Heathcote School and Science College

A very warm welcome to our 11-18 school and our amazing and talented pupils. This is a very different school from the ‘old’ Heathcote.

We are so proud of our community, the way everyone coped during lockdown and the quality of education we provided both in and out of school. Heathcote School and Science College has a clear vision and values statement which makes it plain what we stand for:

We encourage our pupils to take pride in their learning and community – to work hard, pursue continual improvement and achieve to the best of their abilities. Pupils seek and embrace feedback and show tolerance and mutual respect to each other.

We challenge our pupils to take responsibility for their learning, to be resilient to failure and to self-regulate their behavior. All our staff and governors are determined that all pupils confidently strive for success and expect them to be present and punctual.

We succeed when all pupils reach their academic potential and are thoughtful, caring and honest citizens; leaving Heathcote fully prepared for the next stage of their life – whether that be in education, training or employment. We succeed by letting them do so in a comfortable and safe environment where they take a proactive role and develop socially.

Pupils and parents regularly give us feedback about the positive changes in school and we constantly reflect on these changes to ensure that we adapt if we need to; ultimately to ensure that policies and procedures are absolutely right for our pupils and the school community. This will ensure the very best outcomes as well as ensuing our pupils are happy and safe.

Our curriculum remains broad and balanced with the practical subjects like Drama, Music, Art and DT remaining an important part of the curriculum. We will review our curriculum in light of the new Ofsted framework over the next year, ensuring it is challenging as well as engaging and exciting.

We are looking to build stronger links with parents and careers this year to ensure that you too can be part of the school community and support us as we go from strength to strength.

We have launched a new approach to learning and teaching based on Rosenshine’s principles – and we are in the process of completing the curriculum sections of the website so you can see the details of the broad, balance and varied curriculum and subjects we offer which are a key strength of the school.

One of the key strengths of the school is the relationships between staff and pupils and between pupils themselves and staff themselves. We are very proud of this feature of the school and believe that happy pupils make the best learners and happy staff make the best educators.

At Heathcote we provide an excellent education for all our students; an education which brings out the best in all of them and prepares them for success in life.

Intent

The knowledge rich curriculum at Heathcote School is founded on these key aims and values;

• Encourage pupils to be inquisitive, curious and thoughtful.
• Challenge pupils to be creative, independent and resilient.
• Succeed in creating pupils who value their own ability to learn, cherish their education, find their voice and use it with confidence.
• Succeed in promoting understanding in every member of the school community to recognize and respect the needs and opinions of others.

To enact this vision, teachers and pupils are expected to engage in the curriculum utilizing a set of curriculum non negotiables taught through Rosenshine’s Principles of Instruction, Oracy and Key Questions.