St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School - Prospectus 2016

St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School

Lessons for Life

Headteacher’s Message On behalf of the governors, staff and pupils I would like to offer you a very warm welcome to St. Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School. We understand that your sons and daughters only get one chance at school and we are all determined that they receive a first class education, one that prepares them for the rest of their lives.

Having received a Catholic education in Wigan myself, I know how incredibly important this is to shaping your entire future. The staff and governors of St Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School are totally committed to providing an education rooted in Gospel values. We strive to reveal who we are by living our faith and make every effort to inspire our pupils to want to make the world a better place. As members of our distinctively Catholic family, we are determined that every pupil feels valued and is allowed to realise his/her full potential within a safe, secure and happy environment. We set high standards for our pupils, and aim at all times to provide opportunities to develop their abilities to the full, allowing them to develop into mature and responsible citizens.

It is our firm belief that everyone is created in the image and likeness of God and through our daily interactions we are seen as a living witness to our faith in and around school and through our curriculum.

We recognise academic success as one important facet of education and our teachers dedicate much time and energy in ensuring maximum progress is made. To achieve this we provide a relevant curriculum with a wide range of learning experiences to meet the differing needs of individual pupils, whilst offering equality of opportunity and high standards of teaching. We believe this holistic educative approach helps to develop our pupils’ personal, spiritual, moral and social aptitudes, which will enable him/her to mature into a kind, polite and responsible adult.

We strive to foster within each pupil a joy of learning and the recognition that education is a lifelong process in order to make a full and rewarding contribution to society.

Every child entrusted to our care will be made welcome at St Edmund Arrowsmith and we strive to make their time in our school productive, inspiring, engaging and, most of all, happy.

Mr M Dumican

School Mission Statement

Prepare the way of the Lord Dignity - To respect the value and work of ourselves and others as children of God (Genesis 1:17 - “Created in the image of God”).

Mission - To let God be known through words and actions (Mt 7:12 - "Do for others, what you want them to do for you").

Understanding - To respond to the needs of others (Mt 7:7 - "Ask, and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you").

Nurture - To allow all to grow to full potential (John 15:5 - "I am the vine and you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will bear much fruit").

Discipleship - To follow Christ in Faith, Hope and Love.

(Mk 1:16 "Follow Me").

A very special place As a Catholic school we aim to be a loving and reconciling faith community in which Gospel values are evident as we live out our Christianity in our day to day routines and procedures.

The strength of our school lies in the quality of the relationships that exist between teachers, pupils and parents. We are committed to working in partnership with families to ensure that our young people are able to realise their full potential in a safe, caring and stimulating environment.

We have very high expectations in every facet of school life. We expect exemplary behaviour from our pupils and encourage them to show respect and courtesy at all times. We believe that adherence to our uniform code promotes self-esteem, together with a sense of identity and pride in the school’s traditions.

Our pupils are our greatest asset. They are the “heartbeat” of the school. Their response to the varied opportunities and high quality teaching available to them results in academic performances and personal development of which we all can be justifiably proud.

Inspectors’ Comments: “Behaviour is outstanding and students feel extremely safe at school. They show respect for adults and for each other and their highly conscientious attitudes to learning are an important factor in their achievement.”

Ofsted 2012.

“The promotion of students’ spiritual, moral and social development is outstanding.”

Ofsted 2012.

“St. Edmund Arrowsmith is an outstanding Catholic High School committed to its mission to embrace and encourage each member in a spirit of discipleship.”

Section 48 Inspection 2012.

Curriculum We provide a balanced curriculum for each pupil in our school which is delivered through a variety of subject areas and learning experiences.

Pupils are encouraged to become active participants in their own learning to ensure that they possess the skills, knowledge, attitudes and values which will lead to both academic and spiritual growth.

In Year 7, pupils are taught for one third of their time in ability sets in Maths English and French and for the remaining two thirds in mixed ability groups. This enables pupils to meet with, and learn alongside, a wide variety of their peers from the Year Group. Once in Year 8, pupils are taught in mixed ability groups for the expressive arts (Art, Music, and Drama) and are set by ability in all other subject areas. For the “core” subjects of Maths, English, Science and French, this marks the end of Key Stage 3 as threeyear Key Stage Four courses commence. In Year 9, all subjects are set by ability.

The curriculum in Years 10 and 11 is based around the notion of “personalised learning”. This means that pupils study a range of subjects based on need and aptitude which will provide an appropriate pathway for them to progress, post-16, to either further education or employment.

We firmly believe that every pupil should be given the opportunity to succeed and we therefore provide a range of vocational courses where GCSE study is not an appropriate option. These include hairdressing, construction, travel and tourism, childcare and motor vehicle maintenance.

Some are taught off-site at our own purpose-built skills centres in Ashton in Makerfield and Garswood.

Beyond The Curriculum Many opportunities are offered to develop (and sometimes discover!) the pupils’ varied talents.

For pupils at St. Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic High School learning and enjoyment extend outside the classroom and beyond the school day.

As a specialist Music College, we are keen to encourage membership of our choirs and instrumental groups. Visits to concerts and musical productions cement this interest.

Most departments offer extra-curricular activities and we even have a Film Club.

For budding actors, there is an annual school production to audition for and regular opportunities to showcase skills and abilities in the Drama and Performing Arts Clubs Our Catholic Mission is reflected in our support for local charities in the community and underpinned by our own I.M.P.A.C.T. group- which stands for involving More People at Church Today.

We encourage our pupils to aim high and have many links with local and national universities. KS4 trips to local campuses and facilities give our pupils a flavour of higher education.

Our sporting prowess is well-known in the area and teams represent the school in all major sports at every age and level. Whilst rugby and football (for both sexes) are prominent, opportunities exist to learn new sports such as volleyball, hockey and orienteering.

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