Rastrick
High School & Sixth Form
“I feel really settled, have kept old friends but made many new ones. I have enjoyed all the new lessons, after school activities like hockey and the debating club and being part of the music groups. Throw yourself in - I hope you enjoy Rastrick as much as I do!� Year 7 student
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Welcome On behalf of the staff and governors of Rastrick High School I would like to thank you for your interest in becoming part of our very successful team. We believe that every student can be successful, whether through their formal curriculum, through their enjoyment of and participation in enrichment activities, through their ability to be a good citizen or through all of the above. We will encourage, support and challenge them to take the many opportunities they will have at our school to be successful. Rastrick High School focuses on students making progress and rewards students for not just the progress they make, but the effort they have put into getting there. We will support every child in becoming more confident in themselves and more open to new experiences and challenges, not just through their formal lessons, but also through their tutorials, assemblies and the wide range of enrichment experiences they will have the opportunity to experience at Rastrick High School. This prospectus, along with the transition events we have organized, may well answer all of your questions about our school, but if you still have questions to ask, then please get in touch with us through phone or email, or better still, arrange to come in and see us and we will be happy to meet with you to answer your questions or queries. Rastrick High School is a supportive, friendly, yet challenging environment. We have limitless aspirations and high targets for our students, based on an ethos which demands the very best efforts and expectations from everyone in our organisation. Rastrick High School is on an exciting journey, I would like you to be part of it. Best wishes Steve Evans Headteacher
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Rastrick High School & Sixth Form
Transition, be part of our team! “I hope the new Year 7s have as good a time as I did when I joined!” Year 7 student
Our successful transition events ensure students feel confident and part of the Rastrick team when they begin with us in Year 7. Varying events take place for a range of Year 6 students, both in their own primary schools and at Rastrick High School, some of which are led by our own student leaders, ensuring primary students understand and begin to learn the high expectations we place on our own students. The aim of transition is to ensure students feel comfortable with the environment and are not overawed by the size of the school when they start with us in September. These events help students to get to know key staff and begin to make friends, so that when they begin in September, their natural anxieties are at a minimum and they are therefore ready to learn and succeed.
How will we help make you part of the Rastrick team? We believe that ‘together we are stronger’ and recognise that by supporting each other as a school community we can all play a vital role in helping each other to achieve our goals. We recognise that a large part of a student’s experiences will be shaped by their Year group. As part of this Year group, they will be given personalised support and bespoke learning experiences in their Form Group tutorials, through assemblies and in the many enrichment activities they will have the opportunity to take part in. Each Year group is led by an Achievement Leader and an Achievement Manager, whose roles are to monitor your child’s welfare and academic progress and also offer guidance and support where and when you or your child needs it. Each Form group is led by a Form Tutor who plays an important day to day role in ensuring the Form group are organised, happy and ready for the challenges of the day.
Teaching and Learning At Rastrick High School, we put learning first. Our teachers work extremely hard to ensure lessons are challenging, inspirational and enjoyable; they are experts in their subjects and have high expectations of all students. They are supported by a team of librarians, teaching assistants, administrators, technicians and laboratory assistants, all of whom are working towards ensuring that teaching and learning is at the heart of our school. We believe that high aspirations, where all students are challenged, is a vital factor in them being successful. Our relentless pursuit of excellence is achieved through a supportive learning environment where we encourage all students to achieve their challenging targets in all of the subjects they study. We pride ourselves on the quality of support and individual feedback we give
to students to allow them to reach their goals. The communication of these goals and the progress students are making towards them is an important part of our relationship with both our students and parents and to this end we report to parents five times a year, highlighting individual student achievement, attitude to learning and attendance. A recent survey, completed by 600 students from Years 7 to 13, has shown that they enjoy their lessons due to the range of teaching techniques used, the most popular being co-operative learning in the classroom. This technique embodies group work, enabling students to work as effective team members and provide opportunities to develop skills of understanding, empathy and accountability through their learning.
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Our Curriculum We deliver a high quality and diverse curriculum through outstanding teaching and learning.
We offer a broad range of subjects and an excellent range of enrichment activities that aim to produce well rounded, confident young people who are equipped to face the future. Beyond our core subjects of English, Mathematics and Science we offer a variety of subjects that encompasses the Arts, Humanities, Modern Languages, Sports and Technology.
The school is well equipped for learning in the 21st century. We are blessed with large classrooms and the latest technology to enable the very best learning experiences. The school has superb ICT, Engineering, Design Technology and Music facilities, as well as an Astroturf sports field, a new Mathematics Centre and newly developed social spaces for students to use at break and lunchtimes.
Aspirations and Expectations At Rastrick High School we strive to ensure that all our students are taught to develop a desire and enthusiasm for learning. We endeavor to support all of our student’s aspirations and as a school we expect that all members of our community are passionate in helping each other to reach their goals. We pride ourselves on providing a calm and focused climate for learning. This is built on the key values of respect and responsibility and also on the belief that everyone at the school has the right to learn in a calm and safe environment. The school supports and celebrates our student’s successes through the schools
rewards system which is based on the key principle that we reward all students who make progress and contribute to the school community. Our school community is an essential part of raising our children’s aspirations and the role parent’s play is integral and as such we ensure we have an open dialogue with parents around key issues in school, such as IAG (Information, Advice and Guidance), academic attainment, academic progress, attendance and the wellbeing and happiness of our students.
Supporting your child Inclusion is integral to life at Rastrick High School. There isn’t a one size fits all approach; students’ needs are discussed and reviewed with parents and professionals on an individual and regular basis and a programme of support is implemented.
Students with specific needs Our excellent Special Educational Needs Team support students in their mainstream lessons as required. If needed, additional support may be explored, be that additional literacy groups to nurture lessons to mentoring to the extracurricular
sessions that take place such as Bocchia and Wheelchair basketball. The Pastoral Support Structure within the school ensures that children who have other additional needs or who may be vulnerable are also supported, be it through mentoring, our excellent links with external agencies or providing appropriate Careers Information Advice and Guidance. Again the emphasis is on a bespoke system, which ensures we are inclusive through every aspect of the school day.
Enrichment The culture of enrichment beyond the formal curriculum aims to broaden horizons for students and is integrated into all aspects of school life. A considerable emphasis is placed on community links, charity work and the development of student leadership. This has included raising funds for Children in Need, Comic Relief and Oxfam and more local charities including Overgate Hospice and the Forget Me Not Hospice. The school competes in a wide variety of external competitions, receiving National Awards for the O2 Go4SET initiative and Sky Sports Literacy Project. We were nominated as a flagship school for the introduction of vInspired, an accredited volunteering charity which connects young people with volunteering opportunities.
Our school has a long and successful tradition of involvement in: Sport, Music, Drama, Dance, Outdoor Activities and the Arts at a local, regional and national level. The Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme is open for students from Year 9 upwards and there is an opportunity for all Year 7 students to take part in a residential experience. There are many excellent societies and clubs which include: choirs, concerts bands, drama productions, a debating society, football,
netball, rugby, judo, mountain biking, school radio station, film making group, engineering and professional cookery to name but a few. The school’s most recent trips to all over the world have included: Design & Technology trip to New York, skiing in Austria, History trip to France & Belgium, Modern Languages trip to Spain & France and a Physics trip to Switzerland.
Admissions to Rastrick High School – September 2015 The Published Admissions Limit (PAL) for Year 7 students at Rastrick High School is 270. Where applications for admission exceed the number of places available, the following criteria will be applied (in the order set out below) to decide which children to admit: 1. Pupils who are in public care (‘Looked After’ children) or pupils who were previously looked after but ceased to be so because they became adopted or became subject to a residence or special guardianship order. 2. Pupils of Carr Green Primary, Field Lane Primary, Fixby Junior and Infant, Longroyde Junior and Woodhouse Primary Schools. 3. Those children who have a brother or sister (or step-brother or stepsister living in the same household) attending the school at the time of their admission (i.e. 1 September of the relevant admission year).
4. Children who have a particular ability for music. Allocations under this criterion will be limited to 16 places and applications must be supported by evidence. A supplementary application form must be completed to apply under this criterion, which is available from Rastrick High School. Applications can be submitted to the school from 30 June 2014 to 1 October 2014; please see below the timelines for the process: 18 September 2014 - Open Evening 1 October 2014 - Deadline for music criterion application forms submitted directly to Rastrick High School 3 October 2014 - Parent/carers to be informed of audition date and time w/c 6 October 2014 - Auditions to take place and will be carried out by an independent adjudicator w/c 13 October 2014 - Parent/carers to be informed of the outcome of the audition 31 October 2014 - Deadline for application to be made to Local Authority
5. Children will then be admitted in the order of proximity of the child’s home address to the school. Distance will be calculated using a straight line measurement from the student’s home to the closest designated school gate. Distances will be calculated using the Local Authority’s GIS system (Geographical Information System). To ensure consistency applies, all measurements will be carried out by the Local Authority’s GIS system and no other method of measuring distance will be considered.
Talented Musician Development Programme Our programme offers up to sixteen admissions annually to students who have musical potential and can show evidence of skill, potential, passion and commitment to playing a musical instrument or singing. Those accepted will benefit from: • a peer mentor who will act as a positive role model and will support your child and assist with skill development and help expand musical understanding • extending their skills through the opportunity to study a second instrument • developing skills for lifelong learning.
This enhances the high quality academic provision offered to all students which includes: • access to lessons by a specialist team of instrumental staff • extra curricular theory classes to develop theoretical knowledge • extra curricular aural classes to develop musicianship How do I apply? • a wide range of extra curricular ensembles
Application forms and further information may be found on the Rastrick High School website www.rastrick.calderdale.sch.uk under Admissions.
• the opportunity to develop vocal skills • regular performance opportunities
Alternatively, contact the Headteacher’s PA sally.mason@rastrick.calderdale.sch.uk or 01484 406372.
• the opportunity to become a peer mentor to a less experienced student.
Applicants will be invited to attend an assessment session at the school where their musical aptitude will be assessed.
Rastrick
High School & Sixth Form Field Top Road Rastrick, Brighouse West Yorkshire HD6 3XB t: 01484 710235 f: 01484 720043 e: rhs@rastrick.calderdale.sch.uk t @RastrickHigh w: www.rastrick.calderdale.sch.uk
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Rastrick High School Academy Trust, a charitable company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales with company number 7737429. Registered Office: Rastrick High School, Field Top Road, Rastrick, Brighouse, West Yorkshire, HD6 3XB.
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