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Foreword
Thank you for showing an interest in Abertillery Comprehensive School. We are a mixed 11-16 school housed in a modern building in the very heart of the town of Abertillery. The school is set in beautiful surroundings and serves the wider communities of Abertillery, Blaina and Nantyglo. However, we have many pupils attending from much further afield who have chosen to come to our school. The school has excellent facilities benefiting from a state of the art leisure centre, a recent extension housing a brand new Team 7 building, a drama studio, a fully equipped theatre and excellent ICT throughout the school which includes interactive whiteboards, wireless laptops and a new cashless canteen. We pride ourselves on the friendly and welcoming ethos that we have developed. Our House system aims to support pupils as individuals throughout their time with us helping them to become well rounded proactive citizens. Our high expectations of achievement and behaviour ensure that the well-being of every child is paramount. We have an exciting and dynamic approach to the curriculum. In year 7 we have embedded the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) this has been designed with our partner primary schools to ease the transition to secondary school. More information about this can be found later in the prospectus. In Key Stage 4 we have introduced the Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification to support the wide and varied examination courses on offer. We also have a bilingual class which allows pupils to receive greater exposure to the Welsh language by being taught by Welsh speakers. Pupils are taught through the medium of English but are encouraged to develop their Welsh language skills at a faster rate. Our More Able and Talented Policy is well established and a thorough programme of activities across the curriculum ensures their needs are catered for. We have an active School Council that has been instrumental in developing our Anti-bullying Policy that has been recognised at a local and national level as excellent practice. The School Council is also leading the Rights Respecting School agenda. In addition, we run many clubs and societies to help broaden the experiences of our youngsters. We have very strong sporting, musical and theatrical traditions which are seen as particular strengths of the school. This booklet is a snapshot of life in our school which will answer many questions. However, you may have specific questions or wish to visit our school. Please do not hesitate in contacting us and our staff will be pleased to help.
P A Stock Headteacher
Equality
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Core Aims
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Equality
Motivation
Security
Having decided upon our core values we agreed upon Core Aims that would help us to translate our values into reality. Our Core Aims are: i) To promote and encourage respect for ourselves, the school, the environment and the wider community. ii) To develop a culture of responsibility for all within a learning community. iii) To foster a safe and secure environment in which everyone can flourish. iv) To produce effective citizens with the skills, knowledge and confidence to succeed regardless of race, gender, religion, disability or sexuality. v) To challenge pupils and staff to improve their aspirations and to exceed their expectations.
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Curriculum
Our Curriculum Fit for the 21st Century
We offer a new curriculum that is flexible enough to provide both academic and vocational courses, allows teaching time to be increased and gives pupils the opportunities to become independent learners. This approach maximises the opportunities pupils have to gain recognised qualifications, increase access to vocational courses and improve links with the community.
Key Stage 3
In Key stage 3 we aim to develop the essentials skills needed to succeed as students and citizens of the 21st century. We offer a thematic and creative curriculum in Y7 through the International Primary Curriculum which has been designed with essential skills of Communication, Application of Number, Problem solving and Working with Others at its heart. It recognises that people learn in different ways and flourish given a variety of learning environments. Consequently, this thematic approach allows for individual research, exciting entry points and a variety of learning activities in a supportive classroom environment similar to that in a primary school. Y7 classes are mainly taught in the Y7 block by a Team 7 teacher. This allows pupils time to settle and build strong relationships with their class teacher. The Team 7 Curriculum covers English, History, Geography, ICT and RE content areas. Y7 pupils also follow the traditional subjects: Maths, Science, PE, Welsh, Music, Design Technology, Drama, Art, PSE and a Modern Foreign Language (Spanish or French). In Y8 we follow a similar approach as Humanities subjects are taught in a similar way to Team 7. English and ICT join the other National Curriculum subjects taught in discrete lessons.
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Key Stage 4
We introduce our students to Key Stage 4 in Y9. Pupils will follow English, Maths, Science and Welsh Baccalaureate as compulsory GCSEs. Students are given option choices at the end of Y8. They can choose from 3 different pathways: BTEC, GCSEs or Supported Learning. They choose either one double award BTEC or two GCSEs from a wide selection of subjects. These include: Catering & Hospitality, Horticulture, ICT, and Performing Arts. Students sit the exam at the end of one years tuition and repeat this process in Y10 and Y11. This allows them more opportunities to gain accredited qualifications. As in all state schools students will also follow compulsory Welsh, RE, PE and PSE.
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Curriculum
Bilingual Education at Abertillery Comprehensive School
The school introduced bilingual education in 2005. Pupils in the bilingual class are taught by Welsh speakers for their History, RE, Geography and ICT lessons. These are taught through the medium of English but with greater use of Welsh. Pupils will acquire Welsh at a faster rate than other pupils. Abertillery Comprehensive School recognises the importance of pupils leaving school with bilingual skills in preparation for the Welsh workforce.
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Welsh Baccalaureate
Abertillery Comprehensive School has introduced an exciting new qualification to all Key Stage 4 students. This award teaches personal development skills alongside existing qualifications, leading to a more enriched educational experience. It gives broader experiences than traditional learning programmes and is designed to suit the diverse needs of young people in the school. It is for this reason that all learners embarking on Key Stage 4 from September will follow the Welsh Baccalaureate at Intermediate or Foundation Level. Successful pupils will gain the equivalent of an extra 3 4 GCSEs at the end of Year 11.
The Qualification
The Welsh Baccalaureate Qualification consists of two parts:
Core - Consisting of five components i.e. Key Skills, Wales, Europe and the World, Work-related
Education, Personal and Social Education and an Individual Investigation.
The Welsh Baccalaureate is introduced to pupils via an Induction Day in September to help them gain an insight of just how worthwhile and exciting this qualification is!
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Curriculum
More Able and Talented
Here at Abertillery Comprehensive School, we provide an individual education for all of our pupils. We are committed to identifying and catering for our most able pupils and have a comprehensive plan to allow us to cater for their needs and help them to fulfil their potential. Our expert team of teachers work within their departments to identify the most able pupils in each subject area, and develop teaching materials and classroom activities that will challenge and stretch them in lessons. In addition, we have a huge range of weekly extra curricular activities as well as visiting experts, trips, enrichment days and school holiday courses. We monitor our most able pupils regularly so that we can set relevant targets and spot any signs of underachievement. We are proud to work closely with our colleagues in Blaenau Gwent, sharing our good practice and shaping county wide policy for our most able pupils. Whatever your talent or ability; musical, sporting, art, leadership or academic, we will work with you here to develop it and be the best that you can be.
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Parents comments on how their child has settled into our School
Very pleased with the positive experience my child has had in her first year. Thank you! We are happy that our child enjoys going to school. He seems to be enjoying the vast amount of opportunities that are on offer to him, thus enabling him to try things that we and he may not have considered for him. Thank you. My son has really enjoyed his start to Year 7 in Abertillery Comprehensive School. Team 7 has helped the transition between primary and comprehensive, by allowing him to stay in a base with all Year 7s instead of moving around the school as much as the other pupils would. The transition was made smoother by the visits he made in year 5 & 6, this helped build his confidence and familiarised him with staff and pupils. He also likes the freedom to choose his own food at break and lunch time and the extra curriculum sporting activities that the school provides.
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Sports Day
Vertical Tutoring
We have introduced a House system and have four houses, Llywelyn, Glyndwr, Macsen and Branwen. Each House has a Head of House who leads a team of ten coaching groups. Each group will have two members of staff who will be Learning Coaches. Each group will consist of 18 pupils from Year 7,8,9,10 and 11. Pupils will be with their Learning Coaches for 20 minutes a day. This time will be used to support pupils with their learning and to develop and monitor skills. We take pride in that all our staff are Learning Coaches. We feel its important that all of our staff are part of your childs education and lifelong learning. The House system will be bringing the school and its wider community together and will generate the atmosphere of a family unit. Our Year 11 pupils have been trained in peer mentoring and anti bullying, and are able to support the younger pupils with reading, so there will be plenty of opportunities for younger pupils to learn from the older pupils. There will be house competitions/sporting activities once a term to generate a sense of belonging and competition. Central to the success of the House system is communication with parents and carers. We aim for Learning Coaches to contact home termly to inform parents of their childs progress. We also encourage parents and Learning Coaches to communicate directly with each other via email. In so doing we aim to develop positive relationships with our parents and ensure that they are well informed about their childs academic performance.
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Rewards
Standards for Learning
Good work or behaviour will usually be rewarded with an achievement point, given electronically on our computer system. Equally, poor behaviour will cause students to lose points. Pupils with positive points are entered into a draw to win prizes that pupils themselves have suggested. There are various annual outings for students who have behaved consistently well throughout the year. During lessons, poor behaviour will result in: 1. A first warning 2. Then being moved to another seat in the classroom 3. A further final warning 4. Being removed to another class nearby. 5. Heads of House will send out a letter to parents whenever this happens and if there are 2 occasions in a month, we will ask parents to come into school to discuss the situation. Whenever the student is sent to another classroom they must return to the original teacher to apologise at the end of the lesson, and may be detained later. They will be placed on report, and each teacher will sign the report form at the end of their lesson. Other sanctions which may be used include extra work or after school detention. The school has a legal right to detain pupils after school. You will be notified 24 hours in advance of a detention after school hours. For serious offences the school operates a restorative justice system. This means pupils will be encouraged to make amends for their poor behaviour. In cases where it is considered necessary the Headteacher may exclude a student for a fixed term informing parents in writing. In such cases the student will only be readmitted following a satisfactory review meeting between the student, parent or guardian and the Headteacher.
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Sport
We have an active and successful PE department that takes full advantage of first class facilities that include: Indoor sports hall equipped with wall bars and Gymnastics / Free Running apparatus Outdoor Tennis Courts 3G Football Field
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Awards
Abertillery Comprehensive has been recognised for many areas of excellence within the school. In 2011 the school entered the pupils who took part in my Annual Forensic Science Competition, for the CREST Bronze Award run by the British Science Association. An External Assessor came to Abertillery to judge the standard of work produced by the students. Not only have they all gained the accolade, but the company want Abertillery to be an exemplar school. CREST is a project-based awards scheme for the STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths). It links the personal passions of students to curriculum-based learning. UCAS endorse CREST Awards for inclusion in students personal statements theyre well regarded, high-quality and a tangible recognition of success. Abertillery School has a thriving Eco club that meets once a week and has gained a green flag for their efforts. The club has been responsible for looking after the recycling of all paper, caring for the garden areas around the school and also researching and bringing new green initiatives to the school. We have recently acquired an allotment plot and are in the process of setting up a vegetable garden. The school has been accredited with Healthy Schools status for the past 6 years and is aiming to gain a quality mark in this area in the future. At Abertillery Comprehensive we encourage pupils to have opportunities to work alongside artists and craft workers. This was recognised by the Tate Modern in London when we won the Artworks award for our sculptured seating in the schools courtyard. Abertillery Comprehensive School has achieved the Investors in People Bronze Award for a number of years. This year the school has chosen to work towards attaining the new Leadership and Management Award of Investors in People, showing the schools commitment to developing sector leading practice in all areas of school life. In April 2012 the school was awarded with the Leadership and Management model for the Investors in People Award. We are the first secondary School in Wales to be recognised in this way by the IIP The School was the first secondary school in the area to be awarded the BECTA award for excellence in ICT. The school has invested heavily in IT equipment which is embedded across the school. Most classrooms have interactive whiteboards; all have Wi-Fi connections and access to mobile laptop trolleys. All Y7 pupils are loaned a netbook that they can take home to complete school work and have access to the schools VLE Abermoodle. In July 2012 Abertillery Comprehensive School has become one of the first schools in Wales to receive a Kite mark in recognition of its anti-bullying policies and practice.
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School Information
Who to contact at school
If you need to contact the school at any time, either telephone the school office or write to your Son / Daughters Head of House or Learning Coach. If you telephone, the receptionist will be able to tell you who you need to speak to and will then arrange an appointment for you to see them in person.
School Charges
Under the Education Reform Act (1988), schools can no longer make charges for any activities which take place during the normal school day. We can invite parents to make voluntary contributions towards certain items. We may need to ask parents to make a donation to meet the cost of educational visits if such costs cannot be made within the schools budget. Educational visits contribute so much to furthering the education experience of each pupil that we hope parents will agree to their children participating.
Cashless Canteen
Our canteen operates an electronic cashless system of payment. Pupils pay money into their accounts via wall mounted terminals or via a cheque to Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council. Pupils then pay using their fingerprint at the till. Pupils who receive free school meals will have their accounts automatically credited.
School Transport
School buses are provided on certain routes for pupils living more than two miles away from school. Pupils who are eligible for transport will be notified of the times and pick up points by Blaenau Gwent County Borough. Pupils should not bring bicycles or motorcycles to school.
School Council
This Council trains pupils in the democratic process of election and representation. It is a consultative and advisory body, which is encouraged to collect ideas and opinions from all pupils. Your daughter / son may be elected to School Council. This is an influential body which is consulted on school policy.
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Admission
Applying for a place
When you apply for a place at Abertillery Comprehensive School, you must contact the Education Department, Borough of Blaenau Gwent and the school to express an interest in your child attending. You can contact the school on 01495 217121 and ask to speak to the Transition Manager. The school has 10 feeder schools:- Abertillery Primary School Blaentillery Primary School Blaenycwm Primary School Bryngwyn Junior School Coed y Garn Primary School St Illtyds Primary School Roseheyworth Millennium School Queen Street Junior School Soffryd Primary School Ystruth Primary School
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STUDENTS
Listen and be quiet when the teacher is teaching. Do their best at every piece of work. Let other pupils work and learn without disturbing them. Accept that there will be consequences if responsibilities are not met. Complete homework as required.
EVERYONE
Come to lessons on time. Have the right equipment ready for the lesson. Treat others politely and respectfully, without discrimination Not intentionally humiliate, embarrass or intimidate anyone.
STAFF
Praise and reward students for excellent work and behaviour. Address student behaviour which affects the learning of others. Issue consequences fairly, only to those who have not met their responsibilities. Help and support pupils who find the work difficult. Provide opportunities for more able pupils to be challenged. Give students constructive feedback on how to improve their work.
Have mobile phones away so they cannot disturb the lesson. Not eat or drink (except water) during lesson times. Follow the rewards and consequences procedures.
Head Teacher Mr P. Stock BA (Hons), MA. NPQH Director of Education County Hall Ebbw Vale Chairman of the Board of Governors Can be contacted through the school Abertillery Comprehensive School Abertillery, Blaenau Gwent NP131YL Tel 01495 217121 Fax 01495 211545 Website: www.abertilleryschool.net Email: abertillery.comprehensive@blaenau-gwent.gov.uk