School Prospectus 2019-2020
Teach what matters
The pages that follow explain our unique approach to the key aspects of our work. We make very deliberate choices about ‘how’ we educate everyone (staff and students) at Holyhead. Our four pillars of Community, Care, Creativity and Character support everything we do in pursuit of increasing life choices. We teach what matters. Thank you for your interest in Holyhead School.
We are an 11-19 Academy at the heart of Holyhead Ward, a vibrant and aspirational community with a deep sense of its own heritage and culture. Ofsted recognised us as ‘Outstanding’ in 2013 and again in 2015. More importantly, the local community recognise the value of our work and consequently there is a high demand for school and Sixth Form places. There is always a high level of interest in our work and I am very proud of the amazing reputation that we have both locally and nationally.
Ross Trafford Principal
Our Directors of Learning design sequences of lessons which combine with our Personal Development Programme delivered by Form Tutors. These closely align with our mission to ‘Teach What Matters’, a deliberate approach to ensure we address challenges that our students are likely to face and to give them the best possible chance of meeting their limitless potential.
We want all Holyhead students to be able to; • Solve problems • Apply knowledge to the real world • Adapt to change and be resilient to failure • Be aware of their own thought processes and memory (metacognition) • Be articulate and express themselves • Think critically
We want all students at Holyhead to be strong in relation to the following attributes; • Leadership • Organisation • Resilience • Initiative • Communication We also want them to recognise the best of human thinking and appreciate the fundamental British Values.
Here at Holyhead, we understand that diversity, be that ethnic, socio-economic or cultural is a rich and powerful opportunity that also means every individual has different needs. We understand this better than anyone. We listen and respond to the needs of our community, it’s a great sense of pride for us. We know, and we mean really know, the Handsworth that we serve.
Handsworth is a special place of deep heritage and inclusion. It’s children need care and positive role models to tell us its story, meet its challenges with optimism, pride and resilience and to shape an ambitious future. We provide a generous, broad and thoughtful education. Our classrooms and our people have a distinctive style, creative way of thinking and commitment to the highest standards imaginable. We are not a school who prides itself on positions in league tables (although our students make outstanding progress). Instead, we pride ourselves on our ability to provide Handsworth with responsible citizens with strong character and limitless potential. We teach what matters. There is a magic to Holyhead we must preserve and celebrate every day. We place amazing relationships at the heart of everything we do. That’s what makes us so special.
Our four pillars keep us focused on, and committed to, teaching what matters.
Creativity
Character
Community
Care
Part of the RSA Family of Academies
Intense focus on enrichment and high aspirations
Nationally designated Teaching School
Strong structures for student support
Bespoke, forward-thinking approach to CPD and Pedagogy
Well developed Character Education programmes teachers of children first
Active outreach work
Focus on developing positive relationships
Broad curriculum
Literacy and oracy at the core of what we do
Emphasis on problem-solving, student-led learning and higher order thinking
Development of leaders at all levels
Family values at the heart of student support Curriculum designed to meet community needs
High focus on inclusion and equality
Focus on self regulation and positive reinforcement
Leadership Organisation Resilience Initiative Communication
Well developed commitments to wellbeing and workload reduction
Commitment to Quality First Teaching
Excellence Respect Responsibility
Behaviour, Attitudes and Personal Development We take our responsibility to shape tomorrows’ citizens and employees seriously and invest much of our energy into modelling what self-leadership, self-regulation and kindness looks like. We develop a community built upon a foundation of positive relationships that we celebrate and reinforce. We also believe that good character
supports higher levels of achievement and we teach our core values around leadership, organisation, resilience, initiative and communication to all students and staff via a carefully constructed programme. We believe in restorative conversations and taking responsibility for our actions. We promote honesty, tolerance and kindness.
High standards is how we are able to achieve such great examination results. Our attention to detail and relentless drive to hold each other to account means our attitudes are never defined by our postcode.
Leadership, Management, People and CPD Creativity Be innovators, take risks and solve problems creatively. Broad and focused curriculum entitlement. RSA Partnership
Character High levels of reflection, commitment to self improvement and shared responsibility for standards and each other. We need to create role models.
Community Listen, be Inclusive and learn from each other. Family values. Outward facing.
Care People organisation, family values. Focus on positive relationships. Generous CPD investment. Commitment to wellbeing and workload reduction. Train people so that they can leave but treat them so that they don’t want to.
Quality of Education Creativity Focus on problem solving Higher order thinking.
Community Mission-led curriculum Sense of pride and heritage in Handsworth Creating global citizens who self-regulate and participate actively. Students learn and enjoy experiences collaboratively.
Character Intellectual curiosity Love of learning Meta cognition Reflection.
Care Inclusive approach to learning and deliberate focus upon literacy and oracy. Broad entitlement to opportunities and experiences to lift aspirations and build social capital.
In an environment that presents lots of challenges, we need to model effective leadership at all levels. This means reflecting upon and developing key skills such as effective communication, ethical, mission-led decision making and thinking with high levels of creativity, innovation and strategy. Leadership at Holyhead means that we need to push each other to go beyond what’s possible, but with resilience and a smile. It means we are focused but personable. It means that we are professional and approachable. It also means that we listen to and learn from each other, relentlessly striving to get better and support those around us. Leadership needs to exist and be nurtured by everyone. Every student, every teacher, every member of staff. We must be courageous. It must be visible in our actions and our thoughts. We’re committed to nurturing our people, teaching or nonteaching, by providing great opportunities, fast progression and plenty of autonomy so that we can grow and inspire our leaders of tomorrow - helping them prepare for ambitious projects that benefit the school, our pupils and the community we serve. We are a people and relationships-centred learning community. Great people and great leaders (enhanced by carefully planned, bespoke CPD that meets the needs of the community) are our recipe to ensure we achieve the highest possible standards whilst maintaining an environment and culture that people are proud of and committed to. What we do: • Provide opportunities for career progression • Nurture and support outstanding talent • Give autonomy and embrace creativity • Trust people • Grow great leaders at all levels • Treat teaching and non-teaching staff as one community. Our curriculum is more than the qualifications that students leave with, its about real-life experiences and opportunities. We know that Handsworth matters and what it means to live in a place that is home to people from every corner of the world. Our focus on the highest quality of education extends beyond the classroom and involves all staff. Every interaction is an opportunity to model what we expect. We are all teachers of children. We aim to exceed expectations in every aspect of what we do. That doesn’t just apply to Teaching staff. This commitment to a high performing culture is also present in our passionate support of wider learning and enrichment activities. You can also feel it as you walk our site. Attention to detail, care and pride in everything. We believe there are no limits to our ability to learn from each other. We take, we adapt and we move forward. Our students are ambitious, this is only matched by teachers who inspire intellectual curiosity and provide the skills and knowledge needed for students to understand what it means to be a historian, a scientist or a musician. The knowledge that we acquire must challenge us, broaden our minds and values. We need to think deeply. Learning at Holyhead is student-led, highly meta-cognitive, literacy focused and inclusive.
Student Support
To support our determination to promote good behaviour and achievement we rely on our College System and Vertical Tutoring programme. All students and staff are members of one of four Colleges - Edgware, Meriden, Oswestry and Corwen. In addition, our Tutor Groups consist of students from every year group.
The Form Tutor has a central role to play in developing positive relationships. Your child will receive confirmation about who will be their Form Tutors in the coming days. Importantly, we will be re-organising Tutor Groups into a year group and can receive age-appropriate information about careers, PSHCE and how to reflect upon the learning challenges and opportunities at each stage of their Holyhead education. Each Year Group will be led by a Head of Year. These non-teaching roles means that they are accessible to students and parents/carers and can respond to issues that arise swiftly. If you would like a discussion that is beyond the remit of a Form Tutor, their contact information is as follows:
Head of Year 7
Head of Year 10
Tina Edwards tedwards@holyheadschool.org.uk
Adil Khan akhan@holyheadschool.org.uk
Head of Year 8
Head of Year 11
Errol Smith esmith@holyheadschool.org.uk
Samantha Parker sparker@holyheadschool.org.uk
Head of Year 9
Director of Careers Education
Keeley Phillips kphillips@holyheadschool.org.uk
Sandra Jones sanjones@holyheadschool.org.uk
The former Heads of College have been promoted and will oversee your child’s attainment and progress:Mrs Denny is now a Vice Principal and is the School’s Designated Safeguarding Lead. The whole team is energised and excited about sharpening our academic focus, but without losing our deep commitment to enrichment, developing positive attitudes and promoting/celebrating our community. Students will still belong to a College. They can keep the same tie and represent their College in events, competitions and activities. There will no longer be a Head of College accessible to parents/carers. This work will be redirected to Form Tutors and Heads of Years.
Associate Vice Principal
Vice Principal
Mrs Marnell Years 7 & 8
Mrs Denny Designated Safeguarding Lead
Associate Vice Principal Mr Wright Years 9 & 10
Associate Vice Principal Mr Lovell Year 11
Curric Our curriculum is more than the qualifications that students leave with, it’s about real-life experiences and opportunities. We know that Handsworth matters and what it means to live in a place that is home to people from every corner of the world.
We believe that there are no limits to our ability to learn from each other. We take, we adapt and we move forward. Our students are ambitious, this is only matched by teachers who inspire intellectual curiosity and provide the skills and knowledge needed for students to understand what it means to be an historian, a scientist or a musician. The knowledge that we acquire must challenge us, broaden our minds and our values. We need to think deeply. Learning at Holyhead is student-led, highly meta-cognitive, literacy focused and inclusive. We achieve fantastic examination outcomes! You can see on our website, we offer a broad range of subjects who are amazing at developing knowledge. Our wider curriculum is designed to meet the needs of our community and is focussed upon developing skills, developing character and developing cultural capital.
What do the students say?
“The best thing about Holyhead is good teaching which helps you to learn better and understand a lot. Three words to sum up Holyhead are: helpful, creative and engaging.”
“The thing I like about Holyhead is that more and more students are achieving well each year, getting more A/A* grades every year.”
culum “Holyhead is a great school because it gives students a great opportunity to express themselves through lessons. You learn a lot when you arrive at school each day and you have fun. There is a lot of support for students from teachers and their own peers.”
“Everyone is friendly and nice, it’s universal and multi cultural, it’s just a happy school, the teachers are here to help anytime we need them and there’s always something interesting for us to do, before, during and after school hours!”
Central to our work is our commitment to enriching the curriculum.
At Holyhead, we believe that opportunities to develop skills beyond the classroom are essential in supporting students in their personal development. Holyhead’s enrichment programme gives students the opportunity to attend a wide variety of clubs to extend their skills and improve their social or physical development as well as providing access to support for their learning in a number of subjects. Enrichment activities include:
What do the students say?
“The best thing here is that you always know what’s expected of you so it makes it easier to organise your time so you can meet your targets. That’s really important because it means you don’t worry. Also we have a laugh.
We take part in Inter-School Quizzes; Inter- College Football; Sports Day; Young People’s Parliament, Birmingham Young Chamber and we are able to say what we think at Student Council Meetings.”
• Regular Inter-College competitions • A range of sporting activities • Annual visits to Woodlands Activity Centre • The Duke Of Edinburgh Award Scheme • Peripatetic instrumental lessons • International links with schools in India, Austria and Jamaica • All-age trips to France and Belgium • ’The Challenge’ programme for Year 11 and Year 12 • BBC School Report Team • An annual whole school Drama production • Music visits to The Conservatoire • Music projects with the CBSO and regular performances at Symphony Hall in Birmingham • Visits to Aston University and the Science Park • Day trips to a variety of universities including Birmingham, Oxford and Cambridge • Performances by visiting theatre groups, authors and musicians • Artists in residence working alongside staff and students • Visits to Safeside Activity Centre • Opportunities to engage in activities with national companies such as the BBC, Costain, HSBC, Deloitte and Eversheds • Peer Mentoring Training • Management and Team Building activities • Environmental Club • School Magazine • Film Club • Poetry Slam • Debate Mate Club • Let’s get cooking Club • Crochet Club • Music and Drama Clubs • Homework Club • Tapestry Club • Numeracy Club • Amnesty Club • Eco Club • Design &Technology Club • A range of extra classes and skills-based workshops at weekends and during the holiday
“Some of the great things about Holyhead are: - the students are like a family away from home; teachers are really supportive; there’s a great working atmosphere; you can be yourself without
being intimidated; you can enjoy yourself performing at our Showcase; you can be rewarded at Presentation Evening. I don’t want to leave!”
“Holyhead gave me the chance to take part in The Challenge in Year 11 – we spent a week living in Halls at Birmingham University – it was immense !”
Don’t just take our word for how good our student experience is...
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The curriculum is broad and balanced and meets the needs of different students well. High aspirations are shared by all staff to provide the best education and care for all students in the school.
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Students’ behaviour is outstanding. Their very positive attitudes in lessons help them to learn well.
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Our Safeguarding Statement
Holyhead is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all its students. We believe that:
• All children/young people have the right to be protected from harm • Children/young people need to be safe and to feel safe in school • Children/young people need support which matches their individual needs, including those who may have experienced abuse • All children/young people have the right to speak freely and voice their values and beliefs • All children/young people must be encouraged to respect each other’s values and support each other • All children/young people have the right to be supported to meet their emotional, and social needs as well as their educational needs – a happy healthy sociable child/young person will achieve better educationally • Schools can and do contribute to the prevention of abuse, victimisation, bullying (including homophobic, bi-phobic, transphobic and cyberbullying), exploitation, extreme behaviours, discriminatory views and risk-taking behaviours • All staff and visitors have an important role to play in safeguarding children and protecting from abuse
Designated Safeguarding Lead Tracey Wharton
Designated Safeguarding Lead Samirah Roberts
Holyhead School will fulfil their local and national responsibilities as laid out in the following documents:• The most recent version of Working Together to Safeguard Children (DfE) • The most recent version of Keeping Children Safe in Education: Statutory guidance for schools and colleges (DfE) • The Procedures of Birmingham Safeguarding Children Board • The Education Act 2002 s175 / s157 • Mental Health and Behaviour in Schools: Departmental Advice (DfE 2014) Holyhead School seeks to protect children and young people against the messages of all violent extremism including, but not restricted to, those linked to Islamist ideology, or to Far Right/Neo Nazi/White Supremacist ideology, Irish Nationalist and Loyalist paramilitary groups, and extremist Animal Rights movements. The school governors, the Principal and the Designated Safeguarding Lead will assess the level of risk within the school and put actions in place to reduce that risk. This risk assessment will be reviewed as part of the annual s175 return that is monitored by the local authority and the local safeguarding children board. A copy of the school Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy is available on the school website.
Deputy Safeguarding Lead Dave Knox
Lead Safeguarding Governor Sandra Jones
Children’s Advice and Support Service (CASS):
0121 303 1888
Outside hours contact Emergency Duty Team:
0121 675 4806
Holyhead is a stand-alone Academy. We are not at present, a Multi-Academy Trust. However, we work closely with the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce in order to sustain a joint commitment towards; Preserving Arts, Culture and Creativity Building opportunities to make the most of the world around beyond school Being an inclusive school Promoting Mental Health Wellbeing Sustaining the world around us
This supports and enhances our curriculum and the pursuit of the school’s overall mission, It’s a partnership we are very proud of. It also facilitates our work as a Teaching School Alliance. Holyhead is a nationally designated Teacher’s School and has well developed programmes for initial Teacher Training, CPD and leadership development.
Student Voice is very important at Holyhead. All students are encouraged to take on extra responsibilities and to contribute to the development of the school and its ethos.
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Students’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well through the curriculum and daily life of the school. Ofsted
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Milestone Lane Holyhead Road Handsworth Birmingham B21 0HN T: 0121 523 1960 F: 0121 523 1969 E: enquiry@holyheadschool.org.uk W: www.holyheadschool.com
@holyhead_school #holyheadschool
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