Putting our children first...
We have a fine reputation for offering an environment where children feel safe and cared for. Our children are drawn mainly from Withywood and neighbouring areas.
Your son or daughter will be treated as an individual and will learn respect for their school community. They will be valued for their achievements and effort at every level and they will be encouraged to work hard and aim for their very best in everything they do.
We aim to provide our pupils with a full and well-rounded education which will help them to form happy relationships and equip them to take their place in the adult world, by developing in them a sense of their own worth and the ability to assume responsibility.
School Hours
| Item |
Start |
Finish |
| Breakfast Club |
8:20am |
8:40am |
| Registration / Assembly |
8:40am |
9:00am |
| Period 1 |
9:00am |
10:15am |
| Period 2 |
10:15am |
11:30am |
| Break |
11:30am |
11:50am |
| Period 3 |
11:50am |
1:05pm |
| Lunch |
1:05pm |
1:55pm |
| Period 4 |
1:55pm |
3:15pm |
Our School
We want our school to be an exciting place, where all our pupils look forward to coming every day! We expect our pupils to be well behaved, good mannered, courteous, tolerant, truthful and always willing to give others a helping hand. We have only a handful of school rules but we expect every girl and boy to obey them fully. We look to our parents/guardians for their helpful support in ensuring good order is maintained throughout the school day.
Teaching & Learning
We expect our pupils to work hard and enjoy school. We hope pupils and their parents/guardians will expect a great deal of the school, and the school will expect a great deal from them.
Parents & Guardians
The Head teacher and staff welcome the opportunity to meet parents/guardians to enable us to discuss their children's progress and there is a regular meeting with teachers and tutors every year. From time to time we set up specific meetings for parents on a range of topics such as 'Helping Your Child with Reading'. Notification on these sessions and a range of other services to support Home-School relationships is reported termly in the Head's newsletter.
Parent-Teacher Association
Fundraising events are held twice a year and we are always on the look-out for interested parents to join the team. The funds raised by the PTA support us in providing extra equipment, resources and opportunities for our children.
Pastoral Care
We aim to provide a calm, safe and purposeful environment in order to promote learning for all pupils. Every pupil is in the care of a Tutor and there is a Head of Year for each year group who concentrates on all matters of care and guidance. In addition, each year group has a Home-School link worker who helps with attendance issues. We also have a numbers of experts providing pupil support for counseling, speech and language therapy, learning support and behaviour.
Uniform
The school wishes to maintain a very high standard in appearance of pupils. Parents/guardians are urged to support us in making sure their children wear the correct uniform at all times. Items of uniform can be purchased from the school.
Good Order & Discipline
A peaceful and orderly school community is essential for learning. Pupils are taught that respect for themselves, each other, all staff and the environment is vitally important.
Equality of Opportunity
Not everyone is the same, although every pupil has a right to learn and fulfil his or her potential. We strive to provide appropriate support and learning opportunities for all pupils to succeed, regardless of their levels of ability. Additional help and support is provided for those who need it, and for older children, extension activities and challenge is provided.
Careers Advice & Guidance
We provide opportunities for pupils to consider their future options through the curriculum and by advice and guidance from our external advisers at Connexions. In Year 10 every pupil has a work experience placement to try out the world of work. The school has many contacts with employers in the Bristol area.
Clubs & Activities
There is a wide range of clubs and activities for pupils in all years throughout the school. These sometimes vary with the time of year, but typically included opportunities to take part in sport, music and outdoor education, as well as more specific clubs in particular subject areas. The school also runs teams for boys and girls in many sports and has a good record of success in local competitions such as the Panathlon Games. Pupils with skills in the performing arts are given frequent opportunities to take part in whole-school events such as the annual awards evening. Each year, pupil representatives from all years are voted onto the school council, which gives voice to the opinions of their classmates. The student council also plays a major role in organising fundraising events to raise money for local and national charities.
Post 16
The majority of pupils continuing their education attend either the South West Bristol Post 16 Centre or the City of Bristol College. Others progress to St. Brendan's Sixth Form College or go to Redcliffe Sixth Form. The South West Bristol Post 16 Centre is our Sixth Form. It is a partnership between the local schools at Withywood, Hartcliffe, Ashton Park, Bedminster Down and Florence Brown. It serves all of these communities and courses are offered at A-Level (frequently referred to nowadays as Level 3), Level 2 (includes GCSE's) and Entry Level. At Withywood, Post 16 courses are offered in Childcare, Hairdressing and Construction as part of the partnership provision. The partnership provides transport between all the communities, ensuring that all students have an opportunity to continue to study within the partnership.
Citizenship & PSHC Education
These subjects form an essential part of each child's education and development as a responsible and fully rounded individual. The school liaises with a number of external groups, agencies and businesses in order to provide a programme of the highest quality. Good links with the local business community ensure that pupils in Year 10 are able to choose work experience placements relevant to their aspirations for future education, training and employment. | 
