Albany School

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A Specialist Enterprise College 1

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Head's Introduction A very warm welcome to The Albany. This Prospectus is your introduction to our School, which is highly regarded by parents, pupils and the local community for its many qualities.

Our reputation has been earned over many years because of our traditional values combined with an innovative approach to new educational developments. Our talented and dedicated staff are committed to our core values of ‘quality for all’ and ‘academic excellence and care for each child’. The School has been a specialist Business and Enterprise College since 2003 and, whilst that emphasis is apparent throughout our work, we are also very proud of the broad and balanced nature of our curriculum. The next few years are very exciting, with new curriculum opportunities and an increased emphasis on our partnership with the community, especially business and industry.

So why seek a place for your child at The Albany? We pride ourselves on our family atmosphere, the fact that students feel safe and cared for and that, by surveying our pupils, we know that they continue to feel supported. As a parent, you are now faced with the very important decision as to which school is best for your child. While we strive to include in this Prospectus all the information you need, we strongly believe that you cannot find out if this school is right for your child simply from documentation or an Open Evening. There is only one way to fully experience and appreciate what our School has to offer and that is to visit during a normal school day. I therefore invite you to contact the Assistant Head in charge of Community Liaison to arrange a tour of the School.

Please do not hesitate to contact us regarding any aspect of transfer or admission. I look forward to working with you and your child over the coming years.

Yours sincerely,

P A Hasan-Richardson, B.Ed (Hons) Head Teacher

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Aims of the School The school’s fundamental aims are: (i) To provide an environment in which each individual can flourish,

developing existing talents and interests and discovering new ones. (ii) To help each pupil to achieve the highest possible academic standards. (iii) To lead each pupil from dependence to independence, and to equip him

or her to deal successfully with life beyond school. (iv) To develop in each pupil the sense of belonging to a community;

encouraging an awareness that membership of a community brings

responsibilities as well as privileges. (v) To foster the feeling that learning is exciting, and that education is a

life-long process.

Parent of a Year 11 Pupil “I am writing a long overdue letter

Curriculum

to express my thanks for everything

We aim to secure “Quality for All” by using our specialist strengths in Business & Enterprise to drive up whole school performance throughout the curriculum and thus:

in her time at the Albany. The school

(i) To help pupils develop lively, enquiring minds; the ability to question and

argue rationally; and to apply themselves to tasks and physical skills.

tions, not only because she was able

(ii) To help pupils acquire knowledge and skills relevant to adult life and

employment in a fast – changing world.

that has been done for my daughter has more than fulfilled my expectato perform to the best of her abil-

ity in her GCSE exams, but even more importantly, for the fact that she

leaves school as a happy, confident and optimistic young adult.”

(iii) To help pupils use language and number effectively. (iv) To instill respect for religious and moral values; and tolerance for other

races, religions and ways of life. (v) To help pupils understand the world in which they live; and the

inter-dependence of individuals, groups and nations. (vi) To help pupils to appreciate human achievements and aspirations.

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Business & Enterprise College Status our ‘MISSION’ The Albany School a Specialist College, driven by a focus on raising standards and particularly in our specialist area of Business and Enterprise - which centres on Business, ICT and Mathematics related subjects.

To achieve this, we are developing a distinctive Business and Enterprise ethos with enriched opportunities so that in addition to the full National Curriculum.

Students will benefit from:  Core entitlement in Business and Communication, including ICT.  Activity days and educational visits to stretch and inform Gifted and

Talented pupils,

 20+ Examinations including GCSE, Vocational GCSE and Short Courses

(offering Business Studies, ICT, Statistics and Law), with a minimum core of

8 GCSEs. All students take the Certificate in Preparation for Working Life.

 Challenges, visits and competitions – Mathematics Challenge, London

Schools Fashion Show, Enterprise Days, and visits to local and National

businesses

 Challenging targets set for students, teachers and whole school with annual

accountability and independent external evaluation.

Secure plans exist to enable the community to share in the Schools’ extra

resources. We are committed to flag-shipping best practice to benefit our

partner schools and offer fresh learning initiatives for a variety of local groups

to facilitate the community’s prosperity.

Through the achievement of Business and Enterprise Specialist Status, the young people and community of Havering are invited to access a first class lifelong education which is encapsulated in our mission of “Quality For All”.

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Achievements The Albany Business and Enterprise College has held the Investors in People Award for many years, and it continues to be committed to the support and development of all staff who are employed by the school.

The Albany was the first school in greater London to receive the Investors In Careers Award, and this was awarded in 2008. We offer a high level of support to all our students as they make their career choices in the upper school.

Deputy Head Teacher from Local Primary School

Curriculum At The Albany, we offer a Foundation course in Year 7 which aims to equip all our pupils to maximise their skills for learning and so enable them to achieve high academic success throughout Key Stage 3. The Foundation year offers a combination of practical and academic rigour which will support the development of every individual in their first year here.

Years 8 and 9 have an increased academic approach to ensure that the skills acquired are used to achieve high standards in the end of key stage tests.

Students at The Albany are offered a very wide choice of options for GCSE and other nationally recognised qualifications. Links with local colleges, sixth forms and businesses are strong, and students are fully supported in their choices for the future.

“Dear Students and Staff at Albany School I wanted to write to thank you for providing our pupils with a fantastic opportunity yesterday with the “Enterprise Challenge” The children and adults enjoyed spending the day with you and were very impressed with the organisation of the events and the hospitality offered. The young people who worked with the groups of children showed themselves to be a credit to your school.

I know our pupils learnt and used many skills such as co-operation and team work, planning and presentation.

Once again I would like to thank you for your hard work in putting together this event and look forward to next year."

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Gifted & Talented At The Albany Gifted and talented children are those who have one or more abilities developed to a level significantly ahead of their year group (or with the potential to develop these abilities).

At The Albany the term ‘gifted’ refers to those pupils who are capable of excelling in academic subjects such as English or History. ‘Talented’ refers to those pupils who may excel in areas requiring visio-spatial skills or practical abilities, such as in Music and PE, Drama or Art. Pupils are identified for the programme by test results and teacher recommendation, and given the opportunity to flourish through National CfBT Gifted & Talented (Y&GT) Academy registration, Classroom Provision and Out of School Hours Support.

Opportunities include:  Aspirational trips to universities  Havering G&T Science & Technology challenge  City Gates Progression Academy courses  Specialised programmes

Ofsted “Students helped to select the catering company and as

a result an increasing number of students now choose the

healthy option at lunchtime.

A wide range of sports clubs are well attended and students

gain

sports

leader

awards. Many walk or cycle to school.”

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The school provides a range of on-site services, which are designed to support students who may be vulnerable or experiencing difficulty at certain times. This includes the school nurse, a dedicated counselling service, the local police, and members of staff who are trained in behaviour support.

School Council The ‘School Council’ is a pupil-based forum. It provides a platform for pupils to express their views and opinions on issues that involve them. The Council is selected via a democratic voting system, and students act as representatives for their Year groups. This is a growing feature of our ‘pupil voice’ programme. The school council has it’s own budget and produces it’s own development plan, reporting back to the student body, governing body and Leadership team.

A student mentoring programme helps pupils settle in and cope with the demands of a modern school. Younger students can ask for help and guidance from older students in a variety of situations including the playground at break time and reading during tutorial.

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The Student Leader System Pupils are selected for their leadership, organising ability and confidence. They lead the school in many activities and give support to other students both in maintaining good order and encouraging courtesy and consideration around the school at break and lunchtime. They are encouraged to be the schools’ Ambassadors on numerous occasions throughout their year of office; they host school events, and are often called on to accompany visitors on a tour of the school. This is another area where pupils have a voice in the organisation and running of their school. They decide which school based charity the school will support for the year, as well as sitting on a variety of committee’s such as charity, environment and student well being.

Pastoral care The ethos of the school is based upon strong relationships, mutual respect and the sense that we along belong to one family. The School is committed towards the children in its care, and to this end a well defined system of pastoral care has been developed.

Success is recognised, shared and celebrated as much as possible and students are encouraged to have a voice in the way that the school operates via our School Council, Year Councils and regular student surveys, and the Student Leader Committee’s.

The Schools Pastoral system is based on a horizontal year group approach to care, success and guidance. Every child does matter at The Albany and every opportunity is taken to ensure that all children experience a challenging yet enjoyable time at The Albany. Whenever possible form tutors stay with their form group for the five years that they are with the school.

Pupil Care and Support is provided for within this Year System, which is designed to encourage and enable all pupils to grow into confident and successful individuals.

The aims of the Year System are to provide continuity of care, and to enable pupils to: 



 

Develop every child’s potential and ensure that every child matters Allow all children to enjoy their secondary education in a safe, challenging yet supportive environment.

Establish and maintain a sense of self and community discipline.

Challenge and support pupils to pursue the highest levels of academic, physical, social, moral and emotional development

The Year System provides support and guidance for pupils through daily contact with their Form Tutor and Year Leader who is aided by an Deputy Year Leader. There is additional support provided by an Inclusion Manager and Director of Inclusion, who will provide the support and guidance for pupils with a particular need or requirement. Parents are encouraged to contact their child’s Form Tutor or Year Leader if they have concerns about their child.

A Year Leader is responsible for some 186 pupils, thus ensuring the care for each child that has been an essential element of the schools success.

Each Year Group is organised into eight classes for registration under the guidance of a Form Tutor, managed by a Year Leader and Deputy Year Leader. The Year Leader is the central senior figure within each year group, responsible for disciplinary issues, student welfare and development, and overall academic progress.

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Physical Education and Sports

Sports Leadership Award

Indoor facilities include gymnasium, sports hall and a fully equipped Health and Fitness Suite.

Outdoor Sorts Facilities include:

Year 10 students have had the opportunity to participate in the accredited BST (British Sports Trust) Sports Leadership Award.

Staff are committed to providing a full extra-curricular programme; clubs and matches taking place before school, lunchtime and after school, as well as at weekends.

Competitions are arranged at inter-Year and inter-school level in all team sports, and pupils are actively encouraged to extend their participation to club level outside of school.

P.E. is very popular and successful as an option.

 6 tennis courts  a hard court hockey pitch  football and rugby pitches  a synthetic cricket strip plus 3 practice nets  a 300m athletics track with throwing circles for shot and discus.  4 netball courts  outdoor and indoor basketball courts  volleyball court The school also makes use of a local golf course as well as a swimming pool and other facilities at the local sports centre. The adjacent Harrow Lodge Park is used for cross-country.

The Albany School is part of the Emerson Park School Sports Partnership (www.emersonparkssp.co.uk) with our own School Sports Co-ordinator (SSCo). Our commitment is to improve and support Physical Education in the local community.

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Ofsted “Participation in enrichment activities is

high and a wide variety of opportunities in sport, music and drama are valued by students. They have a wide range of

subjects to choose from in Years 10 and

Fundraising for Charity Our annual fund-raising event organised by pupils continues to be an enormous success uniting the performing talents of pupils with the presentation skills of those organising it. Pupils raise several thousand pounds a year for charity, and often local organisations are presented with a cheque at special assemblies. Strong links exist with the community and these involve fund-raising, and charity work. Harvest Festival gifts are distributed to the community annually via our link with the YMCA, and each Year Group actively supports its own special charity.

11. There has been some innovation in

offering courses such as the national

vocational qualification (NVQ) at levels 1 and 2 in business French

Care, guidance and support for learners

are good. The school has recently introduced procedures to monitor students'

academic progress and this information is shared with students and parents

at both parent meetings and academic review days. This is supported by an in-

creased focus on marking, target set-

ting and feedback which is helping students to make further progress.�

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School Trips and Activities Pupils in Year 7 are offered the opportunity to visit ‘Stubbers’ Outdoor Pursuits Centre for an overnight camp and receive two days of water-sports instruction.

This is extended in Year 8 to a long weekend at the Little Canada Centre on the Isle of Wight, where pupils develop leadership skills alongside activities such as climbing, abseiling and dragon-boat racing.

Annual Ski Trips which have proven to be very popular and successful.

The PE Department organise various trips and activities such as Girls netball tour to Spain. We have also arranged cultural visits

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to China plus annual rewards trips to Chessington World of Adventures and Alton Towers.

We actively encourage various reward and achievement trips for all year groups. The Geography Department Organise field trips plus an annual visit to Italy. It really isn’t possible to mention each and every trip and activity at The Albany but it’s a very important part of the education process for students at our School.

Citizenship Each pupil has a programme of Personal, Social and Health Education which includes Human Rights, health concerns and family matters. This continues throughout the pupil's school career, utilising both curriculum and tutor time.

Citizenship is a National Curriculum subject and is part of Core Learning.

Religious and Moral Education Religious Education at the Albany has proved to be a popular subject for pupils of all faiths, or for those who have none at all.

The scheme of work reflects the enormous changes which have been made to make the subject interesting, enjoyable and relevant to today's youth. Many of the modules are theme based and tackle moral and spiritual responses to issues such as relationships, poverty, war and the environment, based on the new National Framework for Religious Education. This ensures that rigorous academic standards are adhered to, and that pupils are set challenging tasks which further their ability in such areas as literacy and comprehension.

GCSE Religious Education has also proved to be a popular choice, with a high percentage of those entered achieving a good grade.

Careers Education Careers education which promotes equality of opportunity, inclusion and multiracism is integrated into the whole curriculum throughout the students' school life. Impartial and confidential careers guidance is provided to help students to make informed choices about learning programmes to follow post-14, and about Post-16 further/higher education courses. For a number of years Progress Files have been produced as part of this work. Students gain employability skills and an insight into the world of work through an established and successful programme of work experience in Year 10. Each pupil is entered for a ‘Preparation for working Life’ examination in Year 11 as well as having the opportunity to be accredited for work experience by EDEXCEL.

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INVESTOR IN PEOPLE

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Quality For All

The Albany School Specialist Business & Enterprise College Broadstone Road, Hornchurch, Essex RM12 4AJ

Telephone: 01708 441537 Fax: 01708 437157 e-mail: admin@thealbany.biz | Website: www.thealbany.biz

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A Specialist Enterprise College