OUR PUPILS

Horbury School is a comprehensive school for boys and girls between the ages of 11 and 16. We have over 1,000 pupils, mostly from Horbury, Horbury Bridge, Middlestown, Flockton, Netherton and West Bretton.

CURRICULUM

Years 7-9 – Key Stage 3

On arrival at the school all students are placed in a tutor group. Students will normally remain in this mixed ability group throughout their school life, and the group will be used for teaching some lessons during the first year. Tutor groups help to develop the skills necessary for learning, and promote areas of individual and group development. An important area of development is target-setting, and tutors will work with students and parents in this process.

The academic programme for Years 7-9 is designed to provide a wide range of educational experience and enable all students to follow a common curriculum. Attention is focused on the needs and abilities of the individual student within and beyond the framework of the National Curriculum

Core subjects: Years 7 to 9

English, Mathematics, Science, Religious Education, ICT, PE and Personal, Health and Social Education

Foundation Subjects : Years 7 to 9

Geography, History, Languages, Technology, Art Music, Drama

Years 10 and 11: Key Stage 4

In Years 10 and 11 all students must take English, Mathematics, Science, P.E, Technology, R.E, Languages, Personal, Health and Social Education, plus optional subjects which currently include History, Geography, Business Studies, Child Development, Art, Art Textiles, GCSE P.E., GNVQ ICT, GCSE ICT

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Subject Setting

In all year groups we have setting in individual subjects. The setting will initially be based on information gained from the pupil’s previous school.
We believe that teachers can focus more clearly on individual needs and abilities, by using setting in different subjects. This helps to encourage each student to reach his or her potential. Pupils may move from set to set depending on their progress

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Homework

All students are required to complete homework assignments on a regular basis. A Student Planner or Diary will be provided at the start of each year in order to help students plan their time and meet deadlines. Whilst the time spent on homework will differ for each student, we would expect Year 7 students to spend between 40 and 60 minutes on homework each evening. In Year 8 this will rise to at least one hour, in Year 9 to about an hour and a half, and in Years 10 and 11 to about two hours per night.

The main purpose of homework is to reinforce and build on material taught in class. At examination times homework time will be used to focus on revision and practising good examination technique.
Each year group receives a Homework Timetable

It is vital that good study habits are formed at the start of Year 7. Parents can help their children develop these habits by encouraging them to study at regular times and away from distractions.

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Assessment and Reporting

Continuous assessment takes place in every subject area from Year 7 onwards and annual examinations take place in most subjects. From year 10, students will take part in examinations under the same formal conditions, as those required by public examination boards. Every year parents will receive an interim report, a full report and there is also a Parents Evening for every year group.

There is an opportunity for parents of prospective Year 7 students to meet their child’s form tutor, and there is a Taster Day for prospective Year 7
students, which is held in the July prior to their commencement at school.

Apart from Parents Evenings, appointments can be made at other times to see individual staff about a student’s progress.

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Special Needs

We have a purpose built special needs base, and a team of specialist staff, who are available to provide educational support across a broad range of individual needs. Students who may benefit include those with learning difficulties, special abilities, minor physical handicaps, social and emotional difficulties.

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Horbury SPIRIT

We aim to develop and encourage certain qualities in students, which are summarised under the heading of SPIRIT.

The qualities are summarised as follows:

Self Confidence

I will learn to value myself as an individual and develop my own self-confidence

Positive

I will always try to have a positive attitude to my learning

Independent Learner

I want to develop the key skills to become an independent learner and keep on learning all my life

Respect

I will learn to have respect for everyone and develop my skills in working with others.

Informed Decisions

I want to be a responsible citizen and develop the skills to make informed choices

Targets

I will keep setting myself high personal targets, as I want to achieve the best that I am capable of.

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Pastoral Care

We believe that promoting the personal and social development of our pupils is vital as encouraging their academic progress.

Tutor Groups

Form Tutors dedicate a significant amount of time and effort in getting to know the members of their form, and in helping and guiding them so that they can realise their full academic and social potential. Form Tutors also co-ordinate the system of Merits, Credits and Commendations.

A Head of Year is attached to each age group to provide additional help and support. In addition there are Assistant Headteachers in charge of Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 attainment who co-ordinate the work of the pastoral team.

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Personal, Health and Social Education

Pupils in all five year groups follow a varied and informative programme of timetabled lessons, designed to help them acquire skills needed to cope as adolescents at school and as adults when they leave the school. The lessons include health education, citizenship and careers, and a focus on developing Spirit qualities

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Code of Conduct

We have high expectations of the way pupils should conduct themselves and encourage pupils to develop self-discipline, so that they can behave as responsible members of the community, both in and out of school.

We value the active support of parents in encouraging pupils to aim for the highest possible standards in the way that they conduct themselves, and in the consideration they show for others.

In order to support pupils in their efforts to achieve high standards throughout the school, we operate a system of rewards and sanctions. We choose to put the emphasis on the positive achievements of pupils in a wide range of activities leading to, Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum awards. We give merit awards each term in every subject, and at every level of ability to pupils in each year group, who have shown
particularly good application and achievement. One of our major inter-house trophies, presented annually is the work shield, which recognises diligence and industry.

We stage a Speech Day each November at which we present prizes to pupils who have distinguished themselves in various aspects of school life.

There are occasions when individual pupils behave in an unco-operative , or even anti-social manner. We deal with each incident in accordance with its particular circumstances and the School’s Behaviour Policy. Sanctions may include additional work, being placed ‘on report’, working in the Isolation Unit or being put in detention after school, with 24 hours notice to parents.

Where such measures fail to work and in more serious cases of misconduct, we usually involve parents so that the problem can, hopefully, be resolved by home and school working together, in a co-operative and mutually supportive manner. Internal isolation for short periods, or temporary exclusion from school, is used sparingly, usually to protect others from having their learning disrupted.

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School Council

This body consists of pupils elected from every form, and the Council meets every half-term. It provides a forum through which pupils can raise issues and make suggestions about improvements to school life

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Prefects

At the end of Year 10 pupils are selected by their peers and staff to act as prefects in their final year
in the school. In order to achieve the status of prefect, pupils have to display a high degree of responsibility and qualities of leadership. The Head Boy and Head Girl and their deputies are selected from those pupils who are elected as prefects.

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School and Parents Association

We have a very active School and Parents Association, which organises a lively programme of social and fund raising activities. All parents are automatically members of the Association, and meetings are held monthly during term time normally on the first Thursday of the month. The meetings include an opportunity to raise issues related to student need.

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Outdoor, Sporting and Other Activities

We believe there is real value in having an outdoor component in learning, so pupils will a number of opportunities during their school life to undertake field trips and other visits. These include a French exchange trip, and a history trip to the battlelfields in France.

We also undertake a wide variety of sporting activities and representative teams include football, rugby, netball, cross country and cricket and have an excellent record in inter school competitions.

Other activities take place at lunchtime and after school in an effort to try and cater for a wide range of interests.

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Links with the Community

The school plays an important part in the life of the local community. Our sports facilities, the youth centre and the adult education centre are all widely used by the community out of school hours. There are opportunities for parents to develop their skills in a number of areas including modern foreign languages, design and technology and ICT.

The school has excellent relationships with external organisations in both the public and private sector. These relationships are used to enhance the curriculum and learning of the students and include opportunities for people from industry to visit the school and for students to undertake visits to local industry.

Note :

Every effort has been made to ensure that the contents of this prospectus are correct at the time of writing

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