Prospectus 2016/17 - Sawston Village College

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Prospectus 2016/17
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“We truly believe the progress made by
our son in English has been outstanding.”
Parent 2015
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Welcome
from the Principal
I am delighted that you are considering Sawston
Village College for the education of your child.
At Sawston Village College we are committed to
maximising the potential of every single child that
is part of our community – whether that is through
GCSE examinations, involvement with extra
curricular activities or via the wealth of leadership
and personal development opportunities that we
have on offer. We recognise that not only are we
building the foundations for study, employment
and training beyond 16, but that we also have a
duty to develop the whole child to enable them to
take their place in our communities as positive,
purposeful and fulfilled citizens.
We are also committed to providing an exciting
range of opportunities for our young people – to
open their minds to new challenges, new ideas
and broaden their horizons in ways that make
the teaching and learning come alive. This
prospectus can only give a brief glimpse of all
that we have on offer at Sawston Village College,
in and out of the classroom. We are also driven
by the need to achieve excellence in all aspects
of our work – in high expectations for pupil
achievement and behaviour, in our outstanding
care and support for young people, in the quality
of our staff and the partnerships they form with
parents and others in our community. Our pupils
deserve nothing less.
I hope this prospectus is able to convey
something of that ambition for success in all its
forms, and my staff and I would be delighted to
welcome you and your child to our College Open
Evening in October or to provide a personal tour
of the College during the working day. We
would be very proud to welcome you to
Sawston Village College.
Sawston Village College Prospectus
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“Students’ attitudes to learning are
exemplary. Students of all ages are
highly motivated and hungry to learn.”
Ofsted
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Our Aims,
Vision and Values
Our mission at Sawston Village College is to:
• unlock potential
• create opportunity
• achieve excellence
in all aspects of our work, an ambition that
applies equally to pupils and staff. As a result
we expect all learners to leave school having
• achieved to their highest academic potential;
• embraced, and created, all opportunities to excel;
• learned how to value, respect and care for
each other;
• taken responsibility to support their school
and the wider community, and
• developed the essential skills, personal
resilience and confidence to be successful
in education, employment and life.
This vision underpins all of our work, setting out
as it does the purpose of education as we see it,
if we are to create prosperous and successful
people who will contribute to our society.
Alongside these core aims and vision, however, are
the ASPIRE principles developed by pupils and staff
and which set out the essential attributes and skills
needed to be successful in school, work and life:
Achieving
Self-motivated
Positive
Independent
Respectful
Engaged
These are the themes that provide the foundation
for success – for now and in the future.
Sawston Village College Prospectus
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“The arts provision at the
College is inspirational.”
Whole Education Report 2014
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Our unique place in history –
the First Village College
Sawston Village College opened in 1930, under the leadership of education pioneer Henry Morris.
His vision was for a school which would support and nurture a lifelong love of learning for people
of all ages, in an environment that offered inspiration. The original Grade II listed buildings reflect
these ideals, based as they are on Cambridge University courtyards.
These values are still at the heart of our work eighty-five years later. Today, the College’s campus
encompasses some thirty acres of classrooms, laboratories, workshops and sports facilities. Our
Science facilities are amongst the very best in Cambridgeshire, together with refurbished Maths
and Food Technology classrooms, providing a state of the art environment for our pupils.
We also maintain a vibrant adult learning programme and our own commercial Sports Centre,
with over 1,500 members of the local community visiting the school every week, reinforcing
our message that learning is for life, in keeping with Henry Morris’s original vision.
Sawston Village College Prospectus
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“Behaviour around the College is impeccable.
Students are mature, polite and courteous in
their dealings with adults and other students.”
Ofsted
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Unlocking Potential
We are very proud of our high achievement in public examinations. Our English, Maths and Science
results are among the very best in the country. The College is renowned for exceptional performance
in Religious Studies, while History and Geography are acclaimed nationally for the quality of teaching,
learning and opportunities available to pupils. Music and Drama are also very successful subjects and
contributed, together with the rest of the curriculum, to the College being recognised as a Leading
Edge School because of the outstanding levels of achievement at GCSE.
This success is based on a firm belief that all pupils, whatever their starting point, have the right to an
education that meets their needs and provides them the opportunity to realise their full potential. The
curriculum offered at Sawston Village College reflects this ambition. For more able pupils we offer
GCSEs in the three sciences, and extra-curricular courses such as Astronomy, Music Technology and
Dance. We also provide breadth in the curriculum through more practical subjects such as Engineering,
Construction and Catering to accommodate a wide range of interests. Where pupils may have had
difficulties with literacy at primary school we will work hard to boost their reading and writing through
additional support – our ambition is to ensure that no child falls behind in their learning.
Sawston Village College Prospectus
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“I have been amazed, inspired and
grateful for the dedication shown
by all of the staff for our child.”
Parent 2015
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“Pupils feel genuinely valued,
nurtured and supported.”
Whole Education Report 2014
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“The Principal, supported by the Governors
and the Senior Leadership Team, has a
clear ambition and vision for the College.”
Ofsted
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Creating Opportunity
One of the strengths of the College is the breadth
and depth of opportunities on offer to our pupils.
Our provision in the arts is truly outstanding.
The College holds the prestigious Artsmark
status awarded by the Arts Council in recognition
of the incredibly rich opportunities in Music,
Drama, Art, Dance and filmmaking, the latter
achieving national and international success.
Pupils are encouraged wherever possible to develop
their leadership skills, for example, by joining one
of our pupil-led fora or through becoming Sports and
Arts Leaders working with younger pupils and in
our primary schools. Pupils also regularly take
part in regional Science, Maths, Geography and
Technology competitions, with a strong track record
of success, while the range of lunchtime and afterschool opportunities is extensive, with something
for everyone to take part in.
Add to this the residential trips to Germany,
Spain, Iceland, Morocco and the legendary
Ardèche trip; the fundraising events and
environmental projects, Activities Week, Young
Enterprise and much more, it is clear that the
College offers wonderful and stimulating
opportunities to support the personal
development of our pupils.
Sawston Village College Prospectus
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“I was completely bowled over by the
dedication and professionalism of your
students and the work they produced.”
Learning Officer at the Imperial War Museum
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Achieving Excellence
We aim to achieve excellence in all aspects of our
work. Our teachers work hard to ensure their
practice remains fresh and inspiring. Six of our
team are also Specialist Leaders in Education,
working to support other schools as well as
developing our own high quality teaching. We
are proud to be strategic members in the CASSA
Teaching Alliance, a partnership of good and
outstanding schools committed to ensuring
excellence in local education.
Central to this is our House system of mentoring
and support. All pupils are placed in one of four
Houses, creating a family within which there are
smaller mixed-age mentoring groups, each
overseen by two mentors. Pupils quickly form
positive relationships with others across the year
groups, while the mentors and non-teaching
Heads of House can review academic progress
and respond quickly to any concerns, providing a
much more personalised experience.
In addition to the quality of teaching, we also
seek excellence in the quality of support we give
to our pupils. We are a warm, friendly and
welcoming community, with a team of staff who
care deeply about the progress and wellbeing of
all the children in the College.
We have high expectations for pupil achievement.
We also have high expectations about behaviour,
demanding of our pupils good manners and
respect towards each other, staff and other adults
in the College at all times.
Furthermore, we expect pupils to take care and
pride in the quality and presentation of classwork
and homework, to wear the uniform correctly
and to support the school and local community,
implementing the College’s aims and values at
all times as active, positive citizens.
The College is committed to achieving excellent
outcomes for its pupils and creating an
environment where they are safe and happy.
This can only happen where there are high
standards of behaviour, mutual respect and
adherence to our code of conduct. In this we
look for and expect parental support.
Sawston Village College Prospectus
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“The quality of tuition
and opportunities here
are simply amazing.”
Year 10 Pupil 2015
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Preparing for
the Next Step
Working in close partnership with our local primary schools is the key to ensuring a smooth transition to
Sawston Village College. In addition to the taster days and joint projects between our core departments
and Year 6 teachers, senior staff visit all prospective pupils to find out about their interests, skills,
ambitions and concerns, to place them in the right mentor group, House and teaching group. Parents
are also given a personal appointment with their child’s mentor before school begins in September, to
ensure the best possible start and to form that all important relationship between home and school.
For those pupils about to leave the College at the end of Year 11, we provide a very strong programme
of Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) to enable pupils to progress successfully to post-16 education
and training. All pupils receive careers guidance through dedicated PSHE Days and also have one hour a
fortnight in Year 11 to support their application to post-16 providers. Alongside this, all pupils complete
work experience, undertake the Young Enterprise business skills programme and have the opportunity
to visit employers and undergo face-to-face mock interviews to prepare for the world of work.
Whatever stage your child is at in their education, we aim to make sure that their progression is as
smooth as possible, setting pupils up to succeed in the next step in their schooling.
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Admissions Policy
Admissions Policy 2016 - 17
Sawston Village College is a mixed comprehensive academy
providing secondary education for pupils in the 11-16 age range.
Its published admissions number is 210.
The College is not selective in its intake and all pupils who are
able to access the National Curriculum are entitled to a place.
Due regard will be paid to the Equality Act 2010.
Most pupils are drawn from the seven local primary schools set
out below, but each year a significant number of pupils apply to
join the school from outside its defined catchment area. For more
detailed information on the College’s catchment area, parents
may contact the Local Authority’s Admissions Department.
For admission into Year 7 in September 2016, the LA, on behalf
of the Governing Body, will offer places to 210 children. Should
there be applications above that limit, the following admissions
criteria would be applied; it is important to note that all
preferences will be treated equally.
4. Pupils who live within the College’s catchment area and
have a sibling in the College at time of admission, but do
not attend the above primary schools.
5. Pupils who live within the College’s catchment area but do
not attend the above primary schools.
6. Pupils who live outside the catchment area, who attend
primary schools within it and who have a sibling at the
school at the time of admission.
7. Pupils who live outside the catchment area but attend
primary schools within it.
8. Pupils who live outside the catchment area, do not attend
primary schools within it, but have a sibling at the College
at the time of admission.
Oversubscription Criteria
9. Children who live outside the catchment area, but nearest
the school as measured by a straight line.
Children who have a statement of special educational needs
that names the school will be admitted. Those children with a
statement of special educational needs that does not name the
school will be referred to Student Assessment to determine an
appropriate place.
In cases of equal merit, priority will go first to children living
nearest the school according to the straight line distance. The
distance, for admissions purposes, is measured using the
straight line distance from the centre point of the home to the
main pupil entrance to the school.
1. Children in care, also known as Looked After Children
(LAC), and children who were looked after but ceased to
be so by reason of adoption, a residence order or special
guardianship order.
These distances are produced by the LA Admissions team for
the school. All measurements are calculated using a digital
mapping system. For families who live outside the area
covered by the system used in Cambridgeshire, both straight
line distances and travel routes are determined using a
combination of local maps and on-line resources.
2. Pupils who live within the College’s catchment area, have
a sibling (i.e. a brother or sister who lives in the same family
unit) in the College at the time of admission and attend the
following primary schools, Babraham, The Bellbird (Sawston),
Duxford Community, Great and Little Shelford, The Icknield
(Sawston), Stapleford Community and William Westley,
Whittlesford.
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3. Pupils who live within the College’s catchment area and
attend the primary schools listed above.
Interviews for the purpose of admissions are not lawful and are
therefore not included as part of the admissions procedures.
For the purposes of this policy where a child lives at more than
one address, the address that will be considered will be where
the child spends the majority of their school nights, and to which
the child benefit is paid. Only one address can be considered as
your child’s main residence. An address used for before and
after-school childcare arrangements will not be considered.
‘Sibling’ refers usually to brothers or sisters, aged between 4
and 16 who live together in the same family unit. For further
clarification, please contact the LA Admissions Team.
The application process for admissions into Year 7 is co-ordinated
by Cambridgeshire LA, who acts on behalf of the Governing Body
to offer places at the College. Parents should submit an application
either online via www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/admissions or on
a paper application form, available from their child’s primary school
or from the LA Admissions Team, no later than the national
closing date of 31 October 2015. Offer letters will be issued by
the LA on 1 March 2016. Late applications (those submitted after
the national closing date) will be handled by the Admissions
Team. For further information and full details on how to apply,
please see the booklet ‘Next Steps: Admission to Secondary
School; a guide for parents 2016-17. This is available from the
College or online at www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/admissions.
To apply for a place after the start of the school year, or for any
other year group, please contact the LA Admissions Team for an
‘In-Year School Application Form’ on 0345 045 1370 or by email to
[email protected]. The application form must
be returned to the LA Admissions Team who will contact your
preferred schools to determine the availability of a school place.
The LA Admissions Team will then write to you to confirm the
details of the school at which a place is to be offered and, where
appropriate, a suitable start date. Where the Admissions Team is
unable to meet any preferences expressed a place will be offered
at the next nearest alternative school with places available.
Any child who is refused a place at the College may appeal
using an appeal form available from the LA Admissions Team.
Further information is available from their website at
www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/admissions or by calling
0345 045 1370.
Any parent who requires further information regarding the
College’s Admissions Policy should, in the first instance,
contact Mrs Sandra Thornton at the College.
Design and print by www.redgraphic.co.uk (4164)
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“I chose to come to the College
because it offered a wide variety of
opportunities during the school day and
also after school. It is great having a
fresh start and making new friends.”
Year 7 Pupil 2015
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Sawston Village College
Sawston Adult Education
Sawston Cinema
Sawston Sports Centre
Telephone: 01223 712777
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @sawstonvc
Telephone: 01223 712424
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @sawstonadulted
www.sawstonadulted.org
Telephone: 01223 712825
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @sawstoncinema
www.sawstoncinema.org.uk
Telephone: 01223 712555
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @sawstonsports
www.sawstonsports.com
New Road, Sawston
Cambridge CB22 3BP
www.sawstonvc.org