St Benedict's School Strategic Plan 2020 - 2023

St Benedict’s School

Strategic Plan 2020 to 2023

CONTENTS The Aims of the School .....................................................................................................

1

A Benedictine School ........................................................................................................

3

St Benedict’s Pupil Profiles ...............................................................................................

4

Academic standards and curriculum ................................................................................

6

Pastoral care and personal development ......................................................................... 8 Ethos .................................................................................................................................. 10 The Junior School .............................................................................................................. 11 St Bernard’s Prep School, Slough ..................................................................................... 13 Staff Development ............................................................................................................. 14 Commercial Objectives ...................................................................................................... 16 Facilities Development ...................................................................................................... 19

THE AIMS OF THE SCHOOL St Benedict’s aims to be an outstanding coeducational Catholic school offering an excellent all-round education and encouraging principled leadership.

St Benedict’s aspires to the highest possible academic standards, where pupils are motivated to be self-reliant independent learners, inspired to be active participants in their learning and achieve excellent academic results, thereby enabling them to secure places at top universities and colleges.

St Benedict’s seeks to offer an education which allows every pupil to flourish as an individual, with high quality pastoral care to support personal development. As part of a wider Benedictine community all students will have opportunities for service and leadership, both in the religious life of the school and in the excellent programme of co-curricular activities we offer - from sports and performing arts, to outdoor pursuits and many others.

St Benedict’s has at its core the 1,500 year-old Rule of St Benedict as a practical guide for Christian communal living that has stood the test of time. Our Benedictine ethos puts the Christian principles of love and forgiveness at the heart of our community and provides a pattern of stability and balance in life that appeals not only to Catholics but to families of different beliefs.

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“Compassion is central to the school’s ethos.” Pupil comment

“To be moral is to embody the Benedictine ethos.” Pupil comment

A BENEDICTINE SCHOOL The Rule of St Benedict underpins all that we do. We work to:

Provide students with an example and teaching of love and forgiveness, so that Jesus’ commandment to ‘Love your neighbour as you love yourself’ is seen throughout our school

Encourage mutual service by all our students, so that they have the opportunities and time to provide leadership and service both within school and in the wider community

Emphasise the importance of stability in relationships to encourage our students to have honesty and respect for others and themselves in all their relationships, both in and out of school. In particular, students are encouraged to have the humility to listen to each other and show thoughtful obedience by respecting the needs of the community and the views of other people

Live with the discipline of a daily routine with regular times for prayer and reflection alongside the academic routine, helping students to achieve their best and to develop their own relationship with God

Be mindful of the world around us so that we show care for those we live and work with, as well as a sense of stewardship of the environment

Understand that everyone at St Benedict’s is involved in making it a ‘School of the Lord’s Service’ and that to do this we must recognise the gifts and talents of everyone in our community. St Benedict’s is a school where ‘the strong have something to strive for and the weak nothing to fear’, and where all can explore and develop their full potential from the smallest beginnings (a minimis incipe)

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ST BENEDICT’S PUPIL PROFILES We have invited our pupils, parents, staff and governors to reflect on the qualities, both academic and personal, which the school promotes in its pupils. From their thoughtful responses, we composed the St Benedict’s Pupil Profiles.

FOCUSED

LEARNER PROFILE

INDEPENDENT

KNOWLEDGEABLE

INTELLECTUALLY CURIOUS

A GOOD COMMUNICATOR IMAGINATIVE & CREATIVE

REFLECTIVE 4

PERSONAL PROFILE

HEALTHY TOLERANT & COMPASSIONATE DEPENDABLE

RESILIENT

CONFIDENT

SPIRITUAL & MORAL

EMOTIONALLY LITERATE 5

ACADEMIC STANDARDS AND CURRICULUM We will:

Ensure that all pupils receive the right level of academic stretch and challenge, with regular assessment, tracking and monitoring

Promote a respectful, shared culture of academic inquiry and ambition

Increase further our academic aspirations, setting ever higher academic standards

Focus upon developing our educational use of IT to support an innovative curriculum. We will continue to develop the use of MOOCs in the Sixth Form and will explore teaching courses on AI and algorithms. Above all, in a fast changing world, we will remain abreast of developments so that we can respond appropriately for the benefit of our pupils.

We will review and develop our curriculum so that it truly meets the needs of our students in the 2020s. Developments will include:

Implementing a pupil profile which sets out the academic and personal attributes we seek to nurture in our pupils

Providing more opportunities for creativity and creative thinking

Widening opportunities for our pupils to develop presentational skills and public speaking, and to take part in drama

Offering opportunities for Middle School pupils to undertake an extended project qualification

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Exploring imaginative ways to introduce philosophy into the curriculum

We will continue to review our Sixth Form offer such that it provides the best possible preparation for our students, and is an attractive option for students from St Benedict’s and from other schools.

We will continue to develop a culture of intellectual curiosity in all classes and all age groups, as well as through the Helikon Centre (our centre for academic challenge), and will actively promote the many opportunities we offer.

We will monitor and evaluate the impact of in-class support for SEND pupils given by subject teachers.

We will introduce an annual SEND review for each year group, monitoring the effectiveness of interventions for SEND pupils.

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PASTORAL CARE AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT Tutors will continue to hold regular 1-1 motivational discussions with their tutees.

We will continue to enhance the mental health support we offer by widening the training we give to staff in mental health first aid, so that more staff are available to support our students’ needs.

We will continue to offer to all year groups a rich and diverse Careers programme.

Developments will include appropriate access to our new alumni portal, St Benedict’s Connect.

We will ensure that the Personal, Social, Health and Economic programme best supports our pupils pastorally and meets their personal development needs.

We will continue to implement the strategy for sport, which we have recently developed and communicated, which aims to promote ambitious and excellent sports provision for all our students.

We will further develop our extensive programme of co-curricular opportunities, and will review how we promote the programme to secure a very strong uptake by students.

We will continue to promote widely to our students opportunities for leadership and personal development. (Mentoring, chaplaincy, academic support, DofE, CCF, voluntary service, sports, the arts & co-curricular activities).

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“Being imaginative is having unique ideas so that you stand out.� Pupil comment

ETHOS We will develop, agree and implement an engaging and ambitious chaplaincy programme.

Following the excellent outcome of our 2019 diocesan inspection, we will implement the recommendations made, in order to offer to our pupils ever more opportunities for spiritual growth.

We will promote clearly and fully the considerable contribution made by St Benedict’s for the public good, demonstrating the school’s charitable status.

We will explore future engagement in a major charitable project overseas.

We will promote an enhanced bursary programme, the St Anselm Awards, which will enable talented and able children from Catholic and other primary schools to attend St Benedict’s. The recipients of St Anselm Awards will be families without the means to pay independent school fees.

We will continue to collaborate with a range of partners in order to demonstrate the benefit St Benedict’s offers to a wider public. This will include developing a deep partnership with other local educational establishments, including through the emerging Emmaus Catholic Schools Partnership (Sacred Heart, Cardinal Wiseman, St Augustine’s and St Benedict’s) In response to the exhortation in Catholic social teaching to be good stewards of the world around us, we will put environmental responsibility and stewardship at the heart of our activities.

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THE JUNIOR SCHOOL In addition to the aims set out in this document, there are some specific aims for the Junior School.

We will:

Provide an education that nurtures aspiration; calculated risk-taking and the ability to learn from failure; curiosity; independent learning; and teamwork, so that our girls and boys develop into adults who are able to bring positive change in the world through their generosity of spirit, knowledge and understanding and moral values.

Review academic standards, expectations and aspirations in the Junior School. The academic and personal development of the children is founded upon developing a strong partnership between the School and home, so that the girls and boys can truly reap the benefits of a creative curriculum that is broad and well-balanced. The School will draw upon innovative teaching approaches to inspire the children and offer highly engaging academic pursuits (e.g. debating, LAMDA, Philosophy for Children, and School Challenge Quest), with opportunity to participate in day and residential trips.

Provide a nurturing environment within which pastoral care is paramount and the children are supported in developing their emotional literacy and social skills, especially the ability to empathise with others. This will be achieved through the provision of Circle Time, meditation and mindfulness, with a view to prioritising the mental health and well-being of each child.

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Develop links with St Bernard’s Prep School in order to share educational expertise through collaborative activities.

Explore greater sharing of Drama, Home Economics, Modern Foreign Languages and Science facilities with the Senior School.

Develop collaboration between Junior School and Senior School, such as cross-phase teaching (e.g. Art, Classics, English, Geography, History, ICT, Mathematics, Music and Science), for the benefit of our Junior School pupils.

Engage in environmental and charitable work (e.g. through the Eco Council, the Mini Vinnies and the SBJS School Council).

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ST BERNARD’S PREP SCHOOL, SLOUGH St Bernard’s will be the best performing prep school in the Slough area, with outstanding new facilities and excellent opportunities for personal development within a caring, Catholic ethos. St Bernard’s will continue to charge competitive and affordable fees.

We will incorporate St Bernard’s effectively into the St Benedict’s family, so that the whole is strengthened educationally and financially. In order to do this:

We will actively promote collaboration and the sharing of best practice between St Benedict’s Junior School and St Bernard’s

We will offer a range of support services to St Bernard’s, including in Finance, Human Resources, Marketing and IT

We will agree a new strategic plan for the development of St Bernard’s, which will include extensive plans for the redevelopment of the school’s buildings

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STAFF DEVELOPMENT We will run an excellent programme of staff professional development each year aimed to support and enhance the quality of teaching and learning and of pupils’ personal development. We will review regularly the quality of this programme, which will include the following:

Opportunities for staff to undertake the Independent Schools Qualifications in Academic Management or in Pastoral Leadership

Extensive support for teachers in developing their classroom practice

Training for more experienced Heads of Department and Pastoral Heads, as well as Senior Staff, to act as trainers, mentors and coaches for other staff

Development of a school-wide coaching framework for staff

We will offer new and established staff appropriate training in the school’s Catholic and Benedictine ethos

We will build upon the good start we have made, in partnership with West London Teaching School Alliance, in offering Initial Teacher Training under the Schools Direct programme. Our involvement in this programme supports effective staff recruitment and helps to maintain a focus upon, and discussion about, effective classroom practice.

We will also develop a programme of training opportunities for learning support assistants and for support staff.

We will continue to monitor and promote the welfare and well-being of all our staff.

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“Being healthy encompasses mental, physical and emotional health, and is a pre-requisite for everything else.� Pupil comment 15

COMMERCIAL OBJECTIVES In order for the school to achieve viably and sustainably the aims set out in this document, we also have the following overarching commercial objectives:

St Benedict’s aims to be the independent, and Catholic school, of choice in West London. We will achieve this by supporting all pupils to reach their academic potential, and to enjoy a full co-curricular life, in a school which develops individual gifts and strengths

Promote and market highly effectively all that St Benedict’s has to offer

Manage the school’s finances and resources highly effectively and prudently

Seek other forms of income beyond school fees: the school has a Development and Alumni Relations Office to encourage philanthropic giving to St Benedict’s, principally to support means-tested bursaries, and is also seeking to increase its income through trading and commercial activities

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“Being curious means showing interest and passion, so you can find out what you want to do in the future.� Pupil comment 17

“Being focused helps you achieve your aspirations, maintain your self-discipline and keep a level head.�

Pupil comment

FACILITIES DEVELOPMENT Our plans to enhance and further develop our facilities include:

A new science and technology centre

A new studio theatre

An additional suite of classrooms

Floodlighting to the all-weather pitch at Perivale

Upgrades to the clubhouse and changing facilities at Perivale

A refurbished entrance to the Orchard Hall

Further landscaping on the main St Benedict’s site

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“Being confident means believing in yourself and creating a positive atmosphere.� Pupil comment

“Being resilient means you can quickly resolve problems and learn from your mistakes.�

Pupil comment

St Benedict’s School a

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