Heathcote School and Science College has a clear vision and values statement which makes it plain what we stand for:
Vision Statement
We aim to create a school that provides young people with a safe and happy learning environment that challenges and supports all learners to achieve their best outcomes through a creative, inspiring and enriched curriculum.
Values of Encourage, Challenge and Succeed
Encourage
We encourage our pupils to take pride in their learning and community – to work hard, be kind, display good manners and achieve to the best of their abilities. Pupils seek and embrace feedback and show understanding and mutual respect for each other and show excellent behaviour at all times.
Challenge
We challenge our pupils to push themselves, take responsibility for their learning, to be resilient to failure and to self-regulate their behaviour. All our staff and governors are determined that all pupils confidently strive for success and expect them to be present and punctual.
Succeed
We succeed when all pupils enjoy their learning and reach their academic potential in all areas; leaving Heathcote as thoughtful, caring and honest citizens 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 and culture where they take a proactive role and develop socially.
Our School Priorities for 2023-2024 are as follows:
Quality of Education Priorities
To ensure that curriculums are ambitious and challenging to empower all pupils to achieve their potential at all key stages.
To deliver high quality teaching in every classroom, every day.
All staff to improve outcomes for all pupils, especially HAPs, SEND, PP at KS4 and KS5.
To improve literacy and numeracy levels for all pupils.
To ensure data, assessment and feedback is accurate, purposeful and diagnostic to support teachers and pupils leading to narrowing gaps.
Behaviour, Attendance and Personal Development Priorities
To continue to improve pupil attendance and punctuality to school and lessons.
To ensure that staff and pupils’ wellbeing and mental health are equally considered and supported.
To implement a curriculum offer that gives a range of opportunities and experiences to all pupils.
To create a safe, calm and positive environment for all.
To establish a culture of inclusivity that celebrates diversity and creates an equitable experience for all.
Leadership and Management
Leaders, at all levels, are empowered to be responsible and proactive to drive whole school improvement.
All stakeholders are responsible and resourceful in reducing the school deficit by year end without compromising pupil experiences or outcomes.
I have an excellent team of Senior and Middle Leaders, as well as Governors, who are committed to driving school improvement to ensure Heathcote provides you and your children with the best education both academically as well as spiritually, socially, culturally and morally. This will ensure that all pupils can become the best they can be and doors will be opened to them in the pathways they wish to follow after school, more important now than ever before in such an unknown world. In addition, my team of teachers and support staff are absolutely determined to provide the very best learning and teaching experiences in a wide variety of subjects, ensuring lessons are typically challenging and inspiring. This includes ensuring the very best remote learning offer to future-proof us for the years ahead.
We have amended our School Improvement Plan to ensure we are focusing on the things that really matter in the world after we had so many pupils and staff unable to attend school. All levels of school improvement work this year will be based around these seven objectives:
- To ensure that our revised curriculum (supported by a clear IT strategy) fully develops each pupil’s capacity to process, remember and apply information (Rosenshine) through high and consistent standards of learning and teaching backed up by an exemplary remote learning offer at all key stages, a cultural capital pledge and a VESPA research project at post 16.
- To ensure that pupils of all ability levels are challenged to achieve academic success and success in their adult lives relative to their starting point irrespective of their personal circumstance or Covid experience. There will be a specific focus on disadvantaged pupils and ensuring Year 11 and 13 have every opportunity to reach their potential ensuring intervention and remote learning provide additional support.
- To ensure that all operational processes associated with a post Covid world are implemented to keep all stakeholders safe in school and that pupils meet these high standards leading to continuing improved standards of behaviour and an improvement in key indicators
- To ensure that attendance in school for all stakeholders increases with a focus on disadvantaged and Year 11 & 13 pupils, and to ensure HR processes support and challenge staff to improve attendance
To ensure that our mental health and professional conduct policies for staff and pupils have lasting impact and create a more consistently happy and stable community - To ensure that we consider all aspects of marketing and rebranding the school and finding our USP to ensure that parents, staff and pupils choose Heathcote as a first preference including finding alternatives to the traditional Open Evening and ensuring we can remain financially viable
To develop a high quality AP provision that contributes to the improved life chances of the target groups by supporting them to return successfully to their original schools
Our Sixth Form results show pupils continue to achieve some amazing results at Heathcote and the number of pupils securing Russell Group offers remains very high. Vocational results continue to be outstanding.
We were delighted to receive good judgements in all areas in our 2018 Ofsted Inspection. Pupils were extremely open and engaging with the Inspectors and clearly very proud of their school, and we know we have made huge progress since then. Ofsted should visit us again next year and we welcome this prospect.
This year, we are looking to adapt the opportunities for providing cultural capital for pupils inside and outside of school despite the pandemic, looking at leadership opportunities, as well as increasing work experience opportunities in virtual ways, plus providing more opportunities to engage with universities.
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 carers this year to ensure that you too can be part of the school community and support us as we go from strength to strength.
Please follow us on Twitter on @Heathcotee4 and Facebook on https://www.facebook.com/Heathcotee4.
Ms S. Close
Headteacher