WELCOME TO QUARRENDON SCHOOL

I hope you find this website useful. It contains a lot of information to tell you as much as possible about our school, whether you are a student, a member of staff, a parent/carer, a candidate for a job vacancy or a member of our wider community.

I care passionately about our school and its students. We emerged from Special Measures in November 2006 and are now building a school for the future. We are improving classrooms, providing new computer aided equipment in technology, renovating our art rooms and adding additional computer suites. We are also at the design stage of our refurbished library project.

We are fully staffed as we start the new academic year in September 2007. We are offering new courses that will enthuse our students and all our teachers have the necessary skills to deliver them. Student behaviour is amongst the best in our area and attendance is now around the national average. Academic results are improving with recent excellent grades at Key Stage 3 which promise good GCSE results in the near future. Our 2007 GCSE results were on target with 25% of our students achieving 5 A*-C passes.

None of this happens on its own. It is the result of hard work on the part of dedicated staff and the enthusiasm of our students. A visit to the school or a talk with our parents/carers will convince you how far we have come in a very short time.

If you can't find what you are looking for on this website, call the school on the number below or e-mail us on the address shown below.

Mr J Johnson

Headteacher

Quarrendon is a mixed Upper School for pupils of secondary age with over 770 pupils on roll.   The School serves the parishes of Oving, Whitchurch, Creslow, Hardwick, Weedon, Quarrendon and parts of the north of Aylesbury town itself.   The school, opened in 1957, is made up of five blocks, which contain every modern facility.   The Tower Block houses sixteen classrooms which include the Business Studies and Information Technology rooms, four fully networked Computer Suites, and the Mathematics and Modern Foreign Languages Department. The Staff Room and Staff Study room are on the ground floor.

The largest building complex contains the Administration Block which houses the Headteacher, the School Office, the Assembly Hall, the Gymnasium, and the Dining Hall.

Nearest to the main entrance is the Technology Block which includes specialist rooms for Resistant Materials, Food Technology, Textiles, Art, Graphic Design and two ICT suites.

The Science Block, built in 1971, contains not only specialist facilities for the teaching of Science but also the School Library.  History, Geography, PSHCE and Religious Studies are taught in the top part of this block.

In 1975 the 'Junior' Block and Sports Hall complex was opened.  This includes the English Department, a purpose built Sports Hall, Drama Studio, Dance Studio and Youth Club, and the Study Centre which makes provision for pupils who have Special Educational Needs.  The building is made available for use by the whole community during evenings and at weekends when the school does not require its use.   The fifth block is a new purpose built suite of rooms for music.

Outside, the School has eight acres of playing fields.  The buildings are surrounded by lawns, flower beds and a wide variety of specially planted trees which make the whole campus extremely attractive.

The Aylesbury Adult Centre is also based on the campus.  Local sports clubs use the facilities making Quarrendon School an important educational and leisure resource for its local community.

If you are starting the Autumn Term 2007 in Years 8-11 you should be wearing the following uniform unless you have decided to wear the new uniform. If you are starting the Autumn term in Year 7, you must wear the new uniform

Boys

Plain black trousers (not denim trousers or jeans)

Plain white shirt with collar (not PE shirts)

School V necked bottle green sweatshirt with Quarrendon logo

School tie

Black shoes (not trainers)

Suitable dark coloured coat or jacket with no logo (denim jackets, track suit tops, coloured sweatshirts and hoodies are not acceptable)

Girls

Plain black skirt or full length black trousers (no denim skirts trousers or jeans)

Plain white shirt, blouse or kameez top, all with collar (not PE shirts)

School V necked bottle green sweatshirt with Quarrendon logo

School tie

Black shoes (not trainers)

Suitable dark coloured coat or jacket with no logo (denim jackets, track suit tops, coloured sweatshirts and hoodies are not acceptable).

Muslim girls may wear a plain white cotton hijab which must be tied at the front or at the back of the neck for practical lessons.

All Students

The only jewellery allowed is one small stud in each ear and a watch. No other jewellery may be worn at any time, e.g. rings, necklaces, nose studs, etc.

The wearing of baseball caps is not allowed

6th Form

Clothing should be smart casual at all times, and those items that are listed above as unacceptable equally apply to the Sixth Form.

P.E. KIT

All items of PE Kit can ONLY be purchased through the PE department (with the exception of trainers and football boots).

The following PE kit is compulsory:

Boys and Girls

School logo, bottle green polo shirt

School logo, black PE shorts

School logo black PE sweatshirt

School black PE socks

Trainers

Football boots

You also have the option to buy:

School logo tracksuit bottoms

If specialist sports or dance clothing or equipment is required, this will be discussed on an individual basis.

THE SCHOOL DAY

from September 2007

08.25	Warning Buzzer
08.30	Period 1 (including morning registration)
09.30	Period 2
10.30	Tutor Time/Assembly
10.45	Break
11.00	Period 3
12.00	Period 4
13.00	Lunch
13.30	Warning Buzzer
13.35	Period 5
14.35	End of Formal Lessons/Start of Enrichment Time
15.15	Close

Curriculum Subjects are divided into the following departments:

(click in the department name to see more details)

English

Media Studies

Mathematics

Science

Design & Technology

Art

Drama

Geography

History

ICT & Business Studies

Modern Foreign Languages

Music

PE

Religious Studies

Personal, Social,Health & Citizenship (PSHCE)

GIFTED AND TALENTED

At Quarrendon School, we provide a stimulating and challenging environment learning experience where all pupils, including the most able, achieve their full potential. We provide opportunities for gifted and talented pupils to achieve their potential by identifying "gifted" students who have evident high attainment in academic subjects and "talented" students who have evident high attainment in a creative or expressive art or sport. We focus their teaching in order to extend and motivate their learning. We believe we can build a community where pupils can excel without fear or prejudice. We have a dedicated member of staff who co-ordinates the learning of the gifted and talented.

SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL NEEDS

The SEN department is a well resourced department including a full time SEN Co-ordinator (SENCO), Assistant SENCO and 14 teaching assistants.

The SEN department provides support for pupils with a wide range of special needs. Our belief is that the individual needs of the pupil should be met by the use of flexible support including in class support, IT, specialist staff and external agencies. We work closely with teaching staff and parents to ensure that the needs of the pupil can, as far as possible, be met within the mainstream classroom. We are committed to meeting the training needs of staff to ensure that knowledge and understanding of SEN is reflected in classroom practice to enable our pupils to become successful independent learners.

Quarrendon School is committed to making appropriate provision of teaching and resources for raising the achievement of students who are at risk from under achievement. The school will identify individual pupil's needs, recognise the skills they bring to the school and ensure equality of access to the curriculum.

We encourage all our students to achieve the highest possible standards. Students must have full and equal access to the National Curriculum, whatever their religion, ethnicity, first language, special educational needs and gender.

In order for students to fulfil their potential they are expected to maintain a high level of behaviour and discipline. Staff receive training in managing classrooms and their environments effectively and this is supported by a well resourced Student Welfare Team on a daily basis. The school has robust policies and strategies to ensure a high level of student behaviour and achievement and these are maintained continuously.

PROVISION FOR THE DISABLED

Quarrendon is a large site with 5 blocks. All blocks are accessible for wheelchair users on the ground floor. Two of the IT suites on the first floor are accessible by lift and provision is made for all lessons in other blocks to be timetabled for wheelchair users on the ground floor.

In the food technology room, we are currently installing a sink and cooker that can be lowered for wheelchair users.

There are two disabled toilets on site, one of which incorporates changing facilities and a shower.

Those children who may have either hearing or visual impairment receive differentiated work to help them access the curriculum.