2018 Prospectus Brigshaw High School www.brigshaw.com
Welcome
“It is so refreshing to see a high school like Brigshaw treating their pupils as individuals and quite clearly motivating them to achieve their full potential.� Comment from a Brigshaw parent
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2016 Brigshaw High School | 2018 Prospectus
Welcome to Brigshaw Whether you are a prospective parent, pupil or colleague, we hope our prospectus gives you a flavour of Brigshaw and what we stand for, together with a sense of what an exciting place it is to learn in. Brigshaw is a very successful school and we are rightly proud of our pupils’ achievements and the opportunities we offer. At Brigshaw we believe that all children are entitled to success and that there should be no limits to their achievements. We encourage all children to develop ‘Respect for Learning’ through access to high quality learning experiences inside and outside the classroom, based on relationships of trust and respect. Through effective partnerships with other schools and providers we
are confident that we can meet the challenges and changes ahead for our children. At the heart of our work is a firm commitment to securing the best possible opportunities for success for every child. We pride ourselves on our high levels of care for individuals, and providing a challenging but supportive learning environment which inspires them to develop themselves as learners and to explore opportunities beyond their immediate surroundings. A strong and effective partnership with parents and carers is key to developing successful learners. Pupils come to Brigshaw from a wide variety of primary schools. We work hard with all of these schools to ensure that transition to Brigshaw is smooth, supportive and makes the
most of their prior learning. We know how hard they have worked at primary school and know that we must build on what they have learned so they continue to be inspired and challenged. We also work hard to develop ‘extended services’ for young people and the community. Capturing the essence of what makes Brigshaw so successful is difficult in a few lines – visiting us is the best way to really get a feel for Brigshaw. You are always very welcome.
Simon Riley, Acting Headteacher Brigshaw High School | 2018 Prospectus
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Our passion for communication
“Students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strongly promoted through different subjects and through encouragement to participate in multi-cultural activities.” Ofsted Inspection, May 2013
The language of ed We believe that confidence in learning and speaking foreign languages and a wide understanding of our place in an international community is vital for young people. We seek every opportunity to encourage our pupils to be global citizens and to broaden their horizons. Our pupils gain cultural understanding, tolerance and a wider range of employability skills.
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Brigshaw High School | 2018 Prospectus
Our work has resulted in us achieving the prestigious International Schools Award and we have links with schools in France, Germany, Spain, the Czech Republic, Japan, Slovakia, Latvia, Poland, Namibia, China, Italy, Zimbabwe, the Gambia, to name just a few… This means that our pupils can enjoy experiencing new cultures first
hand, as well as studying a variety of languages. We provide opportunities for our students to experience new cultures and practise their budding language skills through a variety of exchange visits and projects involving countries including France, Germany, Spain and Japan, as well as study visits to Holland, Italy, Germany, Iceland, the Czech Republic Poland and the United States.
ucation Brigshaw High School | 2018 Prospectus
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A curriculum for everyone
Enhanced learning The Curriculum (11-19) Learning and Teaching
Ofsted Inspection, May 2013
As pupils move up through the school, we aim to make them more independent learners, taking more responsibility for their progress and achievement and supporting them in developing expertise. We understand that pupils learn in different ways, and teachers use a wide range of learning and teaching strategies to help all youngsters make progress. In a culture of high expectations
supported by clear guidelines, rewards and sanctions, our curriculum is designed to develop all our students and encourage talent and expertise.
blocks of time, enabling them to establish themselves as high school learners whilst being well known by their teachers.
Year 7: Establishment
Year 8 and 9: Entitlement and developing passions
Our Year 7 curriculum aims to help pupils bridge the gap from primary to secondary school, building on the excellent work at Key Stage Two and making the most of our subject specialist teachers. Pupils are taught the range of Key Stage 3 subjects in
In Year 8 pupils again follow the whole range of Key Stage 3 subjects and have the opportunity to experience each subject weekly, rather than in blocks of time. This enables pupils to develop a sense of where their passions lie.
“Students are appreciative of the good quality teaching they receive. The key strengths lie in teachers’ secure subject knowledge and the way they ask probing questions to check the depth of students’ understanding.” 6
Brigshaw High School | 2018 Prospectus
for life Towards the end of Year 8 pupils are given the opportunity to specialise in select areas of learning they are more passionate about in preparation for Year 9 and therefore go through an options process in certain areas of the curriculum e.g. Arts, Humanities and Technology. In Year 9 pupils start the GCSEs in some subjects.
Year 10 and 11: Specialising In Years 10 and 11 pupils specialise in subjects appropriate for their interests, talents and future aspirations. Pupils follow a pathway where courses lead to accreditation (e.g. GCSE, BTEC) appropriate for their next stage of learning and employment. A number of courses are compulsory. These are: English, Mathematics, Science, Physical Education, a
Humanities subject (History or Geography) and PHSCE (including Citizenship, Religious Education, Sex and Relationship Education and Careers Guidance). Many students will also study a language to GCSE. In addition, pupils choose combinations of subjects from the following areas: Creative Arts and Sports, Computing and Technology.
Post-16: Becoming Experts At Post-16 we focus students on their talents, skills and aspirations, encouraging them to see themselves as emerging experts in their chosen subjects. Students have the opportunity to study a wide range of Post-16 courses which will secure them their chosen career pathways in the future. Students choose from over 30 A Level courses and a wide range of other Level 3 options. Post-16 students also follow a PHSCE course and have opportunities to become involved in other school activities such as student mentoring
and enrichment opportunities. Students receive independent guidance and careers advice from tutors and our Careers Adviser, as well as intensive support with the UCAS application process to universities.
Brigshaw’s business pioneers Brigshaw is a centre for the prestigious ‘Career Ready’ programme. This powerful curriculum for 16-19 year olds blurs the boundaries between academic and vocational pathways. Supported by some of the biggest names in British business, our students successfully complete the 3 A Level equivalent course and benefit from: one-to-one mentoring with business professionals; a six-week paid internship to practise what they have learned and to develop additional business competencies; and participation in employer-led seminars, work-site visits, practice interviews and CV development sessions. Brigshaw High School | 2018 Prospectus
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Celebrating achievement
Underpinning Guidance and Support
Student Leadership We strongly believe that all our students should have the opportunity to participate in, contribute to and lead as many things as they can. All our extra-curricular clubs are mapped out showing how they can get involved in their activity as participators, contributors or leaders. We have a student leadership structure that gives all students from Year 7 to Year 13, whatever their financial circumstances, the chance to ‘make a difference’ (see our Prospectus Supplement).
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Brigshaw High School | 2018 Prospectus
We believe that high quality guidance and support are essential in helping young people become tolerant, confident, independent learners. We work closely with primary schools to make sure that the transition to Brigshaw is as smooth as possible. At Brigshaw we have four main Houses; Bronte, Hepworth, Rowntree and Wilberforce. Each house is led by a House Leader, House Officer, House Administrator and a team of tutors. Each pupil belongs to a Tutor Group within a House. The Tutor Group consists of pupils from Years 7 to 11; this allows for peer mentoring and support to occur naturally whilst promoting positive relationships between year groups around the school.
We try to ensure that new Year 7 pupils have someone they know in their group. Pupils remain in their house and tutor group throughout their time at Brigshaw. This ensures that every pupil is well-known. We also have Johnson House, which provides a more specialist provision for some students. Our House Leaders take overall responsibility for pupils’ personal, social and academic development. House Officers are also available to deal with day-to-day issues and are the initial contact for parents/carers. At any stage of their school careers, young people may need specialist support to overcome obstacles to learning and progress. We have staff who provide additional support and guidance including: Teaching Assistants, our
education Inclusion Team, an Attendance Improvement Officer and Careers and Connexions Personal Advisers. We have excellent access to a range of professionals who can support children and help remove barriers to learning.
Inclusion and Special Educational Needs (SEND) Brigshaw is an inclusive school and all our pupils have access to an appropriate, broad and balanced curriculum. We adapt our provision to meet the needs of individual pupils, as far as our expertise, resources and facilities allow. All pupils may require additional support and specialist guidance at some time in their school lives and we are very proud of the reputation we have built up for the quality of care in this
area. We are a resourced school for pupils with physical disabilities and our accommodation has full disabled access, including lifts. Please see our Prospectus supplement, Inclusion and SEND policies for more information.
Working in harmony Effective dialogue between school and parents/carers is key to helping our young people succeed. We work
closely with parents/carers and look for their support in working with us. We keep parents/carers informed of their child’s progress through Review meetings and reports but will also contact parents/carers quickly if we have concerns about any aspect of a pupil’s performance. Similarly, we will be quick to inform parents/ carers of positive contributions their children have made to the school.
“This school is unique. Staff don’t give up on you. They’ll help you with any issues. You can tell that they want you to do well.”
Comment from a Brigshaw pupil
Brigshaw High School | 2018 Prospectus
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Life outside the classroom
“ Students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strongly promoted through different subjects and through encouragement to participate in multi-cultural activities.” Ofsted Inspection, May 2013
An enriching educ At Brigshaw, we provide our pupils with opportunities to further develop their interests and skills. This section aims to give you a flavour of the activities available for our students beyond the classroom.
Italy, Zimbabwe, the Gambia, to name just a few… This means that we can provide opportunities for our pupils to experience new cultures and practise their budding language skills through a variety of exchange visits and projects.
International opportunities: We
Performing Arts: We have a strong
believe that confidence in learning and speaking foreign languages and a wide understanding of our place in the international community is vital for young people. We seek every opportunity to encourage our pupils to be global citizens and to broaden their horizons, so that they gain cultural understanding, tolerance and a wider range of employability skills. We have links with schools in France, Germany, Spain, the Czech Republic, Japan, Slovakia, Latvia, Poland, Namibia, China,
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Brigshaw High School | 2018 Prospectus
tradition of performing arts at Brigshaw. There are regular productions at school, including Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, Wind in the Willows, ‘A Christmas Carol, Annie, Grease and our wonderful summer and Christmas music Concerts. Pupils have many opportunities to develop their musical talents – peripatetic music teachers visit each week and we have a diverse range of musical ensembles including classical, jazz, choral and rock. Our music bands and choir regularly take part in European performance tours. Dance is very popular and our pupils enjoy participating in a wide range of dance projects, working with specialists such as Indian dancers and
‘street’ dancers, even taking their skills to National Dance Championships.
Out of Hours learning: We
have over thirty after-school and lunchtime clubs, including STEM Club, Environmental Group, Study Support Club, Duke of Edinburgh, Languages Clubs, English Club as well as a multitude of activities linked to the creative arts and sports curriculum.
Sports: There are many teams and
clubs to get involved in and these are staffed by our own teachers, support staff and visiting coaches. As well as rugby league, football, netball and rounders, there are also opportunities to enjoy aerobics, badminton, dance, gymnastics, tennis… Our teams do well in local school leagues and a number of our pupils represent Leeds and the region in a variety of sports. We were extremely proud to win the National Dance Championships in 2017.
ation Curriculum-linked activities:
All subject areas encourage extra-curricular activities, often with a whole-school dimension. There are field-study visits in Geography, History and Biology, theatre visits in English and Drama, visits to local companies in Business Studies, national Mathematics competitions, Science lectures… and so on. Students of all ages are encouraged to sit on one of the Student Subject Committees, which meet regularly to discusss: learning within a subject; extracurricular opportunities; how the subject can be promoted and ideas that would improve learning in the subject.
Freshers’ Fair
Every September we hold our university-style Freshers’ Fair, so that our new Year 7 students can see the fantastic range of extra-curricular opportunities on offer. Our older students are on hand to talk to them about what each activity involves and we actively encourage students of all ages to get involved and try something new! Every year our extra-curricular offering grows – the more suggestions students give us on clubs they would like to be a part of, the more we try and offer!
Brigshaw High School | 2018 Prospectus
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Life anddimensions Global work at Brigshaw
“Pupils’ contribution to the community is outstanding” Ofsted Inspection
A tangible difference Our pupils are always keen to learn about multicultural and global issues. They enjoy being involved in projects where they feel they can make a difference by raising awareness and money for those in need.. As part of our vertical tutoring structure, each House nominates a different charity to fundraise for every year and then as a whole school we organise fundraising events throughout the school year including Christmas & Summer Fairs and Brigshaw Bake-offs. Our pupils have a strong sense of community both globally and at home, here they share their thoughts about just some of the projects they’ve been involved with... Fairtrade: To celebrate Fairtade we took part in activities such as making our own wallets, cooking
and storytelling. We learnt about equality and fairness. A Fairtrade producer called Joseph Cheruiyot came into school to talk about his tea production and how the Fairtrade ethos has helped him, his family and other farmers across the world.
11 Million Takeover Day: As well as making a difference to charities and global issues, our students also have the opportunity to make a big impact on the world of work and industry through events like 11 Million Takeover. Every year we offer our students the chance to ‘take over’ from adults in organisations across the city for a day and experience what it is like to be employed in a variety of settings. Students also have the chance to gain an insight into aspects of the legal system with trips to the Youth Courts to work with legal teams for the day, as well as leading story
time sessions in local libraries and youth centres. Last year we had over 150 of our students involved in 11 Million Takeover Day in a wide variety of roles and this year we aspire to have even more of our students involved.
Respect for Learning: Learning and teaching are at the heart of what we do. We encourage a Growth Mindset, actively developing resilience, challenge and effort. Everyone’s aptitudes and abilities can be developed through hard work; talent is just a starting point. Our pupils are praised for consistent effort and encouraged to see mistakes as a vital part of learning, not a failure. We insist on pupils having respect for learning and for other learners. Our staff know their students well and aim to create just the right level of challenge for each individual to progress and become independent, enthusiastic learners.
Additional information about Brigshaw High School can be found in the accompanying supplement or by visiting our website at www.brigshaw.com Brigshaw High School Brigshaw Lane, Allerton Bywater, Castleford. WF10 2HR Tel: 0113 287 8900 Fax: 0113 286 4105 Email: office@brigshaw.com Website: www.brigshaw.com
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The Brigshaw Learning Partnership is a multiacademy trust which has evolved out of the Brigshaw Co-operative Trust which was established in 2010. The Partnership continues to be committed to working together across our community to ensure that all children have access to a full range of opportunities and support. We continue to develop partnerships which enable us to develop opportunities for improved standards in our schools and wider communities. The Brigshaw Learning Partnership continues to uphold the co-operative values and principles of self-help, self-responsibility, equality, equity, democracy, solidarity, honesty, openness, social responsibility and caring for others. This underpins our work in developing an appreciation of British Values.