A Voluntary Aided Church of England Business & Enterprise with Ethics School
By faith and hard work to achievement
Welcome from the Headteacher I am delighted to welcome you to The Priory C of E School, a thriving, vibrant and welcoming environment where our 900 students work hard to achieve academic success and secure bright futures. We are rightly proud of our fully inclusive ethos and very strong sense of community. An oversubscribed Church of England school, we enjoy a spacious and beautiful site in the Surrey Hills on the western side of Dorking. Our impressive students are motivated and eager to learn, our professional and skilled teachers deliver ‘awesome’ and ‘inspirational’ lessons* to ensure excellent progress, and our excellent pastoral care allows us to develop and sustain important partnerships with parents, carers and families. These qualities, combined with our fantastic facilities, mean that our students are happy, safe and fulfilled at school and are given every chance to achieve their very best. As the new Headteacher I am thrilled to have the opportunity to build on the current strengths of The Priory School and lead it to even greater success; it promises to be an exciting, productive and rewarding journey for everyone involved. You are warmly invited to visit us, see us at work and learn for yourselves why we are all so proud of our school and everything it stands for. Rachel Gibb BMus, MEd. Headteacher *Ofsted report, November 2014
Our Aims
Caring Values
Pursuing Excellence
Every Child Matters
The Priory School is all about high standards and expectations in all aspects of school life. We place great importance on achievement and success for all students.
The Priory School is a Voluntary Aided Church of England school and we believe that every student has a right to the highest standards of teaching and learning in a caring, supportive and nurturing learning environment.
Good teaching provides pace, challenge and opportunities for students to develop their unique strengths, talents and skills. This is matched by good facilities, a vibrant learning community and a strong partnership with parents.
We place great emphasis on our relationship with parents, dealing with issues in a thorough and sensitive way and we realise that support from home does much to aid the progress of each and every student. As a school, we work with strong Christian values to ensure the education of the whole student. As a Christian school we recognise the example offered to us of the perfect form of relationship through The Holy Trinity; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In this relationship the qualities of equality, honesty, humility, sacrificial love and generosity are revealed.
We aim to provide the highest quality teaching and therefore expect the highest standards of work and behaviour. The school aims to provide an educational environment which encourages students to become confident, competent, self reliant and happy members of society, fully prepared for adult life and the world of work. Teachers have high expectations of students and aspire for them to achieve well. (Ofsted 2014) Behaviour in the school is excellent and students are highly respectful of one another whether of any faith or none. Highly positive and harmonious relationships exist between all. (SIAMS 2015)
Students in the school have a highly developed sense of social responsibility which is evident in their work for charity, their support for other students and their view that everyone is equal in the eyes of God and should be helped. (SIAMS 2015)
An Inspiring Curriculum Excellent Facilities and Learning Environments The Priory School believes in a positive learning environment where we know our students as individuals. Students are placed into Tutor Groups which are carefully chosen to give an academic focus while allowing a social mix of abilities, friendships and personalities. Every Tutor Group has a specialist Form Tutor who will follow the group through every stage of their education at The Priory School. At the heart of our curriculum is a strong emphasis on learning and teaching. We want our students to be involved, inspired and curious about the world around them. Our broad and balanced curriculum offers both traditional academic subjects and a range of applied learning courses so that all our students are able to access learning and learning experiences. Our Specialist Status in Business and Enterprise with Ethics further supports and enhances the curriculum. Every Year Group is supported by an experienced and dedicated Head of Year who oversees the academic progress of students and supports Form Tutors in their work. They are the focus point for home-school liaison and should be the first point of contact for parental concerns and student welfare. In addition to our well equipped classrooms, we have a purpose-built Expressive Arts building including a suite of acoustically-designed music rooms, extensive sports facilities including a swimming pool, a well resourced library and a Learning Centre. The school’s curriculum is broad and balanced. The range of subjects ensures that students are well prepared for life in modern Britain. (Ofsted 2014)
Pastoral Care Transition A happy and harmonious school is the best environment in which to enable each student to realise their potential. At The Priory School, we place great emphasis on supporting the successful transition from primary to secondary school. The induction process, underpinned and sustained by our caring pastoral system ensures that this support continues throughout the whole of the student’s school life. Our teachers work closely with staff in primary schools in trying to make each student’s transfer as effective as possible. The Head of Year visits each primary school on a regular basis in order to meet the students, staff and Headteacher. We offer a special induction programme of activities for students and parents so they can acclimatise to their new environment and succeed from their very first day. Safeguarding arrangements and the school’s work to keep students safe are outstanding.This is endorsed by the exceptionally high proportion of parents and carers who believe that their children are happy and safe at school. (Ofsted 2014)
Enrichment for Everyone Beyond the Classroom Extra-curricular activities are a strength of the school. They provide opportunities to enrich and enhance learning in the classroom, to try new experiences and to learn important life skills, such as public performance, problem solving and team work. Students are offered an impressive programme of extra-curricular activities and students of all ages are encouraged to show responsibility, initiative and to think of others through participation in School Council meetings, voluntary work and in supporting charities. There is an annual programme of field and ski trips, expeditions, Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme, educational visits, study days, clubs and competitions. We also have strong International partner school links. The provision for students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is extraordinary. (SIAMS 2015)
Sixth Form Aiming Higher The Priory School Sixth Form is a positive, successful and thriving institution. We strive to ensure that all our students fulfil their potential that they are valued and challenged to develop into effective independent learners. We welcome all students and our aim is to ensure that they all achieve sensationally whilst being provided with exciting and valuable opportunities to develop skills that will set them up for life. Students work to secure their future, developing a wide range of skills and personal qualities through appropriate courses and exciting enrichment activities chosen to support their strengths and interests. Our strong pastoral system extends into the Sixth Form, supporting the students in all areas and establishing effective working relationships in order to develop well rounded individuals who are able to contribute positively to society. As a result of highly effective information, advice and guidance, students are guided to follow courses which suit their aspirations, talents and ability.The curriculum provides them with the support they need to develop the skills necessary for life after school. (Ofsted 2014)
Specialist Status Business and Enterprise with Ethics The Priory School has specialist status in Business and Enterprise with Ethics. We encourage all our students to develop “Enterprise Skills”. We define these as: • • • • • •
Good communication skills Taking Calculated Risks Being able to work in a team Reflecting upon and reviewing your own actions Problem Solving Being Innovative
Through lessons, extra curricular activities and links with businesses we provide students with the opportunities to develop these skills. In keeping with our values as a Christian school we stress the need for acting ethically and so we focus on issues such as the environmental impact of business and the need for sustainability. Students are offered the opportunity to develop their enterprise skills by, amongst other things, starting their own small businesses and participating in school based and national competitions. Students are encouraged to think for themselves.Teachers often use their strong subject knowledge skilfully to question and challenge students to develop their ideas and make links between key concepts. (Ofsted 2014)
Our Role in the Community Getting Involved We welcome parents’ involvement in supporting and encouraging students in their school work. Experience shows that by monitoring homework through the student planner; reinforcing the school’s Code of Conduct; ensuring full attendance and correct uniform and by attending information evenings, parents can make a positive difference to the student’s progress and achievement. The school is at the heart of the local community and local people, business and groups are encouraged to work with us to build strong links that go beyond education. Additionally the school has and is developing further links with a Ugandan school, a Kenyan school as well as offering opportunities for national and international visits. Parents can get involved by being part of our Parent Teacher Association “The Friends of Priory School” who have their own page on Facebook, Twitter and on The Priory School website. Students are provided with regular opportunities, in lessons and through additional activities, to compare their own lifestyle and life chances to those of children in deprived communities at home and abroad. Consequently the charitable work of the school is well-established and students are empathetic towards those less fortunate than themselves. (Ofsted, 2014)
Achievement for all The school name reflects the 800 year old relationship between the church at Dorking and the Priories at Lewes and Reigate. In the twelfth century the church and lands at Dorking were given to Lewes Priory and in the fourteenth century this responsibility was transferred to Reigate Priory. The school badge illustrates the Priory theme. The symbols used in the badge are: The Book - The Bible or the book of knowledge The Cross - Christianity and the school’s voluntary aided status The Unicorn - Purity and resurrection The school motto is: FIDE ET LABORE CONFICERE By faith and hard work to achievement
West Bank | Dorking | Surrey | RH4 3DG
THE
PRIORYSCHOOL
T: 01306 887337 E: enquiries@priorycofe.com W: www.priorycofe.com
Designed & Produced by FSE Design Tel: 01604 788550 www.fsedesign.co.uk