Prospectus 2015/16.Indd
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Welcome to Shavington Academy It is with great pleasure that I academy trust. We have strong and polite, they take their educati on introduce our school to you. Our relati onships with South Cheshire seriously and give of their best. prospectus is intended to give you a College and are a member school of snapshot of our everyday life, and to the Chimney House Teaching School If you are considering Shavington provide informati on to support you in Alliance. As such we contribute to the as your school of choice, there are choosing a High School. professional learning of teachers and opportuniti es to have a tour during leaders, across Cheshire East. We are our Open Evening, where you can Shavington is a smaller than average our own admissions authority and meet staff and pupils, and see our rural secondary school, with a own our land and assets. faciliti es. We also host tours during reputati on both for high academic the school day. standards and exemplary pastoral This year, we have increased the care. As a small school, we are able transport available from Crewe to Please do not hesitate to contact the to get to know children’s personaliti es Shavington. Please ask the school for a school to arrange a visit with either and support their talents, aspirati ons map of the route. The new service is in myself or a member of my Senior and needs. It is important to us that additi on to long established routes to Leadership Team. our pupils enjoy their ti me at school, Weston, Wybunbury and Wistaston. and this infl uences the curriculum we Carol White off er, in additi on to the trips and visits As the Head Teacher of Shavington Head Teacher that we organise. since June 2010, I am very proud to have been part of the school’s growing In May 2014, Ofsted graded the school reputati on. Staff are professional and ‘Good’ in all areas: Achievement, committ ed, they join me in a collecti ve Teaching, Behaviour & Leadership. A drive for every child to enjoy the very copy of the report is enclosed in this best standard of educati on. Our aim prospectus. is to prepare our pupils successfully, so that they may embrace life with S E In September we became Shavington confi dence when they leave us as ANTUN Academy, the lead school in a new young adults. Pupils are well behaved As pupils begin with us Pupils join Shavington from across the local area. Our transition coordinator visits primary schools to get to know pupils, first of all, in their familiar surroundings. Parents and pupils are welcome to make additional visits prior to beginning at our school. Though we work closely with a number of local primary schools, children from any school are welcome and are supported to make new friends and familiarise themselves with their new surroundings. There are a range of events that take place at the start of the academic year to foster friendships and to help pupils to settle into their new school. Pupils are placed in form groups, and meet their tutor during the two induction days in June. In their first month at school in September, Year 7 are invited to visit Stanley Head, to get to know each other and their form tutors. Pupils are placed in academic sets and their progress is monitored each half term. We encourage a dialogue with parents, to ensure that the group is right for their child. As a school we are committed to every individual’s progress. In a survey of our Year 7s transition experience, we asked pupils how they were made to feel welcome. Here are some of their responses: “I thought the pupils were supportive and so were the teachers” “The teachers were friendly and kind, they make you feel comfortable” We asked them to give some advice to Year 6 joining Shavington. Here are some of the responses: “Work hard in lessons, make new friends” “Just be yourself, behave and have lots of fun” “Think before you act and think about what you say” “Don’t be scared of making new friends. You will find great friends in your form and set.” Homework One of the significant challenges for pupils beginning high school is the organisation of the school day and homework. We support our pupils to manage the demands of homework through a published calendar. A ‘Show My Homework’ page has open access, on the school’s website: www.shavington.academy. On this page, resources required to complete homework can be downloaded and completion dates are published so that parents can support both their child and the school. English The English department at Shavington is highly successful and achieves results that outperform national averages for results at A*-C and achievement of A* and A. Pupils are taught by professional, enthusiastic, dynamic specialists who are passionate about teaching and sharing their love of English, Media and Literature. English is a skills-based subject which delves into both the real world and the limitless possibilities of the imagination. Pupils enjoy an exciting, varied and inspiring range of topics which encompasses contemporary and classical literature, in addition to non-fiction. Pupils learn empathy and compassion using challenging stimuli. Rich opportunities are provided for pupils to explore emotions and experiences through texts, and pupils enjoy rising to the challenge of writing for varied audiences and purposes. Pupils are taught the skills required for GCSE English and Literature examinations, and ultimately we enable them to become successful and articulate citizens. Examples of our Extra Curriculum Activities include: • National writing competitions Mathematics • Live Theatre and workshops • New York trip Our schemes of work help pupils to develop the core • Annual Harry Potter World Visit learning skills and understanding of a range of different • Theatre Visits elements of Mathematics and to prepare pupils for the • World Book Day celebrations demanding GCSE course. Whilst we strongly believe that a • Annual Readathon solid understanding of key mathematical skills is essential, it is becoming increasingly important for pupils to become ‘Attainment in English in particular is the highest the confident problem solvers, an approach which gives learners school has ever known.’ a far clearer understanding of how important Mathematics Ofsted 2014 is in real life situations and also how they can combine and apply skills from different areas of Mathematics to achieve well in the GCSE course. All pupils take GCSE Mathematics. For those pupils considering A Level Mathematics, they have the option to also take GCSE Further Maths and receive further enrichment activities. Mathematics is a universal language with which we understand the world around us and beyond. Pupils do and will continue to apply their knowledge and understanding of Mathematics every single day. It is therefore essential that we provide confident, skilled and numerate citizens ready to take on the mathematical challenges they will meet, both inside and outside the classroom. ‘Students make outstanding progress when teachers’ questioning challenges them to think more deeply about the topics they are studying.’ Ofsted 2014 The English Baccalaureate (Ebacc) Science A significant number of pupils study triple science: GCSE Biology, Physics and Chemistry, though pupils can take two or one science qualifications, depending on their strength. Child Development is a popular option taught in the Science Department also. Pupils learn through a range of demanding challenges, focussed discussions and practical tasks in an enjoyable and collaborative way. Visiting speakers, competitions and science clubs bring science to life for pupils. Science at work has been promoted when Year 8 pupils visited Daresbury Laboratory for a ‘Physics at Work’ day. Year 7 pupils saw chemistry in action when a Professor from Salford University demonstrated experiments with dry ice during Science Week. Year 9 pupils have been involved in the Girls into Engineering project and made models relating to the HS2 railway project. Science Club runs weekly for lower school pupils. ‘The quality of teaching is good, with examples of outstanding practice in a range of subjects.’ Ofsted 2014 Modern Foreign Languages Pupils study French in Years 7, 8 and 9 and the majority of pupils will also study Spanish as a second language. Pupils Humanities have the opportunity to take Languages at GCSE and to visit a European country through an inexpensive educational The Humanities are made up of Geography, History, visit. Details of the trips for the year are published in Philosophy & Ethics, Citizenship and Archaeology. Learning September. is lively and fun, supported by a wide range of visits and speakers. These include Geography field trips to the Peak District and North Wales, History visits to Edinburgh, Berlin and the First World War battlefields and Philosophy & Ethics education visits to religious and spiritual centres. Humanities are very popular subjects that promote independent thought. Whatever the learning environment and context, pupils are encouraged to consider the impact of a range of experiences upon the human race in a sensitive and critical way, whilst looking for ways in which we can learn from these experiences. ICT & Computing It is our aim to enable all pupils to be proficient, safe, confident and discriminating users of Information Technology. Pupils experience a wide range of software and hardware, and through analysing and solving problems, develop their skills. Topics include cloud computing, 3D design, office applications, the online world, animation, editing film and sound files, web design, and programming in a variety of languages. All pupils have access to an ICT qualification. Art The Arts are a strength of the school. Through Arts Mark designation, we encourage all pupils to participate in the expressive arts.