CBS Glen Road

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D e p a r t me y n b

Aw a r d

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First Choice

Best Choice

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CBS Glen Road - Prospectus

Educ a ti of on t

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OUT A N STA N DI NG S CH O OL N 2014 •

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The Sound of CBS

Commitment Belief Success 1

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Céad míle

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INTRODUCTION Christian Brothers’ School, Glen Road is an “Outstanding School”. This endorsement of the Belfast school by the ETI (Inspectorate for Northern Ireland) has come on the back of some other glowing reports. The current Education Minister said “Every school should look and feel like CBS, as it epitomises what is a great school”. In 2015 CBS Glen Road reported 99% A – C in 5 GCSEs making it one of the best performing nonGrammar schools in the country. However, CBS is a great deal more than an exam driven school. In many respects it remains the school it always has been, a family school at the heart of the community. When Christian Brothers’ opened its gates in 1962, equality, social justice and educational excellence were the 2

goals of its leadership team and they remain so today. Located in the heart of West Belfast, the school stands as a pillar of success.

CBS has evolved new curricular programmes that cater for the pupils’ and modern employer’s needs alike. These are delivered by a highly professional and dynamic staff who understand the future employment trends within our society.

When pupils join our school, we show them that through a combination of hard work and enjoyment they can become extraordinary. The excellent pastoral care shown to the pupils is very much the corner stone of the school’s success. The staff and pupils relate to one another more as a family than as teacher-student and this has resulted in stronger links between home and school, which ultimately benefits everyone.

The school established a Sixth Form 12 years ago and now has 187 Post 16 pupils enrolled, studying a variety of A-Level and BTEC courses, many of which are not offered in other local schools. The innovative curriculum offered to pupils at Sixth Form has seen a growing number of pupils opt to join CBS, especially given the high success rate achieved since its inception. Last year the school was oversubscribed for Year 8 applications and this trend seems likely to continue with the future looking equally as bright.

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"Have courage; the good seed will grow up in the children's hearts later on."

Blessed Edmund Rice

It seems that Catholic schools today need lots of courage.

In an increasingly secular and frightening world for our young people how do we as a school community convey the message that we are the Easter people and that ours is a gospel of joy and hope?

Our school aims to meet our pupils where they are on their faith journey and in the light and power of the gospel, to accompany them on their way towards becoming fully human. Pupils have faith: it is our task to help them appreciate it and let it grow.

What a privilege!

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Our primary aim is to live the gospel, as it influences us in every aspect of school life; both inside and outside of the classroom. We experience it through the prayer and liturgical life of the school, our visiting speakers, our retreats, our links with the community outside of the school and our links with those in need beyond our shores putting into action Blessed Edmund ‘s call to “Give to the poor in handfuls.”

Parents are the first teachers of the faith and together we all try in the Edmund Rice Tradition to show that ‘In God we live and move and have our being’ (Acts 17:28)

The Five Key Elements of an Edmund Rice School

Our Caring Catholic Community

Nuturing faith, Christian spirituality and Gospel-based values

• Year 8 Parents service

Promoting partnership in the school community

• St. Vincent de Paul hampers and collection • Macmillan coffee morning • Romanian project / pupil visit • India project / pupil visit • Thailand project / pupil visit

Excelling in teaching and learning

• Trócaire month

Creating a caring school community

• Pensioners’ Christmas dinner

Inspiring transformational leadership.

• Catholic schools week

• NI. Hospice

• Gideon visit

• ‘Life’ visits • Edmund Rice Feast day service • Edmund Rice Awards • SVP conference for pupils • Gift Programme/ John Paul 11 Award • Trócaire / SVP /Morning Star/ NI Hospice 5

Curriculum

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Our curriculum, like every other aspect of school life at Christian Brothers’, centres round the needs of our pupils. At Christian Brothers’ we offer a curriculum that is stimulating and creative and which affords pupils the opportunity to understand, learn and enjoy. At the same time it enables them to develop and acquire the knowledge, skills, attributes and qualifications that will ultimately allow them to fulfil their potential and access the career pathway to which they aspire. Our philosophy is that all our pupils leave Christian Brothers’ equipped to move on to the next stage of their journey whether that is employment, further training or higher education.

Key Stage 3 (Years 8, 9 & 10)

Key Stage 4 (Years 11 & 12

Key Stage 5 (Post 16)

In Years 8, 9 & 10 pupils follow subjects from the following menu which meets the requirements of the Northern Ireland Revised Curriculum.

Our curriculum at KS4 allows pupils to choose from a range of both academic and skills based vocational subjects. All the subjects on offer are GCSE or equivalent. Our KS4 curriculum enables all pupils to move on from this stage of education with a minimum of 5 GCSE grade C and above (or equivalent) qualifications.

Our curricular provision at Post 16 also enables students to follow a combination of Academic and Vocational courses.

Pupils can Study from a menu which includes A’ Level and BTEC subjects.

Pupils can choose 3-4 A’ Level subjects, 3-4 BTEC subjects or a combination of both. All our courses at Post 16 carry UCAS credit and are accepted by all Universities and Further Education Colleges across the UK & Ireland.

• English • Maths

• English • Maths • Science

• Science • History • Geography • Learning for Life & Work

‘A Pupil focused Curriculum in an ‘outstanding school’ (Education & Training Inspectorate: June 2014)

• RE • Languages (French/Irish) • Technology & Design

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• Music

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• ICT

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• Home Economics • Physical Education • Art

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(Double & Single Award) Learning for Life & Work RE History Geography iMedia Occupational Studies – Catering BTEC Hospitality Occupational Studies – Engineering Digital Music Moving Image Business & Communication Systems (ICT) Sports Studies Art & Design UBELT (Business & a Modern Language)

• XL

• Government & Politics • History • Sociology • Law • Moving Image • Applied Science

(Double Award)*

• Digital Music • Art & Design • Business Studies • Travel & Tourism • ICT • Health & Social Care * Equivalent to two A’ Levels

Pupils at Post 16 also follow an enrichment programme which includes Careers Education, Religious Education (spiritual & moral guidance) and Physical Education (optional).

• Microsoft Academy In addition to the subject areas noted above, pupils have timetabled classes in Physical Education and Careers.

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Learning Experience

At Christian Brothers’ our focus isn’t just on what pupils learn but how they learn. Our subject teachers offer high quality teaching and learning. We focus in particular on developing skills in literacy, numeracy and the use of ICT. We use a number of assessment methods to support the learning process. These include continuous class assessment of written and oral work, regular homework and end of term exams. Through our progressive use of Assessment for Learning, teachers provide constructive feedback which enables the pupil to see where they are making progress and encourages them to engage in their own learning and set targets for improvement.

We support our KS4 and KS5 pupils through the demands of GCSE and A’ Level. We offer study skills workshops to better prepare our pupils for the demands of public examinations.

These focus on time management, personal organisation, study and revision techniques. Many of our teachers volunteer their time as Year 12 Learning Mentors. They work closely with individual Year 12 pupils and their parents to offer personalised learning and support. We also offer individual UCAS mentoring to all of our Post 16 pupils who are applying to university. The UCAS mentors provide one to one guidance and advice on the entire application process.

Overall We ensure that our curricular provision meets the needs of all our pupils from Year 8 to Year 14 through well planned and well managed learning and support which is complemented by our strong pastoral care system.

Whatever our pupils aspire to be, we will help them reach their potential.

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Educational Needs is embedded throughout our school, where every teacher cares and supports each child in their learning. Every pupil learns in a supported environment, through an excellent pupil teacher ratio in all classes.

Many classes are further supported by the presence of a classroom assistant who is trained in our school in advance of supporting your child. In this way, we can ensure that your child can receives the best possible support for his learning needs in the classroom and can fulfil their potential.

The SEN department is led in our school by a team, consisting of eight SEN managers. Through this structure, each pupil is afforded a mentor who can carefully monitor and track your son’s progress and happiness, and ensure our package of support is tailored to meet his needs.

Specialised support is also provided to our students by a multi-agency team, including literacy and numeracy specialists, social coaches and behavioural mentors. We have also a trained dyslexic specialist who can identify and assist teachers in how best to support your son. Together in partnership with these professionals, we aim to ensure your son receives the best education possible and that he enjoys his life in CBS. Provision for pupils with SEN is extended beyond the school day, with a range of clubs tailored to help them in their learning and development, with homework clubs, Minecraft, chess and film clubs, to name but a few.

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Extra-Curricular Sport, Activities & Recreation

Our extra-curricular activities and academic pursuits complement each other and develop a well-rounded, socially skilled, and healthier pupil. Research shows participation in extra-curricular activities leads to enhanced self-esteem and status amongst peers, these in turn are used by many as predictors of academic performance. We offer many activities allowing our pupils to choose those that appeal to them personally. Our pupils’ ability to work as part of a team or as leaders contribute to them developing into the confident, aspirational and socially adept individuals we know they have the potential to be. The enthusiasm and expertise our staff bring to these activities never ceases to surprise and are a cornerstone of the strong bonds formed with our pupils. Participation in extracurricular activities gives our pupils a sense of belonging and ownership of their school, we just want to help!

We are very proud of our broad extra-curricular provision.

Below are examples of the activities available:

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Gaelic football Hurling Handball Soccer Cross country Table-tennis Homework club Badminton Old Trafford visit Water Sports trip (France) Rounders Friendship Four Ice Hockey Dodgeball GCSE Revision Ski trip (Austria) Ultimate Frisbee Reading Basketball Chess Cookery Fishing Mountain Biking

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Hiking Lawn Bowling Film Club Guitar lessons Drumming lessons Multisports Inclusive activity club Canoeing Improving swimmers Kayaking History Trip (Germany/Poland) ICT Gaming club Mathletics Outdoor pursuits residential Modelling Microsoft Academy Geography field trip Pensioners’ Christmas dinner Fire Cadets Reading buddies Ju Jitsu Andersonstown Music Club

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Pastoral Care Christian Brothers’ School strives to create a caring supportive pastoral atmosphere from the moment a pupil enters the school until they leave. The pastoral care system seeks to ensure that every pupil is aware that they will be supported by the school especially in times of personal difficulty. Pupils are supported by Senior Management, Year heads, Form Teachers and staff through all aspects of school life. In CBS we also offer counselling and work with community and statutory groups to ensure a positive school experience for all pupils and their families.

Through our Religious Education and LLW programmes we encourage our pupils to think and act independently and to make informed decisions on important issues that may affect their lives now and in the future. Each year the pupils complete the PASS attitudinal survey which identifies strengths and highlights areas where additional support would be beneficial. From this data we develop intervention strategies to ensure our pupils have every chance of success.

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AN OUTSTA N DING S C H O OL J

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pa r t men e D t

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Stephen Toman, head chef of Belfast’s leading restuarant the Ox that recently achieved a Michelin Star Award.

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At CBS we are extremely proud of the pastoral care we provide for all our pupils and recognise that every student is a unique and valued member of our school community.

CBS is not just a school, it’s a family.

ca E d u t i on of

“At CBS we were pushed hard, in sport and in the classroom to be the best and that has stuck with me and has got me to where I am today”.

In CBS we offer a Base Class system for our Year 8 pupils which eases transition from primary to post primary. Every Form class has a Form teacher and Year Head who provide guidance and support and act as personal mentors to each individual pupil. In CBS we promote positive behaviour using our merit system. Pupils earn a daily point for excellence in areas such as punctuality, homework, behaviour and attendance. Each term the winners are rewarded with a merit trip organised by the Form teachers.

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CBS - In the Community and around the world

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CBS School Glen Road, Belfast BT11 8BW T: 028 9080 8050 www.cbsglenroad.com