Farnham Heath End School Prospectus

Our vision We aim to deliver excellence in all that we do, ensuring that students are at the centre of everything that we do.

This means that as a school we will try to: • Make sure that every child fulfils his or her academic potential • Develop the whole child by providing an inspiring and diverse curriculum including a range of enrichment activities • Provide the very best education possible • Equip each student with the skills that they will need for their future life

“ Teachers and other staff create an environment where students can learn and are encouraged to do their best. Students are proud of their school and are keen to talk about what makes it different to other schools locally.”

Ofsted

Dear Parent/Carer Welcome to Farnham Heath End School.

I know that choosing a school is a very important decision for you and your son/daughter. I hope that this prospectus will provide an interesting and helpful insight into our thriving and successful school and help you with your decision making. I hope too that you will join with us to make our school an inspirational place to learn. At Farnham Heath End School, we ensure that the students are at the centre of everything that we do.

A thriving community I believe that every child has talents and, as parents and teachers, we need to identify, nurture and develop these so that every individual succeeds. Our core values of trust, respect, aspiration and high moral standards underpin our ethos of encouragement and achievement. We expect that all members of our school community will show the respect to others that they would like shown to them. We encourage students to become involved in our school community as much as possible through contributions to house competitions, community activities, taking increasing responsibility and participating in a very wide range of extra-curricular activities and trips.

Delivering excellent learning and teaching Learning and teaching is at the very centre of everything we do at Farnham Heath End School. We have invested heavily in updating the learning environment in the school so that students benefit from bright, airy teaching spaces and communal spaces. Our teachers are, however, the biggest area that we have invested in. From ensuring

that all teachers receive regular training and development to ensure that they remain at the top of their profession, to only employing the very best staff, we believe that there is no substitute for well qualified and committed staff. As a school we will continue to work with staff to ensure that the quality of teaching and learning is of the very highest quality, in every lesson, every day.

Delivering excellent behaviour We are committed to the belief that great learning takes place in a secure and disciplined environment where students are healthy and safe.

Learning is most effective when students enjoy what they do and feel valued. As a small school we are able to build positive relationships with our students and this is at the core of the outstanding behaviour seen at Farnham Heath End School.

Delivering excellent results and progress Exam results are important and the majority of our students exceed their own and our expectations.

We expect all students to work hard whilst in school and at home; so that each one of them realises

their potential. Our staff work exceptionally hard to achieve this and we expect your son/daughter to work harder to exceed their potential. Our results in 2017 saw 74% of students achieving a grade 4 or above in maths, with ten students achieving the new highest grade, grade 9, which was double the national average. In English, 66% of students gained a grade 4 or above, with both subjects overall performing above the national average. Whilst exam results and progress are vital to a student’s academic path in life, Farnham Heath End School also places a huge emphasis on educating the whole student and creating well rounded, independent and polite young adults when they leave the school, on which we pride ourselves.

We hope that this is the first of many links between your home and our school. We believe strongly in the partnership between the student, school and parents. We know that outstanding and inspirational achievements can be realised when we work together. We look forward to meeting you in the near future.

Yours sincerely Nicholas Phillips, Headteacher

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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 that we have 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.

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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 which, we believe, is delivered in an innovative and creative way.

At Key Stage 3 (Years 7 & 8) our curriculum is broad and balanced, based on the National Curriculum, it includes English, Maths, Science, French and German, Geography, History, Religious Education, Computing, Art, Drama, Music, Design Technology and Physical Education. In addition, students in Year 7 also develop skills in areas such as thinking, teamwork, managing information, organisation and citizenship through our Opening Minds curriculum.

At Key Stage 4, starting in Year 9, students continue to study English Language and English Literature, Maths, the sciences of Biology, Chemistry and Physics, Religious Education 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.

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Enrichment opportunities A large number of activities are provided after school, which students attend to enhance and further their educational experience.

Students have the opportunity to take part in drama and dance, and through the coaching from dance captains, students have the chance to take part in ‘Rock Challenge’. Students also have the chance to take part in school productions each year, with recent productions of; ‘Blitz’, ‘Aladdin’, ‘Peter Pan’ and ‘Sweeney Todd’ seeing a wide range of students in all year groups participating and putting on a great show. 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, as a school, believe that learning does not stop when students leave the classroom and, to this end, our students benefit from a broad range of trips and visits in which they can participate throughout

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their time at Farnham Heath End School. Students have played tennis at Wimbledon, cricket at Lords, performed on stage at The Maltings, visited America to ski, studied Geography in Iceland, visited France and Germany to improve their language skills, as well as visits to theatres to see performances such as ‘The Woman in Black’, ‘Blood Brothers’ and ‘Matilda’.

There are also enrichment opportunities to visit museums, such as the Imperial War Museum and art galleries.

New opportunities for enrichment are consistently being sought, and it is really exciting to be able to say that we are sending students to Borneo in 2018, and we look forward to offering even more enrichment opportunities in the future.

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 Heads of Year and team of tutors, ensure that the transition phase is successful with both students and families being supported.

and competition amongst our students and staff.

Students are awarded house points for achieving excellence in their learning or the community, participating in challenges and succeeding in house events, which take place throughout the school year.

Heads of Year 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.

There is a tutorial programme that each student follows during the registration period at the end 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; Austen, Brunel, Nightingale and Owens. The house system at Farnham Heath End School helps to develop a sense of community

“ Leaders have created a very calm and orderly environment where students feel well-cared-for and safe.�

Ofsted

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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 of 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 a year 11 or a young year 7, you will be welcomed into our community whilst being recognised as the unique individual you are.

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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, which creates an environment that everyone wants to be a part of.

“ Leaders regularly check the quality of teaching, learning and assessment and use this information to plan improvements to the school. They guide students well in their choice of subjects and more students are continuing to study academic qualifications at college and sixth form as a result.� Ofsted

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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 which they will continue passionately into adulthood, maintaining a healthy and active lifestyle.

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

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A large proportion of our students participate in a sports leadership programme, 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 Community At Farnham Heath End School we ensure that the acronym ‘PRIDE’ is embedded within our community.

We expect our students to demonstrate these attributes at all times, and that they leave our school as rounded young adults that are: • Positive • Resilient • Imaginative • Dedicated • Encouraging We are a school that is at the heart of our community and value the input of all that play a role in our school and the wider area. We have an active and effective Parent and Teachers Association which is helping to improve the community ethos in the school, and through the staging of events, the engagement of the wider community with the school.

Our School Council and Year Councils offer students the chance to have their say, making regular suggestions for how the school can continue to improve. Our students are at the centre of our community, and they have been involved with many projects, including the design of the recent refurbishment to the school café, helping to choose school uniform and making suggestions to the plans for their new buildings.

The next few years will see exciting new buildings, including new Science laboratories, a new Sports Hall with changing facilities, a new Learning Resource Centre, and several new state of the art classrooms. This is a very exciting stage of our development and we look forward to welcoming you as part of our community in the near future.

“ Students listen attentively throughout assemblies, in lessons and they are respectful of other students’ views.

Students are confident to share their ideas and work they have done whilst working well together.” Ofsted

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