Hounsdown School - A Science College
An Ofsted Outstanding School (March 2017)
Working Together Achieving Excellence
Welcome to Hounsdown School
Working Together Achieving Excellence
Dear Parents/Carers, I hope that our prospectus reflects the enormous pride that we have in our school and students. The school converted to an academy in August 2011 and is a thriving, highly successful and popular single 11-16 comprehensive school of 1215 students with a strong emphasis on the traditional values of hard work, honesty, responsibility and respect for others. We value and are proud of our Hounsdown Community. ETHOS & AIMS We strive to ensure that all our students have an all-round educational experience both inside and outside of the classroom and that they make progress and fulfil their potential through a strong focus on learning and quality teaching in a stimulating and supportive environment. Our school aims are to develop: • Successful Learners • Confident Individuals • Responsible Citizens In order to achieve our aims the school has very high expectations of students, staff, parents and governors alike and we work in close partnership in order to ensure that everyone strives to give their best. We believe in the principle and practice that ‘Getting Better Never Stops’. Our school mission statement of, ‘Working Together, Achieving Excellence’ reflects this spirit of partnership. Our school motto of ‘Be The Best That You Can Be’ applies to students and staff alike. We especially value our collaboration with parents; working together we can ensure every young person in our care is challenged and reaches their full potential.
wider community. We also aim to develop an enthusiasm for learning and a thirst for life-long learning. Hounsdown School is committed to the five outcomes of ‘Every Child Matters’: • Be healthy • Stay safe • Enjoy and achieve • Make a positive contribution • Achieve economic well-being We offer our students outstanding additional curricular and extra-curricular opportunities including Science enrichment from our designation as a Specialist Science College. We are also a strategic partner in a Teaching School Alliance, which reinforces our commitment to partnership working and a selfimproving school system. ‘Hounsdown School offers a caring and inclusive community where pupils blossom. Regular opportunities for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are woven throughout lessons and the life of school.’ Ofsted 2017 Learning at Hounsdown School is exciting, challenging and fulfilling and we hope that, once you have read our prospectus, you will want your son / daughter to become part of our community. Mrs J Turvey – Executive Headteacher Mr D Veal – Associate Headteacher
For students we provide: • A rich and varied curriculum • High quality / outstanding teaching • Supportive and highly effective pastoral care • Excellent, well-maintained facilities • Outstanding academic results • A commitment from the staff and governors that ‘getting better never stops’. In return we expect: • High standards of work and behaviour • A positive attitude to learning • A commitment to “improving on our previous best” • A commitment to being an ambassador for the school and wearing the school uniform with pride • A respect for others, our community and school By treating students as individuals and building on their personal strengths, we aim to prepare them to contribute positively to the
Everybody Matters, Everybody Succeeds, Everybody Helps Working Together Achieving Excellence
Hounsdown School The Learning Environment Ofsted graded the school Outstanding in March 2017. Our commitment to high standards of work, behaviour and achievement in all aspects of students’ school life ensures we are the natural first choice within our catchment area. Situated between West Totton and the New Forest, our attractive 20 acre site provides fantastic school and local community facilities on one site. Superbly maintained and continually modernised accommodation includes: Specialist teaching accommodation including ten science laboratories, five networked computer rooms, extra specialist computer facilities including; • Apple technology • A separate Photography classroom • Purpose built Art block • Two Drama studios • Music classrooms including a recording suite, Dance studio, Technology/ Design rooms • Modern Sports Hall • Gymnasium • Heated indoor swimming pool • A well-stocked Learning Resource Centre, our hub for supporting learning and intellectual curiosity in all curriculum areas.
Personalising and Supporting Learning We are committed to teaching a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum to the highest standards. A wide range of experiences over five years meet and go beyond the requirements of the National Curriculum. Teaching and Learning methods used are varied and used flexibly to meet students’ needs. Our continual focus is to seek to help every student confidently improve upon their previous best.
‘Teaching, learning and assessment across the school are of a very high quality and much is outstanding. This is because there is a shared drive to improve teaching and a passion for learning placed at the core of the school’s work.’’ Ofsted 2017
Assessing Learning Tracking and monitoring students’ progress is central to helping us to understand how to help students improve and succeed. In class and subject assessment is used throughout the year so that students and teachers clearly know what a student needs to do to improve in each subject. Parents are kept regularly updated with three progress reports scheduled per year. A variety of intervention and mentoring programmes over five years are used to target support where it may be needed.
‘Teachers have consistently high standards towards formal assessments and use them well to support pupils to improve their work.’ Ofsted 2017
Everybody Matters, Everybody Succeeds, Everybody Helps Working Together Achieving Excellence
Teaching Groups We strive for work to closely match students’ abilities as well as being challenging so that learning moves forward. Students are taught in a range of ability groupings to enable this to happen. We use mixed ability grouping, setting and grouping by previous attainment according to need. We regularly (at least termly) review groupings and make changes as we track students’ progress throughout the year. Typically, the amount of setting by prior attainment increases as students’ progress through the school.
Key Stage 3 (Years 7 and 8) There is a common curriculum for all students taught over two years. All students currently study English (Language, Literature and Media), Mathematics, Science, either French or Spanish, Ethics & Beliefs, Geography, History, Art, Music, Drama, Design Technology, Physical Education, Information and Communication Technology and Personal and Social Education and Citizenship (PSHCE). Three theme days per year give students extra opportunities for PSHCE education with a variety of topics delivered by external visitors. A Transition group supports a small number of students in Year 7 and 8 who benefit from being taught by fewer teachers and having more support in English and Maths.
‘Pupils are rightly proud of their highquality work on display throughout the school and keen to explain and share their progress with visitors.’ Ofsted 2017
Our Spire curriculum is specifically designed to challenge the most able at Key Stage 3 and is taught according to ability set. All students are also offered the opportunity to take up our Academic Passport challenge.
Key Stage 4 (Years 9, 10 and 11) Core GCSE qualifications are delivered in English, English Literature, Mathematics, Science (Combined and Separate) and Ethics & Beliefs. Geography and/or History GCSEs and French or Spanish GCSEs are also taught according to the curriculum pathway followed, alongside a Functional Information and Communication accreditation (ICT) as appropriate. Option subjects start in Year 9 and include Art, Business Studies, Computing, Dance, Design Technology (Resistant Materials), Drama, Food & Nutrition, Graphic Products, Media, Music, Photography and Physical Education. Option courses include both traditional GCSE qualifications and other Level 2 qualifications of equivalent standard to GCSE. These are used where the course better suits the needs of the subject and students.
‘Pupils are keen to excel, ambitious for their own futures, and value the school’s support to help them to achieve their goals. There are excellent programmes to raise aspirations.’ Ofsted 2017
Personalised programmes for some students may also include vocational courses and work related learning, including courses provided by local colleges with specialist facilities.
Everybody Matters, Everybody Succeeds, Everybody Helps Working Together Achieving Excellence
Hounsdown School Learning Support / Additional Needs Learning Support offers a suite of programmes for students with Special Educational Needs. The SENCo welcomes discussion with parents to plan how to overcome barriers to learning. Targeted support is offered through: • Individual or small group work to provide extra help with basic skills development or specialist programmes • Advice to teachers from the Learning Support team on the production of resources and best teaching approaches available • Additional adult support in the classroom to assist individuals or small groups • Support sessions after school to work on homework tasks and improve study skills Support for students’ social and emotional learning • Transition group provision for students requiring extra support to make the move to secondary education • Individual and small group teaching with a teacher where appropriate • Seeking advice and support from external agencies where necessary • A range of support strategies including ELSA and Dog Therapy
Higher Ability students Higher ability students are tracked and monitored closely in relation to attitude to learning and progress, as per any other student at Hounsdown School, and where required intervention is put in place to support their progress whether academically or pastorally. Opportunities are offered to further challenge and support these students to achieve their potential. The following are a few examples of these activities: • Subject master classes held by visiting colleges • Visits to colleges and universities to explore opportunities post Hounsdown School: what does A level study look like? • Team building challenge day – exploring team work, taking risks, effective communication and problem solving. • Spire curriculum in Years 7 and 8 in all foundation subjects. • Spire Critical Thinking additional lessons in Years 7 and 8 to support the development of ‘softer’ skills such as communication, lateral thinking, debating skills and how to research other than by an internet search engine. • Links and opportunities with Oxbridge • Managing time and organisation skills
Everybody Matters, Everybody Succeeds, Everybody Helps Working Together Achieving Excellence
Rights and Responsibilities At Hounsdown; • We encourage students to balance their rights as individuals with their responsibilities as citizens and make a difference in school and in their wider community. Our approach to discipline is based on teaching students to choose responsible behaviour and to see that their actions have consequences. Our expectations are stated in our Behaviour for Learning and Rewards Policy in the Students’ logbook and provides the basis for a safe, orderly and positive environment in which teachers can teach and students can learn. Our Behaviour for Learning and Rewards Policy also outlines the consequences which we will follow if a student fails to make the right choices with regard to their behaviour. This policy can be viewed on the school’s website.
Hounsdown’s House System
‘Hounsdown wider curriculum strength.’ Ofsted 2017
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Hounsdown School is organised into four houses. Each student is placed in a house when they join the school and are encouraged to take part in a wide range of inter-house activities. The House System is designed to encourage students to mix in wider age and friendship groups as well as promoting friendly competition. The House System at Hounsdown School helps to reflect the ethos of the school by fostering a sense of community; • Awareness of each other • Sense of being part of a team Each year different house events run which have included: • Hounsdown’s Got Talent • The Oscars • Swimming Gala • Inter-sport competitions • End of term celebration events • Annual Sports Day • Subject led events such as quizzes • Bake off competitions
Everybody Matters, Everybody Succeeds, Everybody Helps Working Together Achieving Excellence
Hounsdown School Pastoral Care & Student Welfare One of the school’s major strengths is the quality of pastoral care provided for students. We are absolutely committed to the principles of Every Child Matters and the school gives high priority to ensuring that students feel: • Valued - Happy - Safe Relationships among students themselves and between students and teachers are excellent and a hallmark of the positive and supportive ethos within the school. On entering the school in Year 7 students are placed in a tutor group of approximately 30 students, depending on the size of the Year group. They will stay together as a tutor group throughout their time in the school, retaining the same tutor where possible, in order to benefit from continuity of support. The tutor group meet at the start of each day for 20 minutes for a structured tutor session.
‘The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.’ Ofsted 2017
We place great emphasis on the role of the tutor who is responsible for the day-to-day care and organisation of the individuals within their tutor group. In addition, tutors support students in reviewing their academic progress and their personal and social development. The tutor’s work is supported by the Year Leader and the Senior Leadership Team. Weekly assemblies reinforce the sense of school as a community and help individuals feel that they belong and are part of this community. Assemblies also provide opportunities for moral teaching and the celebration of students’ successes. Further support is offered through a number of people, such as • Student Support personnel • ELSAs (Emotional Literacy Support Assistant) • Home-link staff who can assist students and their parents / carers with concerns about attending school, no matter what the issues • Trained counsellors also offer 1:1 sessions for students on a ‘drop in’ or referral basis We also hold parenting support and advice workshops throughout the year to provide parents / carers with useful tips on how teenagers learn, their behaviour and what you as parents / carers can do to support them.
‘There is a mutual respect between teachers and pupils and a studious atmosphere across the School.’ Ofsted 2017
Everybody Matters, Everybody Succeeds, Everybody Helps Working Together Achieving Excellence
Health and Well-being At Hounsdown we aim to educate all students to become active, healthy and responsible citizens of the future. As part of our Personal, Social Health and Citizenship Education Programme students undertake a variety of activities, themed days and lessons to maximise their individual decision making skills and prepare them, within a moral framework, to become good citizens. Experts support our delivery on the following themes: • Sexual Relationship Education (SRE) • Substance Abuse • Risk management (knife crime/ staying safe online/ personal safety) • Disability awareness and equality • Mental health and wellbeing To promote physical and emotional (mental) well-being we promote the following: • Students to maintain hydration levels by carrying a water bottle throughout the day. • Promoting safe cycling to school through a cycle permit scheme and the ruling that every cyclist must wear a cycle helmet. • Drop in counselling sessions. • Lunchtime meditation sessions. • Full programme of extra-curricular sporting activities available at lunchtime and after school. • Year 7 and 8 designated activity room at lunchtime to support development of friendships.
Prefects – Student Leadership – Student Voice In order to encourage our students to feel fully involved in their school and to share in decision making we invite students to be a part of student leadership groups. We are committed to providing opportunities for student voice and facilitating leadership opportunities for our students and developing their leadership skills and behaviours. These opportunities include: • Giving feedback to subjects and the school as part of focus groups for school improvement • Participating in Enterprise competitions and events e.g. Christmas Fayre • Standing as a representative for Hampshire’s Youth Parliament • Being school tour guides and ambassadors for events • Participating in the national PiXL Edge Leadership programme Our senior students also have the opportunity to apply to become a School Prefect in Year 11. These students act as role models for younger students and participate in our Junior Form Prefect Programme, along with many other responsibilities, which support our Lower School students with their transition. Each year we appoint a Head Boy , Head Girl and Deputies as well as a Senior Prefect Team which are high profile leadership roles from within the student body.
Everybody Matters, Everybody Succeeds, Everybody Helps Working Together Achieving Excellence
Hounsdown School What Is PiXL Edge? The PiXL Edge programme is a nationally recognised programme that runs on five attributes: Leadership: Making decisions, acting responsibly and collaborating Organisation: Time management, problem solving Resilience: Showing commitment, working under pressure Initiative: Creativity and seeing the value of being of service to others Communication: Editing, presenting, matching form and content to the audience Within these attributes activities can be chosen and undertaken to help develop skills in these areas.
Why We Run the PiXL Edge Programme At Hounsdown we aspire to help develop Students who will leave us and become successful members of our society. We aspire to see our student’s future as an amazing opportunity for them to stand out from everyone else. PiXL Edge is the platform that we use to make our young people special.
Life Beyond the Classroom – Extra Curricular Enrichment Opportunities We believe that a school should develop the whole child, giving them confidence and self-reliance both emotionally and physically. Hounsdown School provides an outstanding and impressive range of enrichment opportunities. Lunchtime Activities have included: • Film Club - Debating Club - Song writing Club • Basketball - Football • Maths Club – German Club • Art Enrichment - Meditation - Eco Club After School Clubs and Activities have included: • Eco Club - Heritage Gardening Club - growing and selling fruit and vegetables • Science Club – Fair Trade • KS4 revision and support sessions after school and in the holidays • Netball, Rugby, Football, Dance, Rounders, Cricket, Tennis, Athletics • Art clubs for all KS3 & KS4 • Drama / Production clubs The school also offers a nurture room and group those students who particularly find the transition to a large secondary school difficult.
Everybody Matters, Everybody Succeeds, Everybody Helps Working Together Achieving Excellence
Curriculum Enrichments – Residential and Day Trips have included: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
‘The School arranges a wealth of trips, visits and speakers, and promotes high aspirations.’ Ofsted 2017
Year 7 Maths day trip to Marwell Year 7 History day trip to Porchester Castle History KS4 trip to Berlin Geography field studies day trips and residentials English and Drama theatre visits – Visits have included trips to see “Woman in Black” and other West End musicals such as “Mamma Mia”, “Oliver” and “War Horse” Poland for KS4 students Ypres battlefield trip for KS4 students Iceland trip for KS4 students Skiing World Challenge (runs currently every two years for KS4 students) to Morocco and Borneo Science Week Literacy Festival Fortnight Business Enterprise activities and challenges (school, area and national) Music Instrumental lessons Dance Festival and KS4 Dance showcase Annual School production & KS4 Drama showcase Sports Day & Sports House Competitions Team fixtures home and away & New Forest Sports leagues Art Trips – including trips to the Tate Modern and British Stokes Croft Gallery
Students in receipt of free school meals or who are in care can get some financial support to enable them to take part in these activities. As an Eco-School, the environment and learning about sustainable education are at the centre of so many of the projects we do. This includes leading and developing a greater awareness among our young people of both local, national and international cultures and attitudes to the environment and the global community. We are a nationally accredited Green Flag School.
Everybody Matters, Everybody Succeeds, Everybody Helps Working Together Achieving Excellence
Hounsdown School International Global Schools Link We are proud partners with The Delhi Public School (DPS) in Raipur, India. Rich and valued cultural experiences including student and staff exchange opportunities visiting Raipur have benefited both school communities since 2011.
Hounsdown School Association - HSA (Our Parent Teacher Association) A very active and well supported group of parents and carers support the school community with fundraising and activities that bring the school community closer. Over the past few years they have helped the school directly by fundraising for: • i-pads • 3D printer for Technology • Guest authors for literacy festival • Extra seating and landscaped areas around school • Boxing equipment for the PE Department • Magician for rewards events • Netball kit • Vouchers for Awards Evenings The HSA are also an important group of parents and carers who we consult on school improvement priorities.
Keeping in Contact – Communication with Parents and Carers Open communication between school, parents and carers is a key part of students’ success. The website, text and e-mail alerts, newsletters, consultation evenings, curriculum and pastoral information evenings, drop in meetings with members of the Senior Leadership Team are all designed to keep those at home updated with school life. The student logbook and website also explain how parents and carers at home should get in contact with us if there is a problem or a concern.
Everybody Matters, Everybody Succeeds, Everybody Helps Working Together Achieving Excellence
Transition for our new Year 7 Students In order to support students in their move to Hounsdown, we place great importance on ensuring that the transition to our school is smooth and successful. We have very close links with our main link primary and junior schools, planning a series of visits and meetings with them prior to Year 7 students starting with us. Early in the Autumn term, parents of Year 7 students get an early opportunity to meet their son or daughter’s tutor. To ease students’ arrival, the following takes place: • Year 6 students participation in a series of induction days at Hounsdown • Linked ‘Junior Form’ Prefects, who attend Year 7 tutor groups to provide support • A ‘Big Room’ experience at lunchtime, which offers opportunities to undertake supervised games such as Uno, Battleships, Othello, Mousetrap, Card Games and Pool. The school also offers a nurture room and group those students who particularly find the transition to a large secondary school difficult.
Governors
‘Governors and leaders at all levels are highly effective. Together they have created a caring and aspirational culture where staff and pupils flourish.’ Ofsted 2017
The school is supported by a highly committed and effective Governing Body. Many of our governors are parents. Several of our governors also support and offer training to other schools and their governors. Our governors play a vital role in holding the school leadership team to account and also provide additional expertise and skills from their work backgrounds. They meet three times a year as a full governing body, with sub committees meeting more regularly.
Admissions Hounsdown is a popular and over-subscribed school. Our Admissions Policy is consistent with the Admissions Policy of Hampshire County Council. A copy of the Admissions Policy can be found on the school’s website. Any parent / carer wishing to gain a place during the academic year at the school for their child should contact the Headteacher’s PA, Mrs Topping, who oversees school admissions. Parents / Carers are encouraged to visit the school prior to an application being made and have a tour of the school. Parents / Carers can also request to see a member of the Senior Leadership Team, to discuss an admission to the school. During the autumn term, members of the school’s Senior Leadership Team along with prefects visit out link junior / primary schools to meet prospective students. The school holds both an annual open evening towards the end of September and annual open mornings in early October for parents to see the school at ‘work’.
Everybody Matters, Everybody Succeeds, Everybody Helps Working Together Achieving Excellence
Hounsdown Art & Photography
Working Together Achieving Excellence
Executive Headteacher: Mrs J Turvey BEd (Hons), M.A.Ed. Associate Headteacher: Mr D Veal, BSc (Hons), M.A.Ed. Jacobs Gutter Lane Totton Southampton SO40 9FT
Hounsdown School - A Science College
023 8086 2981 023 8066 3160 admin@hounsdown.hants.sch.uk www.hounsdown.hants.sch.uk
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