Principal February 2019
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Principal February 2019 Dear Colleagues My thanks for your interest in the post of Principal at The County High School, Leftwich (CHSL) which will become vacant on the retirement of Miss Julie Brandreth after 13 years of outstanding service to the Academy. The Academy has a well-deserved reputation as an outstanding local school serving students in and around Leftwich and it is routinely oversubscribed. At the last inspection in March 2016 the Academy was judged ‘outstanding’ in every area – a most unusual occurrence. The inspectors were particularly keen to highlight the highly effective leadership at all levels. The academic success of the Academy is well documented but such outcomes may only be achieved where an institution is well managed, discipline is strong and the welfare of students paramount. Self-evaluation processes are very well established and create the driver for continuing improvement in provision. The Governing Body is well informed and active, holding the school to account as well as providing support and recognising achievement. Staff are loyal, morale is high and teamworking is excellent. In short this is a happy as well as highly effective school. Unusually in these times of austerity the financial position of the Academy is sound. The CHSL is currently a Single Academy Trust but is exploring the possibility of working with other local high performing providers and joining a Multi Academy Trust. The successful candidate will be expected to work with governors to develop such a future partnership. CHSL has been at the forefront of the school improvement initiative and expects in the future to lead in this area supporting other local schools. Governors are looking for an exceptional leader to take the CHSL into the next stage of its development. They understand that leading and improving an outstanding institution is not without its challenges but believe this is an exciting time for the right person to continue to improve the Academy and lead it to a bright future. I do hope you find all that you need to know about the school either in this application pack, on the website or in the most recent Ofsted report but if you have any questions or queries about the post or wish to make a preliminary visit, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Pimlatt at the school. My very best wishes Chris W Penter MA Chair of Governors Granville Road, Northwich, Cheshire, CW9 8EZ. Tel 01606 333 300 Fax 01606 331 483 Email: [email protected] www.leftwichhigh.com Principal Miss J Brandreth MBA BA Hons NPQH About the Academy About the Academy The County High School, Leftwich is a fully inclusive, co-educational, 11-16 Converter Academy with approximately 999 students, 56 teaching and 60 support staff. The school serves a mixed catchment area with a Published Admission Number of 196, though we are now significantly over- subscribed. The school recognises and celebrates CHOICE, which encapsulates our drive for high standards and learning for employability. Care, courtesy and consideration High standards; we think and dress smartly Only behave towards others as we wish others to behave towards us Increased punctuality and attendance Can-do attitude Excellent examination results/enhanced employability When we make the right choice, we enjoy learning and achieve success The County High School, Leftwich prides itself on a sustained reputation for outstanding academic performance in a proudly inclusive learning environment. For three consecutive years, our students have made “above average” progress, topping the Cheshire West and Chester tables for Progress 8. In 2017, the Academy gained the Pupil Premium Award, sponsored by TES in partnership with the DfE, as Secondary Regional Champion for the Northwest, and in 2018, our Pupil Premium Progress 8 of +0.17 outperformed the national Progress 8 for non-disadvantaged students. We achieve such results by creating a happy, safe and calm teaching and learning environment. Our broad, balanced and enriched curriculum promotes the enjoyment of learning, so our students are motivated to gain the knowledge, skills and qualifications which will enable them to realise their potential and thus exercise choice and control in their personal and working lives. We believe that every student’s experience of success contributes to his/her personal happiness and that understanding is how we define student well-being. Students who are engaging happily with their education in the classroom and via our extensive enrichment offer, well-documented on our website, will be successful learners, making strong progress and thereby attaining excellent results. The County High School, Leftwich is a caring, supportive and “futures-thinking” organisation with a very clear focus upon learning which, we believe, benefits from a strong partnership between talented staff, wise governors, students who want to learn and parents/carers who want their children to succeed. It is a busy, vibrant school in which colleagues work hard to nurture this learning partnership for which the school has a well-deserved reputation. Autumn, 2012, primaries asked us to introduce “Master Classes” for Year 5 pupils, supporting their academic as well as social transition and we have fostered very strong links with local post-16 providers, underpinning Key Stage 4-5 pathways. Our Ofsted Inspection, March 2016 celebrated these strengths and more, acknowledging the exciting journey we have undertaken, endorsing our clear direction and judging us to be deservedly “outstanding”. We believe education is about enhancing our students’ life opportunities and thus learning for employability is at the heart of our offer. Safeguarding Policy The County High School, Leftwich fully recognises its role and responsibilities in protecting children and keeping them safe so as to enable those children and young people to have optimum life chances and to enter adulthood successfully. The Academy complies with the guidance given in Keeping Children Safe in Education (DfE, updated September 2018). The Academy expects all staff to read the summary document referred to as Part 1 of Keeping Children Safe in Education (DfE, updated September 2018); each member of staff is expected to sign to confirm that they have read this document. This process will be repeated annually. Any safeguarding concerns can be raised with Academy staff members. All members of the Academy staff are trained in their obligation to see that safeguarding concerns are forwarded promptly to a designated safeguarding professional. The County High School Leftwich is committed to proactively engaging with external agencies such as Social Care, compliance with Local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB*) and Safeguarding in Education (SCiE) and will make rigorous use of the referral procedures associated with liaising with such agencies. *At the time of writing LSCBs are subject to review. CHSL will continue to engage with any revised form of this body. The Academy acknowledges that safeguarding is not just about protecting children and young people from deliberate harm, but encompasses a wide variety of issues including information, advice and guidance, care and support, anti-bullying, safe internet use, providing first aid, racial equality and educating our young people about drug and substance misuse. Within this range of issues, the Academy acknowledges its responsibility to foster informed discussion and protect students from the potential harm caused by extremist attitudes of all sorts. In our belief that ‘every child really does matter’, safeguarding must be prioritised in all that we do and although clear policies will facilitate a consistent approach, it is day-to-day vigilance in sustaining best practice that will make the most difference to young people’s feelings of safety, wellbeing and happiness. Peer-on-peer abuse Staff Basic awareness training draws attention to this form of abusive behaviour and guidance given includes the following: Prompt reporting to key staff is essential Incidences of peer-on-peer abuse must be dealt with the same rigour and promptness as for incidences of any other sort of abusive behaviour The potential need to support both victims, perpetrators and other associated young people must be acknowledged Effective guidance must also be given to students to help them to behave appropriately and respectfully towards one another. There is a critical role for the Education for Life (EFL) curriculum in offering this support and guidance. Safeguarding of SEND students In dealing with safeguarding incidents involving SEND students due regard must always be given to the bearing their SEND status may have on the alleged incident and how best to investigate and seek to resolve any incidents. The Academy will ensure that the SENDCo is a member of the safeguarding team and has a level of safeguarding training that is commensurate with that role. Raising concerns about the conduct of professionals (Whistleblowing) Should the concerns raised be about any of the designated safeguarding professionals the matter should be raised with the Principal. Should the concern raised be about the Principal the matter should be raised with the Chair of the Governing Body. Safeguarding of looked after and previously looked after students Effective safeguarding provision for looked after and previously looked after students must acknowledge that there is the potential for these students to be more vulnerable that their peers. The Academy will ensure that the Designated Teacher for looked after and previously looked after children is a member of the safeguarding team and has a level of safeguarding training that is commensurate with that role. Safeguarding of students accessing alternative provision The Academy acknowledges its responsibility to ensure the same standard of safeguarding provision is maintained when alternative provision is commissioned for students. Those commissioned providers must provide adequate written confirmation of effective training for their staff members. The establishment of our EfL (Education for Life) Faculty is given status in our curriculum offer, enabling the student to spend time with the Personal Tutor/Learning Mentor.