St Michael’s Catholic College

We are committed to the highest level of achievement for pupils of all abilities and we recognise that there are no limits to a child’s potential. Our aim is simple; to facilitate academic and personal success in a rigorous learning community and in a culture which embraces spiritual values of – serving others, tolerance, prayer and forgiveness.

It is our belief therefore that students grow into mature and responsible adults through Learning together in a Catholic community.

Aspiring to academic excellence and success. Acquiring confidence, self-esteem and fulfillment of their individual talent. Developing a love of learning, a love of Christ, and a love of each other. Our greatest resource is our team of well-qualified, dedicated staff who work creatively and professionally to give every student the chance to flourish and achieve our goal of academic excellence.

The distinctive mission of St Michael’s Catholic College is to find a balance between rigour and care and to create an environment of supportive accountability. As it expands the college is committed to: Students achieving their potential and beyond as a result of a curriculum that meets the needs of all learners. Outstanding provision and outcomes in the sixth form. Sustaining and enhancing the authentic Catholic ethos of the college so that students feel valued and loved giving them a self-belief and ability to aspire to academic excellence. The College leading innovation through its creative response to government and self-generated initiatives and playing a lead role in the development of the CTA/Diocese new model of teacher training. As a result, excellent practice is regularly shared with other schools.

As a Catholic college our mission is: Living and learning together as a Catholic community in Christ. Religion, reason and kindness are at the heart of our ethos through education. The philosophy of the college is therefore shaped by our faith.

At St Michael’s, we aim to offer all of our students a broad and balanced curriculum, with a strong academic core. Within this, the expectation is that students are challenged academically, as well as enriched culturally, morally and spiritually. The curriculum and the teaching and learning expectations within the college go beyond the statutory requirements both across the curriculum as a whole and within separate subjects, to ensure that students encounter risk and challenge as well as being supported individually to meet these challenges. Our starting point is the knowledge of the kind of learners that our students need to be in order to achieve the highest possible grades at KS5 and the skills, knowledge and habits of learning and thinking needed to realise this ambition are built in from year 7.

Key stage 3 is the foundation of learning. In these three years the curriculum builds the skills: resilience, problem solving and risk that are required for success up to grade A* at A level. Students study the full range of subjects available in order to have the opportunity to identify their own skills and interests. To ensure access to this for all students, intensive support is provided in year 7, through the accelerated reading programme, for those learners who arrive with below 100 in English. This support is maintained throughout their time at college either through in class support or, at key stage 3 in particular, additional reading clubs.

Key Stage 4: students begin to specialise within a strongly academic context that meets the needs and aspirations of our students. Depth of knowledge across fewer subjects is preferred, in preparation for study at KS5 and students should study no more than 9 subjects unless they are taking the individual sciences.

Transition to KS5 is used to promote challenge and high expectations at KS4. To this end, scholarships and exhibitions are available subject to student performance at GCSE allowing access to differentiated support for university applications and appropriate enrichment opportunities. The curriculum has three pathways:

A level + offering access to 4 A levels in: Science, Maths and Further maths. An A level pathway offering access to three A levels and the Technical pathway which enables students to study for OCR National Qualifications in either : Sport, Business or ICT.

All of the courses come with exhibitions to be awarded to those students who achieve a grade 9 or an A* in a subject that they continue at A level. While students with: 4 A*/ Grade 8/9 will considered for the Oxbridge Scholarship Pathway.

St Michael’s School was built in 1960 as a diocesan school to cope with the expanding rolls in the London area. The patron saint of the school is St Michael the Archangel, not a person that existed but a spirit. Until recently there was a statue of St Michael in the ground leading to the front of the building, however, it was in a poor state of repair and had to be removed.

The School became a College in September 2010. In September 2011 St Michaels became a 6th Form College. In November of 2012 St Michaels became an Academy.