RIDGEWAY HIGH SCHOOLBusiness & Enterprise and Languages Specialist College

www.ridgewayhighschool.co.uk

I am delighted that you are considering Ridgeway High School for your childs secondary education.

I hope that this prospectus conveys something of the ethos, atmosphere and warmth that captivated me when I first joined the school as Deputy Headteacher in 2002, before my subsequent appointment as Headteacher in 2012.

Ridgeway is a mixed, all-ability school, catering for some 750 students in the 11 to 16 age range, drawn from a large section of the Wirral. We pride ourselves on being Wirrals only all-ability grammar school, offering the rigour and challenge of a grammar school education without the pressures of selection. Our school motto is Reaching Higher Standards and we are delighted by the high standards our students continue to achieve, both personally and academically.

Our most recent Ofsted inspection concluded that:

the proportion of students achieving five or more GCSE passes at grades A* to C, including English and mathematics, is outstanding.

Inspectors commented on teachers passion and enthusiasm and noted examples of outstanding teaching across a number of subjects, including English, mathematics, science, design technology, RE, Music and physical education.

We personalise our curriculum to meet the needs of our students and help them to gain the necessary qualifications to fulfil their career aspirations.

Of course, education is about much more than academic achievement. At Ridgeway, we believe that engagement and enrichment are the keys to ensuring that students receive a fully-rounded education. I am thrilled at the broad range of life-changing cultural and spiritual experiences we offer at Ridgeway, resulting in lifelong memories.

Ridgeway High School is a proven, successful and forward-thinking school with a talented and caring staff. We are proud of our achievements to date but also engage in a continuous cycle of evaluation and renewal in order to drive the school forward. As part of the Priority Schools New Build Project, we will be moving into a brand new school building in September 2017, providing students, staff and our local community with state-of-the-art facilities.

I am proud to welcome you to the school, its staff and students. I trust that you will take the opportunity to visit us and discover what we can offer your child.

Mr T TaylorHeadteacher

WELCOME TO PROSPECTIVE PARENTS

Teachers passion and enthusiasm for their subjects motivate students

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Tony TaylorHeadteacher

Darren WaterworthAssistant Headteacher

Liz WilliamsDeputy Headteacher

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Our curriculum has been recognised by Ofsted as the jewel in the crown of the school.

We offer a compulsory language to GCSE (French or Spanish) and the opportunity for all students to study history or geography at GCSE level. This meets the demands of the English Baccalaureate, which recognises success in specific traditional academic subjects and is considered particularly desirable for those students aspiring to higher education and a professional career.

All students in years 7 and 8 study courses which cover a wide spectrum of subjects, aimed at developing broad knowledge and understanding as well as key skills for learning. These courses include the full range of expressive arts and humanities.

In year 9, students begin a three-year Key Stage 4, ensuring that they are well prepared for the new, more rigorous and challenging GCSE examinations at the end of year 11. All students continue to follow a core curriculum, opting for one subject within humanities, technology and expressive arts, thus ensuring a broad and balanced education for all.

Learning for life is our programme of personal, social, health and citizenship education. Organised around the themes of My Body, My Beliefs and My Role in Society , learning for life complements students academic studies to widen their views on contemporary issues and to engender tolerance and respect for the opinions of others.

Our themed Intensive Study Days, often based outside the normal classroom and with a focus on enterprise and on creativity, promote a sense of enjoyment about learning and offer opportunities for students to dig deeper and to develop their creative thinking. We offer subject enrichment through opportunities such as visits to Manchester Metropolitan University, the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry and the Museum of Liverpool.

Ridgeway High School was the first Wirral school to gain specialist status for business and enterprise. Our strong links with many local employers (offering work experience and apprenticeship placements) means that our students have a wide range of opportunities to choose from. These range from accountancy and law firms to construction, leisure industries and newspapers.We positively encourage students to explore and research different career pathways, providing guidance and careers education throughout their school journey with us. We are proud of our 100% success rate for students moving into further education, apprenticeships or work placements post 16.

Students receive a very good all-round education because achievement across the range of subjects is consistently at least good

Ofsted July 2013

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Our national reputation and innovative approaches to teaching and learning enable us to recruit highly qualified, talented and committed staff.

Through an ambitious programme of continuing professional development and In Pursuit of Excellence school-based training, we strive to deliver outstanding lessons that engage and inspire students.

Teachers are appointed not only for their subject knowledge but also for their ability to communicate a passion for their subject and to inspire intellectual curiosity in young people. Our goal, from the beginning of year 7, is to nurture lively, enquiring minds, to encourage students to think for themselves and to help them become independent learners.

Students progress is closely monitored through a daily programme of Academic Mentoring. Each student is assigned a Mentor on a 1:8 ratio, ensuring highly personalised support. Attendance, punctuality, attitude to learning and homework are discussed weekly, with intervention quickly put in place when required.

At Ridgeway we are passionate about the importance of homework. Homework extends what is covered in class and helps teachers to assess how well students are doing. Most importantly of all, homework develops independent learning skills. After all, in GCSEs, only one person is sitting the exam and thats the student!

Homework Club is open for all year groups and runs at lunchtime and after school until 4.45pm five days per week, with transport available for students to get home. It is staffed by teachers, with teaching assistants on hand to provide additional help and support. Based in a classroom, a quiet and supportive working atmosphere is assured.

Expert use of questioning by teachers helps students improve their understanding

Ofsted July 2013

At Ridgeway, we are passionate about learning beyond the classroom, providing all students with opportunities to broaden and enrich their horizons.

We are proud of the fact that we offer life-changing experiences that result in lifelong memories. Highlights include a five-day sporting tour to Barcelona, a week-long tall ships voyage around the coast of Britain and a performing arts trip to Disneyland Paris. We foster students cultural awareness through an astonishing range of enrichment opportunities from trips to local museums and universities to visits to sites of historical and international importance, such as the Houses of Parliament, the First World War battlefields at Ypres and Auschwitz.

We actively encourage students to express themselves and to develop their talents. We stage ambitious productions such as We Will Rock You and Annie and run a highly-successful Duke of Edinburghs Award programme, with cohorts in Years 10 and 11. An extensive extra-curricular sports programme involves our students in local, regional and national competitions. Our students are motivated to aspire to be the best through a programme of regular visits to elite sporting events.

Our rewards system is linked to attitude to learning scores that students receive after every lesson. We recognise and reward good behaviour, outstanding effort and high achievement. The House system promotes an element of healthy competition. House events, both sporting and non-sporting, take place on a regular basis, with students earning points towards their House total.

We encourage students to work cooperatively and to participate in the life of the school, for example through the Student Voice programme and through opportunities to volunteer for positions of responsibility, such as prefects, recycling ambassadors, sports leaders and language leaders.

Instrumental and singing lessons are available. Lessons are provided at subsidised rates and are integrated into the school day. Instrumental lessons are supported by a range of extra-curricular opportunities to practise and play in groups.

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

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Students get on well with each other and with staff. They demonstrate high levels of cooperation when working together in pairs and groups

Ofsted July 2013

MEETING THE NEEDS OF ALL STUDENTSTeachers at Ridgeway are skilled in delivering lessons that are differentiated to meet the full range of learning needs.

For some students, additional help and support is required. We have a dedicated team of specialists delivering support classes, in literacy and numeracy, in its own suite of rooms.

Students who enter Ridgeway with a Level 5 SAT level in any subject, or who are identified through our baseline testing as gifted in a particular subject area, are included in our gifted and talented programme. This includes close mentoring and support to ensure that they are suitably stretched and challenged in order to reach their full potential. A key part of the programme is awareness raising about higher education and the opportunity to visit university campuses and to experience lectures and student life. Our most able Key Stage 3 students also undertake a programme of independent learning challenges to nurture the skills required for GCSE success at grades A and A*.

We are particularly keen to support students new to the school and to instil a sense of the Ridgeway family . Our extensive smooth move programme for students in year 6 eases the transition to Ridgeway and helps them integrate with students from as many as 22 different primary schools. This includes Saturday morning sessions and two summer schools. We hold an away-day for new students in September, helping to build a sense of identity within the year group, as well as an annual trip for all year 7 students to Belgium.

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Disabled students and those with special educational needs make outstanding overall progress

Ofsted July 2013

We firmly believe that happy students make better progress in school.

Ofsted says that the quality of care, guidance and support is exceptional at Ridgeway. In addition to our unique mentoring system, each year group is overseen by a non-teaching Pastoral Support Leader, who has an overview of students welfare, attendance and achievement. The work of the Pastoral Support Leaders is supported by a dedicated Attendance and Safeguarding Officer.

This model of pastoral support is widely appreciated by our existing parents and we place a high value on developing and ensuring a strong partnership with new parents. Any member of the pastoral team is easily contactable by telephone or email. Meanwhile, our Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) allows parents to access a lesson-by-lesson attitude to learning score and information about homework throughout the day.

Parents receive a half-termly report on their childs progress and attainment in all subjects in other words, six reports per year. Copies of all our letters to parents are available on our extremely popular and easy-to-navigate website. Other methods of communication include the use of online ParentPay to pay for lunches and trips, SMS messaging, and The Ridgeway Reader, our half-termly newsletter.

Ridgeway is a family school, working for the benefit of students, parents and the local community. We pride ourselves on our work to promote community cohesion through events such as our annual Bonfire Night extravaganza and the Christmas and summer fairs. Our Parent Ambassador Team (PAT) allows parents to support the school, volunteering to help out at community and fundraising events and talking to prospective parents about the school.

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Behaviour and safety are good because teachers help students develop the confidence they need to succeed

Ofsted July 2013

A STRONG PARENT-SCHOOLPARTNERSHIP

What our parents say...Ridgeway is getting the best out of my child

Goes the extra mile to help my child succeed

Ensures parents are exceptionally well informed about progress

Provides a safe and caring environment for my child

As for the students...Teachers will do everything to help us understand and do our best

The school is like a family where everyone is respected and fully included

Is it any wonder that Ridgeway is a high-performing school where all the pupils achieve at least five A*- C grades at GCSE?

Nick Gibb MP - Minister of State for SchoolsYour results show that you are amongst the 100 top performing schools based on sustained improvement.

TRIED AND TESTED

The new headteacher has demonstrated outstanding leadership

Ofsted July 2013

Noctorum Avenue, Prenton, CH43 9EBTel: 0151 678 3322 Fax: 0151 678 6571Email: schooloffice@ridgeway.wirral.sch.uk

www.ridgewayhighschool.co.uk

RIDGEWAY HIGH SCHOOLBusiness & Enterprise and Languages Specialist College