Our Lady’s R.C. High School Success through learning, Achievement through faith
“Pupils are courteous and confident. They wear their uniforms smartly, are polite and behave well around school.� Ofsted 2017
Welcome I am very pleased to welcome you to Our Lady’s R.C. High School. I hope our prospectus, inspection reports, visits to our school and discussions with staff, parents and students, will provide you with the information you require to satisfy yourself that Our Lady’s will provide the quality of education you want for your child. The Mission of our school is ‘To Know, Love and Serve God’; each student will have a sense of this Mission throughout their time at Our Lady’s. We support students as they explore their own journey of faith, learning with confidence and creativity. This is underpinned by our core values
which include tolerance, respect, honesty and humility. Our success is built upon these values, along with the high expectations that we have of our students in their work, appearance and behaviour. We offer students a happy, hard-working atmosphere and a stimulating curriculum. We look for excellence in all aspects of learning and expect high standards of achievement from all members of our community. We are very proud of our most recent Ofsted report where it was noted that “outcomes are good because of high standards and expectations, strong attitudes to learning and good or better teaching.”
This is further evidenced in the strong GCSE examination results the students have achieved in the past two years. Please feel free to contact me at school if you want to know more; you are more than welcome to visit us while the school is in operation. As you will see, our students are very proud of their school, and we are very proud of our students. Whatever you decide for your child, I wish them the very best in the next chapter of their education. Lee Ormsby Headteacher
Our School Our Lady’s is a diverse and vibrant Catholic high school community with a distinct ethos centred upon the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Within a friendly environment that welcomes all faiths, we promote a learning culture where everyone is valued and differences are respected and celebrated. We take a forward-thinking approach to developing the values and beliefs of our students, ensuring the dignity of each individual is at the heart of our Catholic teaching. Students are encouraged and supported to take an active role in the liturgical life of the school with the opportunity to join our chaplaincy team as well as getting involved in trips and events to celebrate Catholic spirituality.
All staff at Our Lady’s have the same goal – to ensure that the unique gifts and talents of every student are developed to their full potential. We seek excellence in all aspects of learning and expect high standards of academic and personal achievement. Our innovative leadership promotes a fun, challenging and distinctive learning experience. Positive relationships between teachers, students and parents are fundamental to our success. Working together we ensure our students make good progress at Our Lady’s and leave our school as responsible, well-qualified, mature young people; ready to make a valued contribution to society.
Our Mission To know, love and serve God. We believe our mission can be achieved if: • We place prayer at the centre of everything we do. • We recognise religious education as the principal subject and the teaching and message of Jesus Christ as the foundation of our community. • We work with parents to ensure every child reaches their own potential.
• We value and respect all individuals and the communities around us. • We promote excellence in all we do whilst allowing for failure by taking into account forgiveness, healing and reconciliation. • We prepare and nurture our pupils to become respectful citizens. • We make our school a place for all people to feel safe and happy.
“Teachers have high expectations which support students’ good attitudes to learning. Students take pride in what they do.” Ofsted 2017
Teaching and Learning We are committed to providing opportunities for all students whatever their abilities and talents. With strong teaching and a broad but balanced curriculum we strive to continually improve the learning experience. Developing young minds through enjoyable practical lessons and academic study helps promote important life skills, self-confidence, imagination, creativity and resilience.
Great-quality and consistent teaching, high standards of discipline, wellplanned and stimulating lessons all contribute to learning that challenges each student. Our innovative approach to teaching encourages both individual progression and teamwork. All our students are given the necessary support and encouragement to aim high.
Achievement and Success At Our Lady’s effort is praised, achievements rewarded and success celebrated. Our school community has gone from strength to strength over the last few years with our students making consistently better progress and achieving ever-higher standards. Securing the ‘good’ judgement from Ofsted in February 2017, a ‘good with many outstanding features’ judgement from the Diocese of Salford in July 2016 and some of the best GCSE outcomes in Manchester for the last two years all highlight the great standard of education delivered at Our Lady’s. And it’s not just in the classroom where
achievement flourishes; we also offer support to prepare our students for success beyond school with a wide choice of extra-curricular activities and enterprise opportunities. Our many successes are built on the relationships we develop with parents, partner primary schools and local parishes. Our governing body also play a vital supporting role in challenging us to achieve. Strong links with our local community and our partnerships with big businesses including PWC, Enabling Enterprise and Quality Teachers open up fantastic opportunities for our students to develop the skills and personal qualities required to thrive in an ever-changing world.
“Pupils of all abilities, including most able are challenged appropriately.” Ofsted 2017
Enrichment Enrichment is a vital part of school life giving students the chance to develop friendships as they pursue hobbies, explore new talents and realise their potential. All students are welcome to take part in our exciting extra-curricular programme; regardless of ability, age or needs and we encourage and support every child to get involved. Our Lady’s offer many opportunities for students to get away from the school environment to develop team skills, build respect for each other and appreciate the space and time required for personal reflection. Our
annual student retreat to Savio House is just one example of an experience offering the chance for spiritual and personal growth, team work and quiet contemplation.
our students. The success of our sports teams and our highly-acclaimed drama productions provide just a couple of examples of the value of our wide-ranging extra-curricular provision.
By providing access to a range of extra-curricular activities, all our students can enjoy outstanding learning opportunities beyond the classroom. The value of learning outside the normal curriculum should not be under-estimated. Work experience placements, careers events and enterprise days alongside out-of-school groups and sports clubs inspire a positive can-do attitude in
Our Varied Extra-Curricular Programme Includes: • • • • • • • •
Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Residential trips Expressive arts clubs Sporting clubs STEM club Literacy groups and challenges Maths club Maltese football experience
“This is a diverse, happy and outward-looking community where students benefit from a wide range of clubs and activities outside of lessons.” Ofsted 2017
“I like how helpful, caring and nice the teachers are. I love the friendly environment and how the school allows me to express my talents.� Maya, year 8 student
“Parents receive regular useful information about the progress their children are making in school and are overwhelmingly positive about the way the school is led.� Ofsted 2017
Pastoral Care At Our Lady’s a culture of acceptance and respect is actively promoted within a nurturing environment. Every child has the right to feel safe and confident at school so our antibullying policy makes it clear that any behaviour deliberately intended to cause distress will not be tolerated Every year group has a dedicated Head of Year who has overall responsibility for their welfare from year 7 through to year 11. As a trusted and consistent point of contact for their students, Heads of Year communicate and work with other school staff to promote good attendance and positive behaviour. They closely monitor the progress of each member
of their year group, helping to build understanding and strong peer friendships to ensure a happy and vibrant school community. Thanks to strong links with our local primary schools, Our Lady’s is proud to offer a fantastic transition programme from Key Stage 2 to Key Stage 3. We regularly welcome primary school pupils into our school to enjoy a variety of lessons and interactive sessions designed to make the move up to high school a smooth and positive experience. A comprehensive and ongoing support network is in place to welcome our new year 7s to the Our Lady’s family and they all receive a free school uniform.
Support & Guidance At Our Lady’s we are committed to keeping your child safe whether that be with us in school, online or out in the community. Parental support plays a vital part in a child’s education so we work closely with parents and carers to ensure strong links between students, school and home. A good level of communication with parents is high priority. We welcome parental input and enjoy the chance to meet parents both at school events and
Free school uniform for every year 7 student
more informally. Our dedicated on-site Safeguarding Team work with pupils and their families to provide universal support in the form of parenting support workshops, advice, signposting, onward referrals, meetings in school and home visits. We also have close links with a range of statutory and voluntary agencies to better support young people and their families.
SEN (Special Education Needs) Students’ educational needs are assessed on transition and provision for those with special needs is coordinated and monitored by our SEN and Learning Support staff. Additional support is also provided by learning mentors and, where appropriate, external agencies. SEAL (social and emotional aspects of learning) interventions are offered to pupils who require extra support
in building self-esteem, confidence, self-regulation and resilience. The SEN provision at Our Lady’s is studentcentred and is based on a child’s individual needs. If they require support with any aspect of their education the SEN team will work to find solutions and ensure that the child is given the best possible chance of achieving their potential.
Admissions
“There is a strong provision for students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.” Ofsted 2017
Our Lady’s R.C. High School is a Roman Catholic Secondary School provided by the Diocese of Salford and is maintained by the Manchester Local Education Authority as a Voluntary Aided School. The school’s governing body is the admissions authority and is responsible for taking decisions on applications for admissions. We welcome applications from students of all religious and cultural backgrounds. More information on our admissions policy, procedures and dates is available with the inserts at the back of this prospectus. In order that you can make an informed choice about your child’s
high school education there are plenty of opportunities for you to visit our school and ask any questions. Our open evenings are a great chance to interact with staff and students, listen to Mr Ormsby’s Headteacher introductory talk and familiarise yourself with our school environment and culture. Mr Ormsby also offers personal tours of the school which can be arranged at a time to fit conveniently around your other commitments. To arrange a tour, please call Miss Royle (PA to Headteacher) on 0161 234 3502 or email s.royle@olsc.manchester.sch.uk
Our Lady’s R.C. High School Alworth Road, Blackley, Manchester, M9 0RP Tel: 0161 795 9004 Fax: 0161 702 3923 Email: admin@olsc.manchester.sch.uk Website: www.olhs-manchester.org.uk
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