Starting at RWS
 For your son, starting at a new school is always full of mixed emotions and expectations. Here at Ravens Wood we try to make the transition as easy a journey as possible. From the first day that your son enters the school we endeavour to integrate him successfully into our community.
The Form Tutor
Is the first point of contact each day for your son. During the first week the form tutor will ensure that your son is equipped and informed on every aspect of life at Ravens Wood. They will undertake a tour of the school, meeting staff and learning how the school operates on a day to day basis.
Early Lunch
To help with the ‘settling in’ process students in year 7 sit down to lunch 15 minutes earlier than the rest of the school. This allows your son to continue the process of making relationships without the sometimes overwhelming feelings of being in such a large school. Parents need to be aware that the school runs a cafeteria style system and that your son will need to have sufficient money to purchase a balanced meal.
Head of Year
Leading the form tutors and the integration of all students in year 7 is the Head of Year. If there are issues that have arisen either from your son, or you have concerns that cannot be dealt with by the form tutor, the H.o.Y is your next contact point. The H.o.Y is the learning manager for your son through the school.
CAT Testing
 During the induction period your son will undertake ‘Cognitive Ability’ tests. The results from these tests allow Ravens Wood to place your son in an academic group according to his ability as we believe ‘setting’ is an efficient and fair method of grouping students.
Getting to and from School
It is important that your son arrives on time to the school each day. In view of recent health and environmental concerns, we encourage students to walk or cycle to school. There are facilities at school to keep bicycles secure.
For those living further afield, please consider using public transport, especially as students get free travel cards now. If you do plan to drop your son via car please could you refrain from entering the school site. We are concerned about the number of cars that gather outside the school gates when there are large numbers of students. You could also consider sharing transport or even to compromise by dropping your son at a bus route, rather than outside the school gates. The bus stops are supervised by staff at the end of the day to ensure that students safely leave the school environs. Bus routes, times etc can be downloaded below
Other Issues
Parents need to be aware that moving from Primary to Secondary education places a greater physical demand upon students so please be aware that your son may be far more tired than usual at the end of the day or school week. | 
Ravens Wood School is an oversubscribed 11-16 boys' school with a mixed Sixth Form. We have a clear focus on the academic achievement we want for our students. Student performance has been exceptional over a number of years and this is reflected in excellent examination results. We are recognised as a Leading Edge school by the Department for Education and Skills. However, we also see ourselves as a school community, committed to excellence and innovation. We encourage participation in a wide range of educational and life enriching activities, celebrating success in many varied ways. Our ultimate aim is to help students prepare to take maximum advantage of lifelong learning experiences in further education and careers, establishing themselves as responsible members of the community. 
Our vision at Ravens Wood is to be an internationally renowned community that provides an outstanding education for our students so that they can make a valued contribution as citizens of the world.
Ravens Wood prides itself on the broad and balanced curriculum it offers its students. Our curriculum is based around the core subjects of English, Mathematics, Science and Technology, reflecting our specialist schools status. We believe in monitoring the progress of our students and providing them with quality feedback that allows them to set clear and relevant targets to be successful in their subjects.