St Aidan’s Catholic Academy
Prospectus
Welcome The ethos of the school is carried from school to home.
Welcome to St Aidan’s Catholic Academy. We are committed to the care and success of every boy in a way that is rooted in the values of the gospel. We expect the boys to set themselves high standards in their work, their extra-curricular activities and their relationships with others. We encourage them to do so and support them so that they will achieve. We will work with you to develop your child’s gifts, whatever they may be, so that he is well prepared to take a place in the adult world confidently. St Aidan’s has an outstanding reputation for academic achievement based on a consistent record of excellent examination results that continually improve year on year. We nurture individual students and encourage and assist each one to reach their full potential. Our personalised curriculum offers a vast range of learning opportunities. Extracurricular and enrichment programmes are extensive. These complement and extend the academic curriculum and include local and international projects, charity work and a wide range of sporting activities.
If you would like to visit St Aidan’s or have any further questions please contact 0191 5536073 Or visit our website on www. staidanscatholicacademy.co.uk
Our thriving Sixth Form greatly enhances the character of the school. The high staying-on rate from Year 11 to Year 12 is a testament to the very positive relationships which are established at St Aidan’s. Our Sixth Form students enjoy a challenging and enriching curriculum which enables the great majority to go on to further study, including Oxford and Cambridge. With kind regards Kevin Shepherd Headteacher
The school offers a good range of extracurricular activities, including an extensive range of educational visits and work related learning opportunities.
‘St Aidan’s has helped me to build my confidence and to mould me into a young man.’ Chris, Year 13 student
Prayer is central to school life and is a key part of every gathering and celebration.
Relationships among pupils and staff are very positive and members of the school community speak of a common sense of belonging. Pupils show consideration for others and have clear respect for the values promoted by the school.
Ofsted
St Aidan’s Catholic Academy is a caring, inclusive and increasingly successful school. Great emphasis is put on the provision of good quality care, guidance and support. The quality of relationships across the whole school is very positive, cementing the community spirit and creating a common sense of belonging.
Pupils make a good contribution to and benefit enormously from the Catholic life of the school. Good provision of collective worship is having a very positive impact on their spiritual and moral development. The liturgical life of the school creates a sense of community and leads to pupils to a more active engagement with their faith and with society. Ofsted
‘St Aidan’s has provided the necessary platform which has allowed me to reach my maximum educational and sporting potential.’ Scott, Year 13 student
Pupils express their delight at the sense of belonging being part of this community gives them. This is something which is clearly very precious to them. For a large majority of students, the overwhelming strength of the curriculum is the extended school programme. This provides a huge range of activities to develop students’ interests and talents. Ofsted
‘Social time and making friends is one of the best parts of being at St Aidan’s.’ Year 10 student
Pupils feel safe to express their own views and beliefs and are really prepared to argue and debate. They feel confident that the skills and values that the school helps them to develop are transferable and will enable them to play an active role in society.
There are excellent transitional arrangements for pupils when they enter the school and as a result of the support they receive pupils can make confident and well informed choices about their future. Pupils are encouraged to develop aspirations for higher education and a very high proportion continues in education, training or employment. Ofsted
‘I have made some friends here that I’ll have forever.’ Year 8 student
Pupils act with reverence and are keen to participate in Collective Worship. Assemblies are characterised by pupil involvement and leadership, prayers written by members of the school community, and a real sense of belonging to a Catholic worshipping community. Ofsted.
St Aidan’s Catholic Academy Willowbank Road, Ashbrooke, Sunderland SR2 7HJ Tel: +44 (0) 191 5536073 Fax: +44 (0) 191 5536077 Email: contactus@staidanscatholicacademy.co.uk www.staidanscatholicacademy.co.uk