford Borough bus services available for those living within catchment. In addition, there are a number of commercial services: •S tagecoach (828, 829, 830, Biddenham/ Bromham/Great Denham – Sharnbrook; 852 Higham Ferrers – Sharnbrook) •H erbert’s Travel (HS1 – Bedford to Sharnbrook via Bromham) • Diamond Coaches (252 – Rushden)
• Lankford’s (L1, 2 and 3 – Sharnbrook, Riseley and Harrold) School Meals Sharnbrook has two professionally staffed dining facilities on its campus: JD’s and D1. They each serve a range of high quality hot and cold food, always focusing on providing good value and excellent choice, with healthy eating a major theme in our menus. All menus are carefully designed to include a mix of nutritional and tasty foods, fully compliant with government guidance on healthy eating. We also take special care to ensure that students with special dietary requirements can eat safely at Sharnbrook, with all allergens clearly displayed on our daily menus. Have a look at our sample menu online and in the back of this prospectus.
EXAM RESULTS? GCSE results at Sharnbrook are excellent, and we are continually striving to ensure that this is always true! In fact, we have won the SSAT “Exceptional Outcomes Award” for being in the top 10% of schools nationally for value added attainment and progress for the last two years running. On top of that, a visit to the government’s school performance site, which compares the performance of schools within a 75 mile radius whose students’ KS2 achievement is similar, reveals that there are no schools that outperform us within that radius. We have included a summary of our GCSE performance in the back of this prospectus.
Sharnbrook Odell Road Sharnbrook Bedfordshire MK44 1JL Tel: 01234 782211 (main school) 01234 782191 (sixth form) Web: www.sharnbrook.beds.sch.uk Email: information@sharnbrook.beds.sch.uk Twitter: @Sharnbrooksch Facebook: Sharnbrookschool