Journey The journey began when the school opened its doors to its first cohort of Year 7 students in September, 2006. The journey, however, could not have been possible without the vision and commitment of its early founders such as the Chair of Governors, Cllr Douglas Mills, and first Headteacher, John Goulborn. The school’s logo reflects the journey that students experience through their secondary school years; the building itself mirrors the place in between the ‘green grass’ and the ‘blue sky’ where dreams can be made and realised.
Martina Lecky, Headteacher
Opportunities Ruislip High offers students a diverse range of opportunities both in and outside the classroom (refer to the additional information insert for a comprehensive list). As a school we are proud to offer the Duke of Edinburgh Award at all levels – Bronze, Silver and Gold. Our Arts, Healthy Schools, International and Sport marks reflect our commitment to developing each individual as a ‘whole’ person. We offer a broad range of offsite visits to enrich the curriculum and are committed to giving all students the opportunity to experience a residential trip. We believe that students continue to develop their self-esteem and pride through their achievement in lessons and their commitment to enrichment activities, especially when they have to face new challenges.
“Inclusion and equality of opportunity are central to the school’s ethos.” Ofsted 2011
Uniqueness Ruislip High School is unique in being a new comprehensive, community school whose genesis related to a demand in Ruislip for an outstanding school. Our new building, with unrivalled facilities, reflects the founders’ dream to create a school which aims to develop students from ‘grass roots’ and allows them ‘to reach for the sky’. We are a school both in, and for, the community. We strive to be the best school we can be for our community and are determined to educate all our students so that they can fulfil their undoubted potential.
“Staff know all students extremely well, monitor their attainment very closely and provide customised support for anyone who is falling behind. This enables students to achieve outstandingly well.” Ofsted 2011
Responsibility The school’s mission statement: “Our aim is to develop confident, independent, flexible thinkers and learners, who are able to respond positively to the ever-changing global environment.” Our students take a genuine pride in their school, both in terms of the community and its environment; they speak fondly and highly of the Ruislip High staff and are proud of their uniform in terms of what it stands for. We believe that students need to take responsibility for their learning and their actions. Students are encouraged to be challenged in lessons and to understand that learning is not always about getting the right answer! We expect our students to be responsible citizens and therefore encourage their participation in local events as well as whole school activities, such as our winter and summer fairs.
“RHS promotes respect and responsibility to its students which greatly aids their personal development as well as their academic achievement.” Geoff Mattey, Parent
New Challenges We recognise that secondary school years are full of challenges for students, especially in terms of the transition to each Key Stage. Our primary-secondary transition programme is an example of how we work closely with our local primary schools to ensure a successful transition for all students; this involves visits by Ruislip High staff in the summer to every feeder school, individual meetings with Year 6 families and Ruislip High staff, as well as a full induction day in July for Year 6 students followed by a separate parents’ meeting. In terms of Year 9 options, we fully support students in their decisions when for the first time they have a choice in which subjects they will study at GCSE level.
We have set up four pathways for students to support them in the decision-making process and use the parents’ evening at the beginning of the Spring Term to inform parents of the various options. The Ruislip High School Sixth Form started in September, 2011, with our first cohort of students. We support students with individual meetings to help them with their choices. We are delighted that external students have been keen to join our Sixth Form, which is growing from strength to strength. In addition, in order to support students to have a suitable profile for top universities, we encourage them to take the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) in the Summer Term of Year 12 (refer to Sixth Form prospectus for additional information).
“The school, its students and especially the parents have a joint and collective responsibility to work together to produce young people fully capable of coping with the fast changing world we live in.” Cllr Douglas Mills, Chair of Governors
“My Ruislip High journey so far has showed me to always be positive and focused and to think of the best possible outcome.” Olivia Hanson-Smith, Year 8 student
Engagement We believe that engagement with our local community is essential. In our short history, we have set up strong relations with local businesses, our feeder primary schools and with Higher Education institutions such as Brunel University. We work closely with parents and have fostered an open and reflective relationship through our annual parental questionnaires and termly parents’ focus groups. In addition, we are fortunate to be supported by The Friends
of Ruislip High School, who have shown a commitment to the school since its early beginnings. We also ensure that our students have an established and meaningful ‘voice’ through subject focus groups, student questionnaires, our prefect bodies and school council. It is through students’ positive engagement and sense of ownership that the school has gone from strength to strength.
Your School We want new Year 6 students and their families to join our journey as we continue to build a firm foundation for future generations of Ruislip families. We believe that every student should, and can, reach for the sky. We hope that Ruislip High School will become your school where you can begin your own journey.
“Being a student that has worked my way up from Year 7, I’ve definitely developed as a person; not only do I feel that Ruislip High has given me the best start, I feel like it is my school and I’ve made it what it is today.” Soila Apparicio, Sixth Form student
Sidmouth Drive, Ruislip Middlesex HA4 OBY T: 01895 464064 F: 01895 675331 E: office@ruisliphigh.com www.ruisliphigh.com Headteacher: Martina Lecky