Parent Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average class size?
The average class size is 25.

When was the school’s last inspection?
The latest copies of the College’s Ofsted report can be found on the school website at the bottom of the home page.

How are teaching standards monitored?
We are fortunate to have dedicated and motivated staff who work incredibly hard to deliver inspiring and engaging lessons. These are monitored regularly by the Senior Leadership team and middle leaders and used to inform the College’s Professional Development programme.

Are the pupils grouped by ability?
Yes. Each student is assessed individually across all subjects on an ongoing basis to track their progress and ensure that they are in the right learning group.

How does the College support students if they have special educational needs?
There is no one size fits all model for any student and as such we have a small but dedicated team of teachers and support staff who will work with you and your child to support your child’s learning. As well as additional parent drop-ins, we will have enhanced transition days in the summer term to help your child settle into College life. For specific questions please email our SENCO Ms Nicholas.

What systems are in place to monitor academic performance, what is the assessment policy and how does the school keep parents informed?
Student progress in monitored continually through assessment and data input to track student’s progress. Parents are kept informed through parents evening and termly progress reports. In addition, staff and tutors are often in close contact with home to discuss any concerns. Instant praise and behavioural concerns as well as student reports can be tracked through our Parent App.

How frequent are parents’ evenings and what format do they take?
Parent’s evenings usually take place twice throughout the academic year. Parents are able to book appointments with their child’s subject teachers using an on-line portal. During the evening, you will be able to discuss progress, effort and any other issues / concerns you or the teacher may have. Most importantly however you don’t need to wait until a parent evening to get in touch with our teachers you can email them at your convenience at any time. A full list of staff along with their email contacts can be found on our website.

What does the curriculum look like?
Please refer to our KS3 and KS4 webpages.

Will I get support to help my child with their career choices?
We have a dedicated careers advisor and we have a number of careers fairs and other employability opportunities for students to consider their chosen options in our Personal Development Drop Down Days. Students will also have the opportunity to engage in a week of work experience in from Year 10 onwards.

What is the schools policy on homework?
At KS3 (Years 7 and 8) students have a carefully managed timetable of homework over a two week period, at KS4 (GCSE) students can expect one piece of homework per subject per week and at KS5 (A-Level) one piece of homework is given per lesson. Please refer to our home learning pages for more information.

Does the school offer A-level and Vocational Courses in the sixth form?
Yes. We offer a wide range of both. Details of which can be found on our website. Please click on the link to our Sixth form tab on the College website for more information.

Does the College deal with Bullying?
Yes straight away- we don’t tolerate any form of discrimination. The College has a clear code of conduct and students who fall short of our high expectations are supported to do so if they wish to remain a student at the College. A example copy of the anti bullying System from the student planner can be found below.

Can students have mobile phones in school?
Yes - although these must be turned off and out of sight during the school day. A copy of the mobile phone policy can be found below.

What is the College’s uniform policy?
The College has a very strict uniform policy, a copy can be found in the student planner and on the slide show below.  

What are the timings of the school day?
The College starts at 8.30 with a roll call and ends at 15.00 when our club and activities programme starts. For year 11 the day ends at 16.00. The timings of the College day can be found here
Anti-bullying
anti-bullying continued
mobile phone policy
college uniform
college uniform continued

Please see the slide show above with relevant sections from our College Student Planners which explains some of our expectations and procedures to support our students.