Woodhouse College 2015 Prospectus
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WOODHOUSE COLLEGE Prospectus 2015 CONTENTS English Literature 39 Further Mathematics 40 10 reasons why our students love What is Woodhouse? 4 Geography 42 Meet the Principal 5 Government and Politics 44 Woodhouse in Numbers 6 History 45 WOODHOUSE Learning Resource Centre 8 ICT - Information and Pastoral Support 10 Communication Technology 46 Enrichment Programme 12 Law 48 D of E, Speakers and Societies 14 Mathematics 49 1. Our beautiful campus, both indoors and out Trips 18 Modern Foreign Languages 50 The New A Levels 20 Music 52 Extended Project Qualifications 22 Music Technology 54 2. The great sense of community Application Process 23 Philosophy 56 Application Timetable 24 Physical Education 58 Physics 60 Course Guide 25 Psychology 62 Accounting 26 Religious Studies 63 Art History 27 Sociology 64 Art and Design 28 Theatre Studies 66 3. Superfast Biology 30 Business Studies 31 Our Alumni 68 free Wi-Fi Chemistry 32 Our Results 70 Classical Civilisation 33 Find us / Contact us 71 Computer Science 34 Dance 36 My Woodhouse Life 40/46/57 4. Our amazing learning resources Economics 37 - student interviews 60/64/66 English Language 38 10. It’s always sunny! 5. A wide choice of subjects in any (ok, we made that one up) combination 9. Curly fries in the canteen (seriously, students voted for them!) 6. It’s socially and culturally 8. Our consistently diverse good results 7. Our dedicated, specialist A level teachers 2 www.woodhouse.ac.uk www.woodhouse.ac.uk 3 Meet the principal What is Woodhouse? John Rubinstein My vision for Woodhouse is about two things: academic excellence and personal growth and development. I want every student to enjoy their studies, to develop a love of learning and get top grades. And we have put a lot of resources into ensuring that there are numerous opportunities for students to get involved in other things, like sport, Duke of Edinburgh, model UN, volunteering, mentoring programmes, and student societies. It’s important to challenge Are you a Londoner yourself? yourself socially and personally and not just academically if you are to grow into the person I was born in London, but grew up in Hull in you want to be. East Yorkshire where my dad was a professor of History. I think of myself as half-Londoner What is the secret of Woodhouse’s success? “I still teach... and half-Yorkshireman. Most importantly, I still ased in North Finchley learner, and where you are support Hull City. The first thing is that we all have very high to stay in expectations of each other. Our students are Band drawing students supported to become the I went to the University of Sheffield, where I ambitious and work hard for success; they are from over 150 surrounding person you want to be. We touch with got a first class degree in Pure Mathematics. I eager to do better, to know more, to stretch and schools, Woodhouse College provide a happy, trusting and started doing a PhD in some obscure branch of challenge themselves. is one of the leading places to caring environment where teachers and infinite dimensional space, but got distracted by study A levels in London. Our you can challenge yourselves my undergraduate teaching duties and decided Secondly, we are a very specialised institution. students... I preferred teaching. So I switched to a teaching Our teachers are not turning from a difficult consistently high performance and explore a whole range of course, and I have been teaching maths for over year 9 set for a bit of a breather with Year 13! in exam results backs opportunities. Woodhouse but mainly 25 years now. We know who we are and what we do best, and this up. The Government is as much about personal because I we stick to that. We just do A levels. And we do recognises us as one of a growth as it is about exam What do you think is special about them well, with expert staff, specialist resources small number of colleges success. love it.” Woodhouse? and accommodation. with both Beacon Status and The best thing about Woodhouse is the students, Thirdly, we are not complacent. We have a Ofsted Outstanding status. Woodhouse College boasts who are bright and lively, fun but caring and brilliant board of governors who are constantly Our A*-B pass rates usually some of the best facilities polite - a joy to teach. And working with our on our backs to improve. We welcome place us in the top three in the area and promotes brilliant staff is a constant pleasure: our teachers complaints from students and parents as a means sixth form colleges nationally an extensive recreational and support staff are so committed, and creative, to engage with them, and help us to up our game. - a real team. I look forward to coming to work (there are 93 in England). enrichment programme – every day, and not everyone can say that! I have been an Ofsted inspector for 12 years, Our combination of expert this year, over 50 different part-time. I still do a couple of inspections a year. teaching staff, excellent enrichment choices are What kind of head teacher are you? It is very interesting and worthwhile work and facilities and an ambitious, on offer. At our heart is it helps me maintain a critical eye. Sometimes I supportive approach has an extensive pastoral care I think I am the first Principal in Woodhouse’s see what great things other places are doing and history to carry on teaching. I do it to stay in come back and suggest we do them too. proved very successful in system and our tutorial, touch with teachers and students, but mainly achieving excellent academic guidance and support systems because I still love it. Favourite book or film? results. But that is not all we will help you steer a safe offer. course through your A levels I joined as Head of Maths, and have been The book is either The Grapes of Wrath by John and beyond. promoted through the ranks first to ‘Director of Steinbeck or maybe Lonesome Dove by Larry Teaching & Learning’ and then to Vice Principal. McMurtry. At Woodhouse, we believe So I know the College and its staff well, and I that sixth form college should Our students are ambitious: make it my mission to know the students well Film? I have to admit that the Lord of the Rings be a stepping stone between they embrace the challenge to too. I am always around and about, chatting with trilogy might be up there. “The day may come school and university, a be the best they can be, inside students and helping them with their homework when the courage of men fails, when we forsake place where you can start and outside the classroom. in the learning zones. I like to be visible and our friends and break all bonds of fellowship. But responsive to students’ needs, easy to approach it is not this day. This day we fight!” to become an independent and talk to. 4 www.woodhouse.ac.uk www.woodhouse.ac.uk 5 WOODHOUSE Resources 40 periodicals in numbers 178 (archived) dedicated study spaces in Learning Resource Centre 200 73 dvds 4,500 Specialist A Level Applications received Teachers 48 1,336 19,000 Loanable 150 Students books netbooks schools students come from 46 Support staff 31 10% PCs in silent independent working area schools 450 483 853 computers Boys Girls 500mb £115K fibre optic I T spend super fast per annum Wi-Fi A Level Results 2014 45% progress to a Subjects Russell Group University 70 99.3% students gained pass rate straight A/A* in all at A Level their A-levels 70 51 students took enrichment 12 options an EPQ 31% students accepted a achieved place at Oxbridge A - A* 95% 30 Woodhouse students that go on to different A level subjects 80% study at univerisity 66% 13 offered EPQ A*-B A*-B went on to study at medical school 6 www.woodhouse.ac.uk www.woodhouse.ac.uk 7 Learning Zones Having access to good quality learning resources is integral to our commitment to students at Woodhouse. Our Learning Resource Centre opened in 2000 and its library (staffed by three helpful and professional librarians) provides access to over 19,000 books, journals, newspapers and DVDs. The LRC has over 170 dedicated silent study spaces, where students can study, complete their homework or read around their subjects. Add to this over 30 silent study PCs and almost 50 netbooks on day-loan and you can see it is a fantastic space where students can focus and concentrate. It is open from before classes begin until the end of the college day and throughout half-term and the Easter holidays. Students have even turned up to use it on bank holidays - but we have to close sometimes! In addition to our library area, we have two other learning zones where students can participate in group work, as well as work by themselves. These non-silent study areas provide a good place for discussion and debate about classroom topics. Each zone is decked out with dozens of computers and daily becomes a busy hub of activity. We have two learning zone supervisors who are on hand all day to help students with subject-specific issues and UCAS applications. They also maintain our very successful mentoring scheme, where upper sixth students help the first years to get to grips with study-related problems. Our dedicated careers area is where students come to get all the data they need to make informed choices about their future.