Prospectus 2019-20
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PROSPECTUS 2019-20 Prospectus 2019-2020 Welcome – Croeso In my experience, parents want their children to be educated in a school where learning and respect are placed at the heart of everything it does. It is only when both of these values work in complete unison with each other that students can flourish and reach their potential. The John Frost School is a community, co-educational comprehensive school which is proud of the diverse communities it serves. We strive to ensure high standards; our commitment to the arts, music and sport combine to provide opportunities for each student`s personal fulfilment and success. When you visit, you will find our school has a strong ethos of mutual co-operation and respect, where dedicated staff and students work together and learn from each other. We want our young people to become responsible citizens who care about others and the communities they live in. We have had a new building, ATP, MUGA pitches, car parking and extensive refurbishment in our older buildings. I look forward to welcoming you to a school that demonstrates all that is best about comprehensive education. Mr M Tucker Headteacher The John Frost School Charter Our students, parents, staff and governors have produced our charter which encapsulates our vision and values. The John Frost School Charter 1. To instil respect and tolerance towards others 2. To provide a safe, caring and healthy environment 3. To foster pride in ourselves, our school, our communities and our city 4. To promote an inclusive, nurturing school where we all work together to achieve success 5. To enable all students to realise their potential 6. To encourage a lifelong love of learning to ensure students are: ► Ambitious and capable ► Enterprising and creative ► Ethical and informed ► Healthy and confident An Outstanding Curriculum We offer a broad and balanced personalised curriculum. Our focus is to ensure that all students acquire the basic skills of literacy, numeracy and ICT, as well as the equally important wider skills. At The John Frost School, we challenge and motivate our students and place great emphasis on supporting each individual, both personally and academically, as they progress throughout their school life. All students in Key Stage 3 follow the National Curriculum subjects with individualised support where needed. All subjects are delivered through the Literacy and Numeracy Framework, ensuring a rigorous commitment to high standards with key skills at the heart of everything we do. Students are guided through a wide variety of individual pathways which are on offer. These pathways are carefully constructed to allow both choice and flexibility in which traditional academic subjects such as Physics, Chemistry and Biology, History and Geography can be studied alongside vocational courses. In Sixth Form, our flexible and student-centred curriculum enables students to choose from a multitude of ‘A’ Level and vocational subjects. We are delighted to be a member of the “Newport West Sixth Form Collaboration of Schools” which allow us to offer students such a wide range of subjects. We have developed an excellent Careers Education programme. Links with the local community and businesses are extensive and, combined with work related activities; provide our students with a wide range of experiences in preparation for the world of work. Our Personal, Social and Health Education programme is extensive and covers all aspects of the wider curriculum including internet safety, sex education, drug and substance misuse awareness and many other aspects of wellbeing. The aims are to help students to develop the skills and knowledge appropriate to their age, understanding and development. Students are enabled to make responsible decisions about their relationships, sexual health and well-being. We work closely with a number of agencies including Gwent Police, Careers Wales, Gwent Health Authority and Youth Service to support learning and enrich our curriculum. Homework is a vital part of student learning and considerable emphasis is placed on helping students take responsibility for their own achievement and personal development. Homework is carefully planned and has been designed to complement student learning. Pastoral Care – Well-being is at the heart of what we do The principle and approach we work towards is to support each student in the school as an individual learner and achiever. Pastoral care is provided to ensure students are able to engage fully in the life of the school, identifying a student’s strengths and areas to develop so that the student can achieve and make progress. We provide access to high quality guidance through a superb pastoral team with additional support from external agencies if required. Pastoral care also engages with the students’ lives away from school, providing a link with family life, and taking an active and supportive interest in the student as an individual. We have a dedicated Year 7 team of staff who specialise in induction and plan a sensitive and successful programme of transition from Year 6 in our feeder primaries into secondary school life. Our form tutor system focuses on individual support and academic progress. Parents are encouraged to have regular contact with the school and we hold a range of activities when parents may visit the school. We believe it is imperative to form a strong link with parents and encourage a regular and active dialogue around student progress. Supporting the Individual We recognise that every student needs to be personally challenged throughout their school life and we place great emphasis on tracking individual student progress. We encourage all parents’ to attend Parents’ Evenings. For more-able and talented students, a programme of extension and enrichment opportunities take place to challenge and stretch classroom learning in new and imaginative ways. In the classroom, lessons are differentiated to enable high performers to achieve their very best. We believe that educational inclusion is about equal opportunities for all students, whatever their age, gender, ethnicity, attainment and background. At The John Frost School, we aim to identify needs as they arise and provide teaching and learning contexts which enable every child to achieve to his or her full potential For students with a particular learning need, our very experienced Additional Educational Needs team develop a wide variety of support and interventions to support the individual and allow them to have equal access to the curriculum. We provide a differentiated curriculum for students with identified needs. Specialist support is provided when required from external agencies. Student Voice – We listen to our students We have an outstanding range of opportunities for students to develop their leadership skills, including a thriving Student Council who play an active role in making improvements to school life. Students are encouraged to take posts of responsibility and become successful, confident, global citizens. They regularly represent the school in an assortment of external events. The John Frost School has a well-established Student Voice programme which includes regular questionnaires linked to teaching and learning, well-being surveys and meetings with staff and governors. We are very proud of our policy of listening to our learners and responding to their feedback. The school has well established student groups who meet regularly to drive the school forward in key areas. These groups are Eco Group, Well-being Group. Equality and Diversity Group and Healthy Eating (SNAG) Group. The Welsh Language All teaching in the school is delivered in English. However, we are committed to providing a range of opportunities for students to encounter the use of the Welsh language. Cwricwlwm Cymreig is embedded throughout the school and develops students’ appreciation of Welsh culture and heritage. Collective Worship/Religious Education The John Frost School is committed to the principle that all students should be treated with dignity and respect. Religious Education provides the opportunity for students to learn about the world and their community and the people in it. Our comprehensive Religious Studies curriculum enables choices to be made and issues to be discussed that impact upon everyday life and reflect current affairs. Students are encouraged to develop their understanding of the spirituality within themselves which creates individual human beings. Opportunity is provided for students to learn more about the way in which religion can play an important part in their lives. The beliefs and values of others are studied in order to develop respect for, and an appreciation of, the similarities and differences between individuals and communities. All of our students engage in a daily act of collective worship through assemblies and form periods. Parents have the right to withdraw their child from the act of collective worship and/or Religious Education for religious reasons and can discuss their decisions in greater depth with the Headteacher, if required. Our Feeder Primary School Links We are very proud of our excellent links with our feeder primary schools and we work closely with them to provide an extensive transition programme, ensuring a seamless progression into secondary school. All students from our primaries visit our school for a range of events including music, drama and sporting activities. Our staff visit and teach Year 5 and 6 students on a regular basis. We meet with primary schools to plan collaboratively to ensure our students make excellent progress in their learning. Our feeder schools are: Clytha Primary Gaer Primary Gllasllwch Primary Maesglas Primary Pillgwenlly Primary Tredegar Park Primary St Woolos Primary. Our Home School Agreement We are totally committed to working with our parents and carers and believe partnership between parents and the school is imperative. We ask all students and parents to sign the Home School Agreement, which identifies each responsibility to ensure success for the student. As well as the usual contact with home via telephone calls, emails, texts, homework log books and mail, we also communicate through our website, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.