Farnham Heath End School Prospectus

Our vision “To provide a world class educational experience that ensures our students are prepared and qualified for the global marketplace; we become a school of choice in Farnham.” We will do so by: • Ensuring all students exceed their academic performance. This will allow a wide and enriching range of opportunities when they leave Farnham Heath End School.

• Providing an aspirational, studentcentred education led by a passionate and collegiate team.

• Creating a “can do” attitude and ethos for all of our students.

• Providing a cultural capital that celebrates and captures the imagination of all our students.

Dear Parent/Carer Welcome to Farnham Heath End School.

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you to our school. This is my first full year at the school following my move from our partner school, Weydon. I know that choosing a school for your son or daughter is very important, and I hope that this prospectus and other school events will help you make your mind up that we are the right school for you. I am a strong believer that happy children make a successful school and that is why children are at the centre of everything we do.

A thriving community

Delivering excellent behaviour

I believe that every child can be a hero and schools are an environment in which to make dreams come true. It is my role to ensure our teachers are equipped with the tools to nurture and develop every individual. Our core values are focused around friendship, courage, resilience and high moral standards. These values underpin our ethos of a love of learning and achievement. From day one, students become involved in our school through their contribution to each other’s learning, community activities, house competitions and the wide variety of extra-curricular activities.

I am committed to providing a safe, calm and tranquil environment. Our school values should permeate throughout the school. The outstanding feature of this great school is the relationships between our students and this leads to the outstanding behaviour seen at Farnham Heath End School.

Delivering excellent learning and teaching Learning is at the heart of everything we do at Farnham Heath End School. I have invested comprehensively in new staff across all curriculum areas to ensure students receive the very best teaching. We ensure, through our Teaching and Learning team, that all teachers receive the very best training and that we keep abreast of the latest academic research from across the globe. Subject experts are at the front of every class and provide an inspirational experience for our learners.

A new beginning This is such an exciting time for the school community.

We have started the building project as part of our drive to provide an outstanding learning environment.

The new build will include a state-of-the-art Sports Hall, eight classrooms and a Learning Resource Zone. On completion of this project we will begin modernising the existing buildings on the campus.

At such a dynamic time for the school, I look forward to meeting you in the near future to celebrate the successes of the school.

Yours sincerely Stuart Maginnis, Principal

1

Choosing Farnham Heath End School We know that making the decision about which secondary school to trust your child’s education to is an important one.

Visitors to the school comment on the excellent relationships between staff and students. They comment on our facilities and how they can see the improvements made and the high standards that have been set. They also comment on the high standards we set in terms of behaviour. However, we all want our children to be successful and happy.

At Farnham Heath End School, we want the same.

Students learn better when they feel happy, safe and secure. Our highly qualified teachers ensure that all students are taught well and academic progress is continually tracked and monitored so that achievements can be recognised, celebrated and provide a platform for future success.

2

Our students sit formal rigorous exams each year so that they are thoroughly prepared for future challenges. We are proud of the achievements that our students make both in terms of academic and personal development. The majority of students choose to continue their studies at local sixth form colleges and then move on to university. Our former students share their success with us regularly and many have gone on to study at Oxbridge and Russell Group universities.

We welcome visitors to our school and look forward to meeting you.

Further information may be found on our website: www.fhes.org.uk

Our Curriculum At Farnham Heath End School, we offer a traditional curriculum.

Flow Learning

Knowledge Organisers

The three key elements of a WMAT (Weydon MultiAcademy Trust) lesson are:

From September 2018, our home learning policy has moved away from a traditional homework approach, towards an evidence-informed process of retrieval practice, using a spaced and interleaved strategy to support knowledge retention over time.

•

Subject passion and pedagogy

•

The power of planning and explanation

•

Responsive teaching

These will be underpinned by a basic foundation of: •

High expectations and great relationships

•

Exceptional behaviour for learning and great relationships

At Key Stage 3 (Years 7 and 8) our curriculum is broad and balanced, based on the National Curriculum. It includes English, Maths, Science, French and German, Geography, History, Religious Education, Art, Drama, Music, Design Technology and Physical Education.

At Key Stage 4 (Years 9, 10 and 11) students continue to study English Language and English Literature, Maths, the Sciences of Biology, Chemistry and Physics, and Physical Education. In addition, they choose four other subjects to make up their own personal curriculum. We strongly encourage students to continue with a Modern Foreign Language and either History or Geography, and students can opt to take both subjects.

Students work on transferring the foundation knowledge for each topic, in each subject, from their short to their long term memory. This is supported through revisiting each topic at various intervals across the key stage. Students complete two knowledge organiser home learning tasks an evening. However, at different key stages, students spend slightly different amounts of time on the process.

The timetable for this is constructed in a way that supports students with their wellbeing and workload. We ask students to work hard during the week, however there are no home learning tasks set over the weekend, allowing students to spend time with their families and friends.

3

Enrichment opportunities A wide range of exciting activities are provided throughout the school that allow the students to enhance and enrich their educational experience.

As a school we believe that learning does not stop when students leave the classroom and, to this end, our students benefit from a broad range of educational visits, clubs and activities. These are fully inclusive and an essential part of school life. An extracurricular timetable is planned for the students that has a wide range of clubs from Further Maths to the full spectrum of sports. Students can also participate in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme.

perform on stage at Farnham Maltings, visit America to ski, study Geography in Iceland, and visit France and Germany to improve their language skills. This year students are participating in an exciting visit to Borneo. Students learning has also been enriched through visits to Berlin, the Imperial War Museum and art galleries. Theatre visits take place that, in the past, have included ‘The Woman in Black’, ‘Blood Brothers’, and ‘Matilda.’

Students have the opportunity to take part in drama and dance and, through the coaching from dance captains, have the chance to take part in ‘Rock Challenge.’ Recent school productions have included ‘Blitz’, ‘Peter Pan’, and ‘Romeo and Juliet.’ These are spectacular events and have allowed students from all years to showcase their talents. Year 11 students and staff also have the chance to perform in our annual pantomime, creating a great sense of togetherness in the school.

We inspire the students to consider their lives beyond Farnham Heath End School through post-16 opportunities. These include programmes working with the University of Creative Arts, the University of Surrey, and Oxford University. Students take part in a Careers Education programme that aims to raise aspiration and enable them to make informed choices about their future pathways. Through activities including workshops, speakers and external visits, students will encounter employers from a wide range of occupations. Year 10 students will undertake one week of work experience, and receive independent careers advice from a qualified advisor.

Out of school educational visits have seen the students play tennis at Wimbledon, cricket at Lords,

4

Pastoral care At Farnham Heath End School we take pride in ensuring every student receives exceptional pastoral care within a fostering and supportive environment.

When students arrive at Farnham Heath End School, it is imperative that they immediately feel part of our community. Our skilled Year Leaders and team of tutors ensure that the transition phase is successful with both students and families being supported.

Year leaders are supported by a youth worker, attendance officer and safeguarding lead, who collectively ensure that pastoral care is tailored to the personal needs and circumstances of every student at the various stages of their school career.

at Farnham Heath End School develops a sense of belonging, community and competition amongst our students and staff.

Each student follows a tutorial programme during the registration period at the start of every day.

During this time the tutor will lead on a variety of topics, ranging from debates on topical issues to PSHE activities. Students will also have different themed assemblies each week.

Each student and member of staff are allocated to one of our four houses; Baynes, Hawthorn, Morris, and Wilkinson. All house names are representatives of the school’s local community. The house system

5

School Life At Farnham Heath End School we enable our students to have unparalleled self-belief, and show them how to reach their true potential, through a range of opportunities and activities, both inside and outside the school.

Through excellent academic resources and unequalled pastoral care your child will be inspired, their lives enriched and their goals achieved.

Farnham Heath End School has a strong and respectful ethos, one of community and togetherness. It is impossible to pass through our corridors unnoticed. Whether you are in Year 11 or Year 7, you will be welcomed into our community whilst being recognised as the unique individual you are.

6

As a community, we ensure that no student is lost in the crowd, and that our conscientious, ambitious and professional teachers get the most out of our students, developing both their confidence and sense of success.

We maintain a strong feeling of mutual respect between members of staff and our students, and between the students themselves.

7

Enrichment through sport We encourage our students to take part in a wide variety of sporting activities, developing a broad range of skills. Our key aim is to support our students to find a sport that they will continue passionately into adulthood, maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle.

We provide a variety of different sporting experiences in curriculum time, including athletics, basketball, cricket, cross-country, football, netball, rounders, rugby, table tennis, tennis, dance and gymnastics. Our sports clubs extend this offer so that every student can access a sport which suits them. We offer GCSE PE and our students achieve well.

8

A large proportion of our students participate in Sports Leadership, which enables them to develop as confident leaders; managing, organising and delivering events, coaching younger students and officiating sports matches.

We link closely with the Weyside Confederation of schools and our Sports Leaders are often found in local Infant and Junior schools, running sports and activities throughout the school year.

PRIDE in our School Community At Farnham Heath End School we ensure that the acronym ‘PRIDE’ is embedded within our community.

At Farnham Heath End School we ensure that the acronym ‘PRIDE’ is embedded within our school community.

We expect our students to demonstrate these attributes and leave school as well-rounded young adults who are: • Positive • Resilient • Imaginative • Dedicated • Encouraging

The PRIDE points system celebrates students’ achievements and successes. Students are awarded PRIDE points for high standards of work and positive contributions to lessons, and for enthusiastic participation in extra-curricular activities. The points are also used as the basis of inter-house competitions.

Celebration Assemblies are held to recognise and reward those who have gained significant numbers of PRIDE points. PRIDE points can be viewed in Class Charts, the school’s behaviour programme.

Our School Council and Year Councils form the school’s Student Voice, giving students credible input into decisions about many changes within the school.

9

Hale Reeds, Farnham, Surrey GU9 9BN Tel: 01252 733371  Email: admin@fhes.org.uk www.fhes.org.uk