Broughton Hall Catholic High School

Welcome to our School which serves as a window. Broughton Hall Catholic High School was founded in 1928 under the trusteeship of The Sister of Mercy.

Founded in 1928 under the Trusteeship of the Sisters of Mercy, Broughton Hall Catholic High School, provides the very best in modern education for our pupils based on the Gospel values of mutual respect and care. Our school motto "Cor Unum et Anima Una" - One Heart and One Mind - reflects the strong sense of community amongst staff, pupils, parents and governors. The central aim of our school is to provide excellent educational opportunities enabling each girl to develop her God-given talents, to grow in confidence and self-esteem and fulfil her potential. The Catholic Ethos of the school strives to demonstrate that we respect and value every member of the school community. We have high expectations of all our pupils in terms of the quality and presentation of their work and of their general conduct.

Improvements to our site have enabled us to offer a wide range of courses at all levels with access to the most up to date equipment. We have now moved into our "state of the art" 21st Century new buildings. Our facilities are bright, spacious, high tech and designed to meet the needs of all our pupils. We can now offer one of the best learning environments in the country. A full range of extra-curricular activities are provided to further the aesthetic, sporting and academic talents of each pupil. This commitment has recently been recognised by the Artsmark Gold Award and the International Schools Award. Through our Community courses and family of Schools, we have extended educational opportunities to all ages, locally, nationally and internationally.

Our pupils achieve outstanding results; develop as well rounded individuals with skills for life in the 21st Century founded on the values of our Trustees the Sisters of Mercy. We believe that by fostering self-reliance, self-control, initiative and the ability to make reasoned judgements, our pupils, with God?s help, will develop into caring adults, showing concern for others and contributing much to the development of society in the 21st Century.

Our facilities include a newly opened Technology/Arts block, state of the art Science laboratories, a well equipped Gym and a modern Dance Studio.

Broughton Hall Catholic High School respects and celebrates the diversity within our community and is committed to providing an environment which ensures that all pupils and staff are treated with dignity and respect. We seek to provide a positive learning and working environment, free from discrimination, harassment or victimisation.

English at Key Stage 3 is designed to foreground the skills needed at GCSE. Girls will develop their reading, writing and Spoken English skills. They will read a wide range of different texts and genres, including a 19th century novel, poetry, media and non-fiction texts, seminal world literature and modern drama. Each student will be assessed in either reading or writing every half-term so that the class teacher can build up a clear picture of the strengths and weaknesses of each pupil over the year. An end of year summative test will assess the progress each girl has made and whether a set change for the following year would be beneficial.

Pupils are taught in groups set by ability and have three lessons per week. There are extra literacy lessons for pupils with additional needs.

All year 7 pupils have an extra English lesson each week, used for the development of independent reading skills and spelling, punctuation and grammar.

All pupils are placed in sets on arrival in year 7, either from 1 to 4 or 1 to 5 depending upon the pupil numbers within the year group. Pupils will have 3 lessons per week. During these lessons pupils will begin to develop their problem solving and reasoning skills which are needed for GCSE. The topics covered will be under the main headings of Number, Algebra, Statistics and Geometry.

In years 9, 10 and 11 pupils will study GCSE mathematics at either Higher or Foundation level depending upon individual progress. Pupils will follow the Edexcel GCSE Mathematics course and take 3 examinations at the end of year 11, forming 100% of the course.

Mathematics is offered to pupils at A Level, it is advised that pupils achieve a minimum grade of a 7 to ensure they are successful at A Level. Students will have 5 maths lessons a week and be taught by two teachers.

Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) is highly valued at Broughton Hall and supports the Catholic ethos of the school. The central aim of our school is to provide the very best educational opportunities enabling each girl to develop her God-given talents, to grow in confidence and self-esteem and fulfil her potential up to and including Oxbridge entrance. We recognise that PSHE is crucial in enabling our students to become confident, independent learners who are able to take their place in a constantly changing society.

PSHE is timetabled on a fortnightly basis. Students are taught in their form rooms by their form tutor. This enables students and staff to develop supportive relationships with each other which is key to the delivery of outstanding PSHE lessons. Ground rules are established at the beginning of each year in order to provide a safe and supportive environment in which sensitive issues can be delivered and discussed. Lessons have an active learning approach and can include media based discussions, debates, role plays and presentations.