The Costello School Prospectus - 2021

THE COSTELLO SCHOOL enjoy respect achieve PROSPECTUS

proud to be part of the Bohunt Education Trust

WELCOME Thank you for your interest in The Costello School, and joining us for the next 5 exciting years of education. We know that choosing the right school is one of the most important decisions you take as a parent. With a history of excellence stretching back to 1908, we have been the choice of generations who seek strong academic success and excellent pastoral provision blended to ensure that we know each child, celebrate their uniqueness, and allow them a future filled with limitless potential.

We are proud of our dynamic learning community whose ethos is encapsulated by three simple words: Enjoy, respect, and achieve.

These thread through everything we do and allow us to deliver on our vision to create the ‘game changers’ of the future. We are conscious every day of the trust you put in us, and we are wildly ambitious for all our students, supporting them to become confident, resilient, and prepared to take their place in the world.

Here with us, you will find the perfect blend of being a large school and appreciating the facilities and resources that come with it, with the personalisation of getting the smallest details right – the bits which really make a difference. Whether your child aspires to Oxbridge, has creative or sporting talent, has skills and a passion for vocational study or yearns to have new horizons opened every year by taking trips to Ghana, Europe, or completing Cadets or The Duke of Edinburgh awards, they will leave us ready to change the world.

We are fully aware of the magnitude of your impeding decision; please do make an appointment to visit us in the school day when our students will be proud to show you around and you can see first-hand our hard working, well behaved and high achieving community.

Randall Jull Headteacher

“ At Costello you will find teachers that genuinely care for our education and hard-working students to help create a fantastic environment ” Costello student

ENJOY Here at Costello, enjoyable learning takes place in stimulating learning environments, using great resources and facilities, and with skilled teachers. We invest heavily in training for our staff, and value feedback from our students – actively giving them a voice in learning in the classroom.

When their 5 years come to an end, we want all our students to leave us without a thought of ‘what if?’ and looking back with fondness on a time that opened doors to a future as yet unknown. We are leading innovation as part of the Bohunt Education Trust in learning beyond the classroom and are soon to build our first outdoor classroom. This will complement our IT facilities and our wider provision which means our students are smiling – most of the time.

Students can undertake over 40 after school clubs; we have run trips to most corners of the planet, and our first ‘Big Expedition’ is firmly in the planning phase. We have one of the largest Cadet contingents locally, and benefit from expertise from within the Trust to support our Duke of Edinburgh. There really is something for everyone and no excuse not to excel in something.

We work our students hard, but expect them to have fun too. Through Costello Fest, Cabaret, Sports Day, various charity functions, and end of term inflatable activities, students get to grow through their childhood years making lifelong memories and being happy – which is, after all, what we all really want as parents.

“ LOVELY TO SEE YOU WELCOMING THE LITLLE YEAR 6’S IN SUCH A CREATIVE WAY. SO GLAD WE CHOSE COSTELLO ” YR6 parent

“ The best quality that this school has is its passion for its students, not only for their education but for their general well-being ” Costello student

“ We are delighted with how much our daughter is enjoying Costello and just wanted to let you know what fantastic staff you have ” YR7 parent

RESPECT We promote a strong sense of self-worth combined with respect for others. Consistently high expectations are embedded within an environment that is founded on mutually respectful relationships between students, staff and parents.

Students are placed into one of 8 tutor groups when joining us, and immediately build a strong relationship with their tutor, who they see twice a day. A strong tutor programme helps support a curriculum which includes PSHE and citizenship, and through our core values we develop well rounded individuals who positively contribute by showing respect to themselves and all those around them.

Our stakeholders are vitally important to us; not least of all are the students themselves who will be given opportunities to contribute to the leadership and development of their school through Student Voice, the House system, and the Student Leadership Team.

By delivering assemblies, contributing to the student newspaper and representing the school with and against other schools both locally and nationally, students become equipped with those skills that get you far in life.

“ The school’s system of

sanctions and rewards also enables pupils to understand both the positive and negative consequences of their choices. Leaders celebrate pupils’ successes and this helps build their selfesteem and confidence ”

Ofsted MaRCH 2018

“ an amazing team of staff throughout each department, where teachers manage everyone’s individual needs while also building a strong relationship with the students ” Costello student

ACHIEVE There is much more to school life than just academic qualifications, but we’re pretty good at that too. Over ¼ of all grades achieved in 2019 were 7-9 (A-A**) and nearly ¾ of all students met the government pass grades in English and Maths. Over the last 2 years these numbers have grown further, to over 80% now. We are well above the national average in most subjects, including English, maths and science and our alumni go on to Russell Group universities.

Costello provides opportunities for students to create many wonderful, unforgettable, and sometimes lifechanging experiences. Students returning from their time in Ghana have a perspective on the world that can only be achieved by visiting other communities, and we are very proud of them for rising to this challenge.

We encourage all students to be active beyond the classroom, involving themselves in our extensive extra-curricular programme. This includes weekly clubs and societies across a wide variety of disciplines, as well as trips within the UK and abroad. Typically, these include skiing, water sports, language exchanges, historical tours, museums, industry experiences and cultural visits.

Challenge It is crucial that we inspire students to seek new experiences, to broaden their sphere of knowledge

E and understanding. It is also vital that we support those who display a particular aptitude or interest in a certain field. Our students have a reputation for performing and excelling, in many cases to an international level.

Perhaps more importantly, we encourage students to ‘have a go’, to try things for the first time and not to give up if met with a challenge in the first instance.

Our Young Enterprise group is highly successful year on year and gives those involved their first taste of the business world.

“ The school has a good curriculum.

It supports pupils’ learning in traditional academic subjects. It also gives those pupils who wish to the chance to follow a vocational pathway. Leaders are keep to offer a completely open choice to pupils at key stage 4 so that they can all prepare to follow their career aspirations” Ofsted MaRCH 2018

“ Pupils are safe in school. Pupils are supported skilfully to develop resilience.

Those facing personal challenges benefit from the endlessly available pastoral team leaders who know the pupils well.”

Ofsted MARCH 2018

“ The school has a strong curriculum, with a small but impressive vocational element. Leaders are increasingly tailoring the curriculum to the specific needs of each pupil ” Ofsted MaRCH 2018

parent

The Costello School Crossborough Hill Basingstoke RG21 4AL

t 01256 321263 e cadmin@costello.hants.sch.uk www.costelloschool.co.uk

Photography by Cleverbox UK Ltd.

“ my child is happy at Costello and has had so many opportunities to do new things and excel – thank you ”