Saint Paul's Catholic High School

Saint Paul’s Catholic High School is a Voluntary Academy in the Diocese of Shrewsbury for boys and girls aged 11-16.Staff and students work together to create a vibrant and caring Christian community, focused on excellent teaching and learning together with high aspirations for what we can be and become.All are welcome in our school, which is inspired by faith and especially by the person and the work of Jesus and His followers.

Our Mission Statement reminds us that life is connected to loving and learning and to following Jesus in the journey that is life:‘Journeying together with Jesus Christ, we learn to love and love to learn’
Our aim is to provide an education for the whole person, for the formation of human character through knowledge and skills, and values and virtues. For this reason we have developed a strong emphasis on knowing our students well and living the Christian values of love, compassion, respect, service and stewardship.

St Paul, Apostle of Jesus and patron of our school, said that ‘without love we are nothing’ and he taught us what it means to put love into action. We follow these principles in our teaching and learning and our high expectations for good behaviour and discipline in our school.Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud; love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs; love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth. Love never gives up; and its faith, hope, and patience never fail. (St Paul’s First Letter to people in Corinth Chapter 13 verses 4 – 7).

Working together in partnership with our parishes and communities, we nurture these life-affirming values, encouraging each student’s spiritual and academic development.Working with the local and wider community is of high importance to us and community links are fully embedded into the life and work of the school and we believe they provide valuable experiences which support the curriculum and enhance our students’ learning. In line with our core values, we feel that through community projects our students will develop respect for others and care for the environment.

Saint Paul's Catholic High School is a welcoming school. We aim to do as much as we can to welcome many pupils of varying needs into our positive and dynamic learning environment.As parents and guardians of prospective pupils, you may wish to arrange a visit to Saint Paul's Catholic High School or simply discuss any aspect of the admissions procedure. In either instance, please don't hesitate to get in touch.

Founded on the love of Christ and recognising the inestimable worth of each individual, Saint Paul's exists to foster, with care and compassion, personal, spiritual and academic growth, extending into the community and beyond.Spiritual development is at the core of all we do at Saint Paul's. We aim to teach and foster the Gospel values of love of God and our neighbour, through our Curriculum and our Chaplaincy events.The school has excellent support from the Clergy in the local area and continues to develop close links with our parishes. Pupils are encouraged to participate fully in Parish activities.

Saint Paul’s is a school community which is Catholic in character and tradition. The Catholic life and ethos, as well as the spiritual, moral, social and cultural values held within the school are based on the gospel of Christ. The school recognises that there are some members of our community that do not share the faith or practices but welcomes and values their contribution. The school also recognises that we are part of the wider community and the world, with its rich variety of faiths, cultures and races.

The primary aim is to underline the spiritual concerns of humanity (e.g. matters of life and death, the purpose of life, choices in life, etc.) ‘Themeof the week’ allows all pupils an opportunity to reflect on pertinent moral and spiritual themes.

Spiritual development is experienced fundamentally through Religious Education and Chaplaincy. All pupils study RE until the end of Year 11, culminating in a Full course GCSE qualification. Religious Education lessons aid pupils to gain insight into their own religious beliefs and loyalties, sort out their personal and spiritual values and practices so that they may take up their own spiritual allegiances. Moreover, it contributes to the moral and social development of our young people, developing consideration for others, an appreciation of human rights and responsibilities and a concern for justice in society. Also, it develops in pupils respect for the practices of different religious faiths and a sympathetic understanding of their underlying values and concerns. It should develop tolerance for the variety of beliefs and the customs of the citizens of our world.

It is expected that wider opportunities exist in the school’s curriculum that enable pupils by discussion to think about religion and appreciate the variety of faiths by: using art, drama, music, languages, science and technology as well as humanities to heighten awareness of the spiritual dimension in our lives creating tasks which question pupils and enable them to work out their own position on issues, both moral and religious.
Our SEND team ensure that all students’ individual learning needs are catered for. The specialist, knowledgeable, passionate and experienced team work alongside students, parents, carers, staff and other stakeholders to ensure that all students can access all they need to achieve their potential.

The team is comprised of specialist teaching staff and a team Teaching Assistants who work with students who need additional help accessing the curriculum in lessons and throughout the school day.The SEND team work to identify individual student needs and to provide specialised and targeted support to ensure that all students fulfil their potential. Whether a student has a Special Educational Need or Disability, English as an Additional Language or struggle to access the curriculum in any way the team endeavour to ensure that appropriate support and provision is in place to ensure that they can access the curriculum and achieves their very best. This support can take many forms: Literacy & Numeracy tuition; in-class support; small group work; one to one sessions for Dyslexia with a specialist teacher; one to one support for other learning difficulties and access to specialist equipment and programmes.

Our 21st century curriculum prepares pupils for a world that is changing at a rapid rate. Pupils acquire skills and ways of thinking that enable them to adapt to advances in technology and an evolving job market.In Key Stage 3 (years 7 to 9) all the National Curriculum subjects are studied in groups set according to avility. Some pupils with additional needs are taught in a home setting by specialist staff.Key Stage 4 offers academic and vocational pathways. Our curriculum includes thinking skills, investigating, problem solving, decision making, analysing, evaluating and redesigning.Pupils at Saint Paul's are expected to show initiative, be creative, work independently and in teams, self assess and peer assess with a critical and constructive eye. All subjects contribute to the specialised learning that distinguishes Saint Paul's as an Engineering College.