As the town expands, so does its school. Our 2024/25 roll has increased by four classes since 2020. In Years 7-9 we have added teaching groups to accommodate our expansion, and our Sixth Form has doubled in size.
A growing school offers opportunities and some challenges, which are two sides of the same school. Of most importance is to make sure that we can maintain a wide curriculum offer for all students. We have seen this as an opportunity to widen our curriculum by offering new subjects. Year 9 will be able to choose Business Studies, iMEdia, and GCSE PE. All students now have the opportunity to study three languages: French, German, and Spanish. More students means that we need more teachers, who bring new skills and expertise; so our younger students will enjoy a textiles module in Design Technology, develop digital composition skills in Music and all students have more personal development opportunities.
Learning and experiences outside of school is a long-standing priority for us. For 2024 and beyond, we have a structured residential programme in which every year group has a residential visit which students can access. These range from a Year 7 Sights and Shows trip to London, a Battlefields Tour for Year 8 and outward-bound trip for Year 9. Every other year we run an expedition for Years 10 & 11 – destinations have included Thailand and Morocco, and a ski-trip which is open to students in Years 7-9. We run payment plans so that the costs are spread out for families.
Accommodating and supporting over an additional 100 students does present challenges. We’re working to recommission toilets and outside seating and continue to upgrade our IT resources. To ease pressure in the dining room at breaktime we have opened a coffee bar for our Sixth Form students to use. Serving a range of freshly brewed drinks and appetising home-made wraps, subs and paninis, and other treats, this has proved a hit – not just with our students but also our staff.
