Laurus Ryecroft prospectus

Linda Magrath OBE CEO Laurus Trust

With a 40-year career in education, Linda was Headteacher at Cheadle Hulme High School for 14 years, overseeing two outstanding Ofsted judgements. She is also an experienced National Leader of Education.

Martin Vevers

Executive Headteacher / Head of School

Martin was a Deputy Headteacher at Cheadle Hulme High School for six years. He is also a Specialist Leader of Education and committed to providing the very best education for his students.

Martin is very proud of Laurus Ryecroft.

Welcome

Laurus Ryecroft is an oversubscribed secondary school for 11-18 year old students in Tameside. The school is run by the Laurus Trust and replicates the outstanding education offered by the Trust’s founder school, Cheadle Hulme High School (CHHS), based in Stockport.

Laurus Ryecroft is a non-selective, non-denominational free school. It opened in September 2018 and is a vibrant, warm and exciting place to work and learn in. We are proud to be ‘Unashamedly Academic’ and have the highest aspirations for all of our students. Our Cornerstones - Academic Aspiration; Culture, Creativity and Rhetoric; Leadership and Service; Competition and Physical Endeavour - detail how we develop and prepare our students to acquire the knowledge and develop the qualities which will open the door to the future of their choice

We are a true learning community and value the acquisition of knowledge and believe it to be truly empowering. Our teachers are passionate about both their subject and the students they teach. We pride ourselves on the quality of our learning environment and on the relationships within school. Our state-of-the-art facilities are valued and respected by all members of our school community. Laurus Ryecroft is a place of mutual respect. Our students display excellent behaviour for learning and a true thirst for knowledge.

Martin Vevers

Head of School

Our vision

‘‘

For everyone, regardless of background or circumstance, to be inspired, to thrive in all environments, to recognise what it takes to succeed, to set aspirational goals and work hard to achieve them.

’’

Our Vision is shared across all schools within the Laurus Trust and is reflected in every aspect of school life. It is embodied in the Cornerstones which underpin our work.

The Four Cornerstones

We work hard to ensure that every member of our school community has access to a rich and diverse range of opportunities. For our students, this is provided through our Cornerstones Programme. We believe that these four Cornerstones underpin an educational experience which will prepare students for life beyond school and deliver our vision.

Academic Aspiration

Our vision is for all of our students, regardless of background and circumstance, to make outstanding progress and achieve grades which will open the door to the future of their choice. We want our students to be curious and develop a thirst for knowledge; we want them to be resilient and to value effort; we want them to understand that sometimes failure is an essential part of the learning process and to recognise that developing a positive, ‘can do’ attitude will help them to set and achieve aspirational goals.

Culture, Creativity and Rhetoric

Alongside our high aspirations for academic success, we passionately believe in the importance of education in its broadest sense and we will ensure the fullest possible participation in art, music and drama. We want our students to appreciate that great writing gives us access to ideas which challenge our thinking; that the power of language gives us the opportunity to make our voice heard and present our own ideas with courage, conviction and impact; that the Arts open up worlds which we might not otherwise inhabit. We will ensure that students from all backgrounds are able to discover new talents and interests and develop existing ones.

Competition & Physical Endeavour

We believe that physical activity and competition, both inter and intra school, are vital to the holistic development of young people, fostering their physical, social and emotional health. We want our students to approach competition with optimism and vitality; to relish the opportunity to demonstrate determination, creativity and perseverance in order to overcome challenges; to understand that hard work and commitment lead to a greater chance of success and that obstacles are temporary but achievement lasts for a lifetime.

Leadership and Service

We value individuality, celebrate diversity and encourage our students to have the confidence to think for themselves, whilst emphasising the importance of tolerance, teamwork and collective responsibility. We place great importance on both leadership and participation and encourage students from all backgrounds to take on roles of responsibility and engage in School and House activities. By the time they leave us, we want each student to have that true sense of self-worth which will enable them to make wise choices, stand up for what is right and what they believe in and, in doing so, be of value to society.

What can you expect from Laurus Ryecroft?

We are Unashamedly Academic. We provide outstanding teaching and a curriculum which develops essential knowledge, attitudes, skills and habits, together with access to wide-ranging opportunities for subject enhancement. These will combine to ensure that every child at Laurus Ryecroft is in a position to make outstanding progress and open the door to the future of their choice.

Our key belief is that the all-round educational attainment of individual students is substantially promoted by their participation in a whole range of activities, not just classroom-based academic ones. The Electives programme delivers this vision and forms part of the curriculum and the formal school day.

Training in the use of oracy, discourse and rhetoric (the Cicero Curriculum), and performing arts generally, inspires confidence and enhances the presentation skills of the students.

Other extra-curricular activities, together with regular sport and exercise, and a sense of competitive spirit, increases personal well-being, health and concentration levels.

We also promote team building skills,

What can you expect from Laurus Ryecroft?

leadership, and a passion to perform to the best of one’s ability in all disciplines. These higher levels of individual betterment will be achieved across all ability levels through a wide scope of activities.

Leadership is a skill to be learned and cultivated. Students learn about the importance of success, and how to cope with setbacks, not as failure but as a springboard to better achievement. Students can choose to form part of the School Council or apply for positions of responsibility to represent their House.

There is a focus on developing presentation skills and self-confidence in general. Inspiring students to broaden their horizons and believe that ‘anything is possible’ is absolutely key to post-education success.

The Cicero Curriculum

At the Laurus Trust, we understand that it is vital that young people, in order to maximise their potential, not only have a voice which can be heard but also have the skills to listen precisely and respond accordingly to the world around them. The importance of listening with precision, speaking with clarity and thinking creatively lies at the heart of the Culture, Creativity & Rhetoric cornerstone in the form of The Cicero Curriculum.

The Cicero Curriculum, developed with the expert assistance of Patsy Rodenburg OBE, focuses on three strands which we call Circles, Conversation and Rhetoric, and which involve oracy, Socratic dialogue for academic conversations and public speaking respectively. These strands are woven through the fabric of our academic curriculum and Electives, ensuring that all students are exposed to all aspects of The Cicero Curriculum during their time at school. In this way, students learn how to communicate effectively and confidently in all aspects of their lives, so that they can thrive in the future.

Circles

onversation

hetoric

The Cicero Cord

Beyond the classroom Academic Enhancement and Aspiration (AE&A)

At the Laurus Trust we want all our students to develop enquiring minds, academic confidence and an ability to actively discuss and debate complex ideas.

Students are very well supported in the classroom but we also want students to go beyond this, at every stage in their education, securing an academic spirit. We also encourage our students to be aspirational, to look to the best universities and greatest opportunities. We believe that our academic enhancement and aspiration programmes will allow them to get there – and thrive when they do.

The Laurus Trust Apertura programme

Apertura is the Laurus Trust’s flagship programme for academic enhancement for students in Years 10-12. Apertura takes its name from Latin, meaning “opportunities about to open”. It is designed to expose high achieving students to academic dialogue and independent research in preparation for applications to competitive universities.

Apertura students meet weekly, in small groups, with their supervisor to discuss concepts and issues from across the physical sciences, social sciences, humanities and arts. Apertura students attend lectures given by visiting academics and engage in a research project in an area of personal interest. Supported by

their supervisor, students then present their research findings at the end of the year.

Further opportunities are offered through the Apertura summer school at the end of Year 11, and trips and visits to museums, art galleries, places of historical/scientific interest and the great outdoors as well.

The ELITE Pathway

The ELITE Pathway provides the guidance for aspirational athletes to achieve their academic potential and sporting dreams.

Students will develop a holistic understanding of the contributing factors to elite sport, which includes balancing the demands of sporting excellence and academic success. We work with key partners, who aid and support the delivery of this exciting initiative, to create the invaluable experience of living, training and learning like a professional athlete.

The ELITE Pathway enrols a selection of students across all Laurus Trust schools each year. These students are given tailored mentoring sessions and the opportunity to work with some of the industry’s leading clubs, university lecturers and trainers. There will be personal training sessions, strength and conditioning coaching, bespoke pre-hab and re-hab sessions, access to the Trust gym at no cost and links to nutritionists, psychologists, physiotherapists and chiropractors.

Click onto the information icons to find out more about any of our programmes

Admissions process

The admission policy, detailing how you can apply, how places will be allocated in the event of oversubscription, and how people can appeal against any decisions can be found on our website laurusryecroft.org.uk/admissions

. More information about the School Admissions Code can be found here on the Government website (www.gov. uk/government/publications/schooladmissions-code--2).

If you are interested in a future Year 7 place at Laurus Ryecroft, please visit our website (www.laurusryecroft.org. uk) or if you have any further questions please contact our administration team on enquiries@laurusryecroft.org.uk