Avon Valley prospectus

The Avon Valley School and

Performing Arts College

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Welcome from the Headteacher I am delighted to welcome you to The Avon Valley School and Performing Arts College.

I am immensely proud of the school and all that our students and staff achieve.

The Avon Valley School is a self-governing 11-16 Foundation school, which works closely with, but independently from, the Local Authority. The school moved into the current building in 2007 and I am confident that you will be impressed by the facilities and resources that the school has to offer. However, fantastic as they are, it is the people within that make an institution great, and it is our students and staff that create the buzz of energy that you will find as you walk around our building. Here at Avon Valley, we are fully committed to delivering an effective and inspiring academic curriculum, matched with outstanding pastoral care; we know how important it is that a young person feels safe and happy, and it is through creating the correct environment that high quality learning can take place.

Avon Valley prides itself on knowing its students as individuals and we are focused on helping them to develop a strong moral purpose, placing a high value on tolerance, honesty and kindness, which are among our core values. Academic success is, of course, the key to unlocking future opportunities for our students and we ensure that we maximise student achievement through the provision of high quality teaching within a personalised curriculum.

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One of the core values of our school is ‘Getting involved’ and we encourage all students to engage with every opportunity.

We provide a broad and balanced curriculum designed to suit all our students’ needs and our extracurricular offer is exciting and varied. In particular, our specialism as a Performing Arts College gives Avon Valley a distinctive feel, and the opportunities that all our young people have to engage with the Performing Arts within the curriculum, has a positive effect on self-esteem.

Moreover, the school productions are always spectacular, and receive great acclaim - recent performances include ‘Phantom of the Opera’, ‘Les Misérables’ and ‘Dido and Aeneas’.

Avon Valley is a student centred school, which puts your child at the heart of our decision making process. It is our privilege to work with our students to create aspiration, engage them in learning and ultimately to see them achieve. There is no better way to find out about us than by coming in and seeing the school at work. We are always delighted to receive visitors and look forward to welcoming you into our school.

To apply for a place, please consult our admissions policy which can be found on the school website.

Alison Davies, Headteacher

Aspire • Engage • Achieve

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Aspire • Engage • Achieve

“Students’ behaviour in lessons is good and they are keen to learn.”

Ofsted Report

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Our Vision Our vision for Avon Valley is of a great learning community, where students, staff and parents work collaboratively to realise every student’s potential. Individually, and collectively, we are ‘Together on our Journey to Greatness’.

Underpinning this vision is our desire for our students to enjoy their school days and be equipped with the skills and knowledge for life.

We want our students to understand their rights and responsibilities, and those of others, and to be compassionate and caring members of society.

Mission Statement The Avon Valley School is committed to the development of independent, confident and motivated learners, who leave us equipped with the qualifications, skills and attributes required to successfully take their place in the world.

Our Core Values • Doing our best • Being proud of ourselves and our school • Behaving well and being honest • Showing respect and caring for each other • Getting involved

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The School Curriculum Our curriculum offer lies at the heart of all that we do at Avon Valley. We ensure a broad and balanced curriculum that meets the needs of all our students and provides them with the skills and abilities to face the demands of the employment market in the 21st century. Consequently, we aim to maintain the width of the curriculum in Key Stage 3, thus allowing our students to develop their knowledge and interests in a wide range of subject areas. The school’s specialism, Performing Arts, is firmly embedded in the Key Stage 3 curriculum.

The curriculum is designed to challenge students of all abilities to achieve their academic potential. From Year 8, students with an aptitude for Modern Foreign Languages study either German or Spanish, alongside French. In Year 9, students take an external qualification in the Performing Arts and they begin studying towards their GCSE qualifications in English, Mathematics and Science to optimise academic success at the end of Year 11.

Alongside the traditional curriculum, there are many opportunities for students to extend their experiences and learning. The school organises ‘Splash Days’, complete days where the timetable is collapsed and students engage in a

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range of learning opportunities: team work; PSHE focus days; revision conferences; study skills days; leadership workshops.

A wide range of extra-curricular events and opportunities are on offer, with a mix of academic and physical activities designed to engage all of our students.

Key Stage 3 Curriculum The Key Stage 3 curriculum is broad and balanced. Students study English, Maths, Science, History, Geography, RE, PSHE, Technology (a carousel of Food Technology, Product Design, Textiles and Graphics), Dance, Drama, Music, PE, ICT, Art, French (and more able linguists study German or Spanish).

Students are placed in ability groups for Maths, Science, English, Social Studies and Modern Foreign Languages. Other subject areas are delivered in mixed ability groups or taught in tutor groups.

In Year 9 students specialise in Dance, Drama or Music and study towards an appropriate vocational accreditation.

Aspire • Engage • Achieve Key Stage 4 Curriculum The Key Stage 4 curriculum is varied and challenging, and designed to meet the interest and academic ability of all students.

All students study a core of Maths, English Language, English Literature, Science, PE, PSHE/RE. Alongside these core subjects, the school offers over 30 option choices delivered either at school or through carefully selected accredited partners.

The range of Key Stage 4 options is constantly assessed to meet the needs of our learners and to reflect the skillset of our teachers.

Currently options include: • French • RE • Art • Public Services • German • Psychology • Catering • GCSE ICT • History • Statistics • GCSE PE • Film Studies • Sociology • Computing • Biology • Humanities • Textiles • Chemistry • Business Studies • Geography • Product Design • Physics • Music • Dance • Drama • Motor Vehicle GCSE • Health and Social Care • Media Studies • Hair and Beauty • Small Animal Care (delivered at HOET) (delivered at Moreton

Morrell College) • CoPE ASDAN award

Extra-curricular Opportunities Our curriculum is enhanced throughout the year by a wide range of day visits and residential trips, all of which are designed to support academic progress and the development of the student as a life-long learner. The Social Studies faculty offers opportunities to engage with Geography, History and RE through trips to Sorrento, Amsterdam, The WW1 Battlefields and Rome.

The English and Performing Arts teams organise visits to theatres and invite drama groups to perform in the school theatre.

A recent highlight for the school was the opportunity for a group of Year 10 students to travel to Kenya where they completed voluntary work - a project which was the result of a significant amount of fund raising across the school and within the local community. The school offers a bi-annual Ski trip to Italy, and there are a variety of other activities including an annual Year 7/8 trip to Paris and visits to museums, art galleries, universities, local businesses and careers events. Other enrichment opportunities vary throughout the year, and include: fly-fishing, Japanese, computing, science club and oil painting.

Within school, a homework club runs each evening in our wellresourced library where staff are on hand to support and develop a student’s personal interest in an area of study. In addition, every faculty offers revision support for all students with the aim of maximising academic attainment.

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Aspire • Engage • Achieve

Enrichment Opportunities The Avon Valley School fully recognises the major impact that enrichment opportunities have on the lives of young people. Through sport, the Arts, the Duke of Edinburgh Award and a variety of other activities, students have the opportunity to develop interpersonal, team building and problem solving skills, and build personal qualities such as empathy, self confidence, tolerance and resilience. The variety of opportunities on offer also allows us to further develop our links with local schools and the wider community.

Sport and PE Throughout the Physical Education Curriculum, we promote healthy lifestyles, physical fitness and participation in team activities. Students enjoy a wide range of opportunities to enhance their learning experiences and to develop their skills and abilities. Opportunities include: football, rugby, netball, trampoline, climbing, basketball, cricket, hockey, boxing, gym, badminton and access to our fitness training suite.

We are proud that many of our students have gone on to represent the school at county level, in a variety of sports, while some have gained success at a national level.

Performing Arts As a Specialist School for the Performing Arts, we are committed to developing creativity and a lifelong love of the arts. We place an emphasis on all students taking an active part in the Performing Arts as part of our core curriculum at Key Stage 3. We feel that by providing the opportunity to engage actively with the Arts, be it through performance, production, set design or providing technical support, all of our students experience a sense of enjoyment and achievement that leads to a development of self-confidence that is evident across the school.

To support our work in the Performing Arts, we also offer a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities including a variety of dance, drama and music clubs. Many students choose to learn a musical instrument and go on to perform regularly in assemblies in front of their peers.

During their time at Avon Valley, students have successfully gained places in drama schools, at the Birmingham Conservatoire and appeared on stage in the West End.

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“The range of subjects that students follow Is extensive.”

Ofsted Inspector

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“Students are extremely well motivated and keen to do well in their lessons�

Ofsted Report

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Aspire • Engage • Achieve

Support, Care and Guidance The House System The House System, set up in 2014, has rapidly become central to the character of our school and further enhances the ‘family’ ethos within which students actively support and encourage one another. On entry to the school, each student is placed in a tutor group which belongs to one of the four houses: Apollo, Fortune, Garrick or Phoenix – all named after famous London Theatres, in keeping with our Performing Arts specialism. Each house has its own identity and we expect all students to make a contribution to the activities that support both their House and the school. Our students take pride in their House and this encourages greater collaboration between the year groups, while a healthy competitive spirit can be seen in the inter-house competitions and events such as Sports Day. As students progress through the school there are a variety of responsibilities that they can take on, from becoming ‘Learning Mentors’ in Year 9, supporting the incoming Year 7 students through their transition from primary, to the school’s Student Leadership Team in year 11 where, upon application, all students are interviewed by the Headteacher for the posts of Head Boy/ Girl, House Captain, Sports Captain and other senior posts.

Students are awarded House points for outstanding work and for demonstrating the school’s core values, and there is strong competition between the houses for the ‘House Trophy’ which is awarded termly. Each House supports a local charity and students and staff enjoy working together on fund raising activities as varied as: bungee jumping, cake sales, penalty shoot outs and sporting challenges.

The school’s academic and pastoral support is also delivered through the House structure with an Achievement Leader looking after academic progress of the students within each house and a Student Welfare Leader providing dedicated pastoral support.

Through working in close partnership the House Staff ensure that all individuals are well supported and, as a result, students make excellent academic progress.

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Aspire • Engage • Achieve

Meeting the Needs of All Learners

Development of the Individual

As an inclusive school we recognise that every student is unique and has different learning needs. From our personalised curriculum, to the support of the Achievement Leaders and Student Welfare Leaders, all students at Avon Valley are given every opportunity to achieve to the best of their ability. To ensure that your child is able to meet our high standards we provide a supportive and caring environment which values every individual.

To enable students to settle quickly into Avon Valley, we have a dedicated Year 7 Transition Leader who visits all our prospective students in their primary school, collecting information to allow us to optimise their placement in teaching and social groupings.

On arrival in September, students take part in a ‘Splash Day‘ where they work together in teams on problem solving activities, giving them a chance to form new bonds and friendships within the school. The Year 10 mentors work alongside the new students giving them the opportunity to develop inter-house relationships. In every year group, the Splash Days focus on the development of personal skills and character, building the important ‘soft skills’ that are needed in the work place and throughout life.

To guarantee that we meet the needs of all of our learners we assess students on entry. This enables us to identify any undiagnosed learning needs and also to recognise those amongst the year group who have particular academic abilities or talents. The most able students are automatically enrolled into our ‘Aspire’ group, who access a programme of learning that includes specialist subject based activities and the opportunity to engage with Universities through outreach sessions. Our more able students reach the very highest standards through following an enriched curriculum where depth and breadth of study is not compromised by a fast track approach to qualification. More able students are offered the opportunity to complete extension and enrichment tasks both as part of the curriculum, and through extended learning opportunities at home.

Students with Special Educational Needs are extremely well supported by the school’s inclusion team who, in partnership with parents and other professionals, assess and regularly review the needs of students who require extra support. The majority of students with a special need are supported within the mainstream system, although some students benefit from individual support with numeracy, literacy and /or social, emotional and behavioural interventions.

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We work hard to ensure that every student feels a sense of belonging to our school family. Mentors and Prefects interact regularly with the younger students, providing excellent role models for the attributes of compassion, resilience, empathy and character.

When students reach the end of Year 10 the focus switches to employability, and all students take part in a work experience week which has clear benefits in terms of raising motivation levels as they move towards GCSE. In Year 11, students have the opportunity of a careers interview with our specialist advisor and also take part in ‘mock interview’ days and the school’s careers fair. Departments take groups of students to visit local sixth forms to complete taster sessions in A levels, and we liaise with all our local post 16 providers to ensure that students complete a positive transition to post 16 education.

“Students’ achievement is good” Ofsted Report

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Expectations We have high expectations of all of our students, both academically and socially, irrespective of their different starting points, skills and aptitudes. As soon as students join us in Year 7, we work with them to raise aspirations, and to engage them in learning in a supportive and caring environment. We believe that “getting the basics right” ensures that students stay focused on learning as they progress through the school. Therefore we have high standards of uniform and appearance which helps to prepare young people for the work-place later in life. The school has a strong focus on engaging students to become independent and active learners, and the setting of regular homework and extended learning tasks ensures that students become used to managing their own work-load and meeting targets.

This is supported by the use of a personal planner, which also acts as a medium for communication between home and school, and the provision of a “homework club” which runs every day after school.

The school values and rewards good behaviour and work, and students are awarded House points to celebrate successful achievements in both these areas. Student achievement is also celebrated through the school’s termly Gold Book assembly and the weekly Headteacher’s awards. The school has a clear discipline policy which is used to support students who find it difficult to make correct choices about behaviour; and sanctions and support are used together to direct students to make better choices in the future.

Communication At Avon Valley we believe that the partnership between home and school is an important part of a rewarding and happy educational experience. We proactively seek to include parents and carers in the life of our community, and communicate with parents in a variety of ways. Communication is a two way process and it is critical that, should parents or carers have concerns, they are raised promptly so we can work with you to resolve any issues.

To enable us to share information regularly, the school produces half termly newsletters through which we celebrate the success of our students. We update our Facebook and Twitter accounts daily with news and pictures of activities around the school and our school website www.avonvalleyschool.org.uk provides a wealth of information. The school invests in “Showmyhomework”, an online homework tool, which allows you to access your child’s homework and keep an overview of tasks and deadlines. Parents receive termly progress checks in addition to a full annual report on their child’s performance.

The safety of our students is of paramount importance, and we always contact home if a student fails to arrive in the morning.

The school also uses ‘Schoolcomms’ to provide a fast and reliable email and text messaging service, and to offer an online parent payment facility allowing you to pay for school dinners, trips and visits through a cashless system.

Parents are welcome to contact us via email or phone and meetings can be arranged on request, at a mutually convenient time. We look forward to working with you.

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Aspire • Engage • Achieve

Together on our journey to greatness 1

Newbold Road, Rugby CV21 1EH Tel: 01788 542355 • Fax: 01788 572050 Email: admin@avonvalleyschool.co.uk www.avonvalleyschool.org.uk 16