Merriman’s Hill Road Worcester WR3 8LETelephone: 01905 746 800 Facsimile: 01905 746 846

Email: info@bishop-perowne.worcs.sch.uk Web: www.bishopperowne.com

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PROSPECTUS

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‘Growing together to bethe best we can be’At Bishop Perowne we seek to develop a caring Christian Community in which wenurture individuals and encourage all to excel.By building strong, positive, supportiverelationships, we aim to create a genuine balance between high academic standardsand personal growth, providing everyone withopportunities to ‘be the best they can be’.

Bishop Perowne enjoys an enviable reputationas a successful Church of England PerformingArts College and creative learning environmentin which study, enquiry, innovation and aspirationare highly valued. We have the resources toensure that all students receive excellent learningexperiences supported by first class opportunitiesto participate in performances and celebrationsthroughout the year.

We are a safe and healthy College offering abroad and balanced curriculum, tailoringstudents learning to their talents, aspirationsand potential. Every day students have accessto enrichment through a co-ordinatedprogramme of extended day activities - many of which will lead to further qualificationsand awards.

Our qualified, experienced staff have placed ourCollege at the cutting edge of developments inteaching and learning. We constantly scan thehorizon for initiatives and opportunities that willbenefit our students and place our College in thevanguard of all that is best in education.

Our pastoral system is based around students’relationships with their form tutor who providessupport, guidance and care on a daily basisthrough a student’s career.

I hope that you will visit us, not just to see ourfacilities and meet our staff, but to sample a littleof what makes Bishop Perowne such a specialplace to learn. A Prospectus can only give aglimpse of life here, so if you would like to visitthe College at any time please contact us.

We look forward to welcoming you to BishopPerowne.

Ms J Farr

Headteacher

FoundationsBishop Perowne was founded as a Church ofEngland Aided Secondary School in 1963 inthe Barbourne area. Its name comes from twoformer Bishops of Worcester- John James StuartPerowne (Bishop from 1891-1901) and his sonArthur William Thompson Perowne (from1931-1941). In the mid 1980s the school movedto it’s present site after significant refurbishmentand extension.

As a Church school we have close links withthe Diocese of Worcester. The Governorsnominated by the Church must always be inthe majority on the Governing Body, to ensurethat the Church has a controlling interest.

The College is Voluntary Aided, which meansthat the Governors have a responsibility to decidewhich students will be admitted. Our annualintake is 210 and we are regularly oversubscribed.The Governors welcome applications fromfamilies from other faiths who feel that a Churchof England environment would benefit theirchildren. We value the contribution whichstudents from other backgrounds can bring.The procedures for application and the criteriaare listed in the supplement to this prospectus.

Welcome

We seek to develop a caring Christian community in which we nurture individuals; encouraginglearning, creativity and endeavour;inspire all to excel and reach theirpotential and to help all young learners grow into active and responsible citizens who are able tomake a difference in the World.

Developing SpiritualityWe regard the spiritual development of ourstudents, staff and community as both a foundation for success and as a valuable skillfor a lifetime.

Delivering a ‘spiritual curriculum’ means weseek to create a learning environment whereeveryone has space and time to reflect uponcomplex life themes such as, hope, love, faith,joy, loss, passion and imagination.

Whilst no one can ever, strictly speaking, betaught spirituality, we can plan activities, timeand space where personal spirituality can grow.

All subject teachers give time during lessonsto consider spiritual development. Spiritualgrowth can be found in the magic of a scientificexperiment, the discussion on themes in a novel,in the creation of art work or in a music lesson,in the learning of a new language or the discovery of x in algebra.

Our Daily Acts of Collective Worship areimportant spaces in each working day wherestudents and staff gather to consider ourweekly theme. Weekly themes are taken fromthe Sunday Gospel readings in the ChurchLectionary. Acts of worship explore eachtheme along with reflections upon festivalsand celebrations from world religions, health promotion days and the remembrance ofimportant historical events.

Acts of Collective Worship are varied andshould challenge, celebrate, stimulate andeducate. They should give time for reflection,reminding our busy College community whatis really important.

EucharistEach week a voluntary Eucharist is led by ourlocal clergy in the College theatre. Everyone iswelcome to a time of quiet contemplation, toshare bread and wine or receive a blessing.

Whole College EucharistAt the end of each term we celebrate the lifeof the school at a whole College Eucharist.Christmas Eucharist is often held at WorcesterCathedral. At Easter year groups meet in thetheatre and in the summer we meet as a wholeCollege in our Sports Hall. Whole CollegeEucharist is a time for reflection and celebrationas we end the term together through prayerand performance in music, dance and drama.

Theme daysAt regular times throughout the year regularlessons are suspended and special activities areplanned for the day. Theme days enable studentsto spend longer periods of time looking atimportant issues such as personal safety, healtheducation or world poverty.

DiscoveryTowards the end of the Summer Term allstudents follow a special timetable to take partin a huge range of activities. Discovery is timewhere everyone is encouraged to challengethemselves: to seek out new experiences, tospend time with new people, make newfriends and contacts and bring something newback to the life of our College.

A caring Christiancommunity

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Support for learningThe Learning Support department providesexpert assistance to students of all abilities.Working together, we strive to meet the learning,language, physical and social needs of studentswho need a little extra support to reach theirpotential. Staff include qualified Special Needsteachers and a team of trained TeachingAssistants who have the flexibility to teach,support and monitor small groups or individualstudents in a variety of ways. This team worksclosely with teaching staff to plan, monitorand develop resources to ensure all studentscan access the curriculum and continue toachieve well.

The Extended DayThis provision beyond the Foundation Dayprovides all students with access to expertise,facilities and opportunities that will take theirlearning even further. With an ever-increasingprogramme of activities leading to accreditedqualifications, many students thrive in theinformality and flexibility of the Extended Day.

The Foundation DayAll students at Bishop Perowne follow a broadand balanced Foundation Day curriculumdesigned to develop both a love of learningand the skills required to take them on to thenext stage of their lives. Our curriculum iscontinuously evolving in response to individualneeds and innovative best practice, yet retainsthe best qualities of a traditional education.We are committed to ensuring that all studentsreach challenging academic targets whilstempowering them with skills that enable themto enjoy learning throughout their lives.Our students leave Bishop Perowne with real academic success alongside essential skills suchas adaptability, flexibility and respect.

Teaching GroupsWe recognise that each student should haveaccess to the curriculum at their most appropriatelevel in every subject. In some subjects this isbest achieved by setting students according totheir ability, in others differentiation is betterachieved through mixed ability teaching.We monitor the groupings of students continuously, ensuring students are placed in themost appropriate teaching groups.

Key Stage 3

All students follow the Key Stage 3 NationalCurriculum with lessons in English,Mathematics, Science, Religious Education,Modern Foreign Languages, Music, History,Geography, Information CommunicationsTechnology, Design Technology, Art, PhysicalEducation and Performing Arts. Citizenshipand Personal Health and Social Educationare studied both as taught sessions and duringdedicated days which see the timetable stooddown for guest speakers and workshops.

Encouraging learning,creativity and endeavour

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At the end of Key Stage 3 (year 9) studentsare assessed for National Curriculum Levels.These assessments are made by both teachergrading of work (TAs) and by National Tests(SATs) in the core subjects of English,Mathematics and Science. The results of thesetests are reported to parents.

During Year 9 all students receive detailedinformation explaining the option system andthe choices they need to make before Key Stage4. Guidance, support and information areoffered by tutors, subject leaders and specialiststaff during this process.

Key Stage 4

Choice and flexibility figure greatly in theprovision offered at Key Stage 4. Alongside acore curriculum (English Language, EnglishLiterature, Mathematics, Science, ReligiousEducation, Information CommunicationsTechnology and Physical Education) studentshave the opportunity to choose courses representing 40% of their time. This allowsfor vocational, academic and skills based programmes to be available to suit the needsof the learner. We currently offer a wide rangeof Arts, Languages, Design Technology andHumanities subjects as option subjects whichare available in many combinations and atvaried levels so that students with particularabilities and preferences can be accommodated.Each year the subjects are grouped differentlyto allow the greatest flexibility and choice.

The Arts CurriculumCentral to our work is the entitlement of allstudents to the arts during the Foundation Day.

Key Stage 3 (Y7-9)

All students study Art, Music and PerformingArts (Dance and Drama) throughout KeyStage 3. Each student receives two hours a fortnight of each subject during which basicskills are established.

Key Stage 4 (Y10-11)

We provide a full range of option choices forstudents in the Arts:

Art, Dance, Drama, Expressive Arts, MediaStudies, and Music can all be studied to GCSE.Additionally students wishing to follow avocational route in the arts are well supported.This phase develops the skills already establishedat Key Stage 3, and prepares students for further study.

ArtThe Art department is based in its own specialistbuilding with excellent light, high ceilings anda stimulating gallery area where some of theexcellent work produced by students isdisplayed. A rich diversity of media, styles andtechniques are employed and students areencouraged to respond creatively andexperimentally from direct experience andimagination. The resulting work is exciting andvibrant reflecting rigorous application oftaught skills and disciplines.

Performing ArtsAt Key Stage 3 all students receive awide-ranging course which develops skills inboth dance and drama strands often throughintegrated projects and thematic explorations.

Dance

Dance is a very popular subject in which allstudents develop choreographic as well as performance skills. Taught in our theatre, withexcellent resources, our dance enjoys a veryhigh level of performance which has beenrecognised at a regional level with regularinvitations to perform coming from Festivalsand special community events. There is a busyprogramme of extended day opportunities fromwhich our popular dance company Hoppershas emerged. Students have frequently participated in workshops with professionaldancers and choreographers, and the Collegeregularly hosts training for dance teachersacross the county. It is no surprise that manypupils have left Bishop Perowne to study danceat AS/A2 and beyond, with some having goneon to become successful professional dancers.

Drama

Drama is largely taught in it’s specialist dramastudio which provides an excellent facility forall students to develop their techniques andcapacities for developing high quality drama.At Key Stage 3 we provide an exciting introduction to drama developing improvisation,characterisation and devising skills. This builds astudent’s self-confidence, which has a real impactin the rest of their College life. Drama enjoys avery popular Extended Day programme led byTheatre Workshop (a whole - school performancegroup split into senior and junior sections)and a modern languages group (Théatelier).

The creative and performing arts are essentialelements of every student’s life at BishopPerowne. We provide a balanced curriculumenabling them to develop skills and opportunitiesin a rich variety of art forms. Through suchexperiences all students gain a betterunderstanding of themselves, their capabilitiesand potential, they become more sensitive todeveloping positive relationships and generatepractical and inter-personal skills which arevery marketable in adult life.

The Arts reveal and express our spiritual, moral,cultural and social lives and consequently forman essential entitlement to every member ofthe College.

As a Specialist Performing Arts College it isimportant to stress we are not a ‘fame’ school.The additional resources ensure we have themeans to support the arts and creativitythroughout the curriculum and beyond.Bishop Perowne enjoys first-class facilities forthe arts: theatre and dance spaces, professionalquality equipment and technical expertise, anda truly collaborative relationship with partnerschools, professional artists and members of thecommunity. Some of the additional fundinggoes towards supporting a wide range of adultand community projects which ensures manymore people benefit.

Specialists in the Performing Arts

MusicMusic thrives at Bishop Perowne and studentshave many opportunities to appreciate, composeand perform music in diverse styles and withhigh quality technical support. At Key Stage 3our programmes of study provide real rangeof opportunities: from the study of importanthistorical composers to developing modernmusic technology skills using computers, sampledinstruments and MIDI keyboards. Our choirsenjoy considerable reputation performing regularly in regional festivals and events.Our orchestras and bands can be heard eitherperforming in one of the many concerts giventhroughout the year or recorded in ourstate-of-the-art recording studio or musictechnology rooms. Consequently we provide agenuine mix of opportunities for all musicaltastes and complement this provision bybringing in culturally diverse musicians tolead workshops and master classes.

Media StudiesMedia Studies is a popular aspect of College life.Students have access to industrial standarddigital video editing software enabling themto film, edit and produce work of a veryhigh standard.

Animateurs and VisitingProfessionalsAs an Arts College we are in an enviable positionof being able to attract very high quality artsprofessionals to work alongside teaching staffand run workshops and master classes whichenrich the curriculum and ensure creativecareers are promoted in schools.

Productions and EventsEach year we plan a busy schedule of informaland formal productions and arts events. Artsstaff are joined by many others in the ExtendedDay to provide tremendous variety and quality.Students are involved in all aspects of productionsupport including technical and stage management roles. With an enviable reputationwe are frequently called upon to perform inregional and national events.

Recent productions and events have included:

Richard III, Jesus Christ Superstar,Guys and Dolls, Hamlet

Regular dance performances every year

Curriculum Arts performances to primary schools and community groups

Théatelier performances in France

Residences from the NationalTheatre, Royal College of Music,Union Dance Company, ChitralekaDance Company, Motionhouse andmany more...

Please contact the school for an up-to-dateschedule of events and productions, or visitour website.

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Our expert peripatetic staff are available toprovide specialist tuition in many instrumentsin preparation for graded examinations.Each year we benefit greatly from the skills ofthe Worcester Cathedral organ scholar whoteaches alongside staff in the department.

Monitoring Progress andAchievementA College at the cutting edge of learning andteaching also has to be at the forefront oftechnology to provide the infrastructure tosupport these developments. At the hub ofour infrastructure is Facility, a computerisedmanagement information system.

One of its many facets allows us to provideparents with frequent and up to date knowledgeabout how their child is performing. This, in turn,provides parents with the knowledge to workwith the College to support their child’s educationand it is this relationship that we encourage.

The process begins with information derivedfrom Key Stage 2 and 3 SATs and CATs (cognitive ability tests) that enables us to setaspirational targets for each student in everysubject for the end of Key Stages 3 and 4.Aspirational targets are just a little higherthan what we might typically expect or predict,and so include an element of challenge.

Towards the end of each term subject teachersrecord gradings electronically for every studentwhom they teach. This information is combinedwith data about current attendance, rewardsgiven, and sanctions received. From this aprinted report is produced. This is sent to parentsprior to the consultation days, during whichparents may discuss the report with tutors, andparticipate in setting short-term targets for thenext term.

This wealth of information about every studentallows Subject Leaders and Year Leaders tomonitor them closely, to identify issues quicklyand to act upon them promptly. During eachacademic year, parents also receive a moreextended report covering a range of items.Communication with parents is crucial. We haverecently introduced an automated electroniccommunication module that will enable us toinform parents promptly, for example, if theirchild has not arrived at school and no reasonfor absence has been notified.

Nurturing Individuals

Continuing ProfessionalDevelopmentWe are committed to bringing out the best in allour staff through a programme of ContinuingProfessional Development which is deliveredthrough a broad and balanced series of internaland external training activities.

All staff are actively involved in ProfessionalLearning sessions which are run everyWednesday at the end of the Foundation Day.They provide opportunities for staff to learntogether about educational developments, butperhaps more significantly they reflect on theirworking practices, refine and develop newtechniques, share approaches and help oneanother. It forms a crucial part of the supportive,emotionally intelligent culture that pervades allaspects of College life.

Alongside our weekly sessions Teacher EducationDays play an important part in launching newinitiatives, and staff attend planning and strategyconferences at subject, middle leader and yeargroup levels. All new staff receive a full inductionprogramme and in-house training in Leadershipand Management.

We welcome the influence of other professionals on our work we have strong linkswith teacher training providers and regularly participate in LEA led projects. Staff havetravelled internationally to learn more aboutteaching and learning in other settings. Eachyear many of our staff achieve nationallyrecognised professional qualifications through organisations such as the National College forSchool Leadership, with staff gaining accreditation through ‘Leading from theMiddle’ and NPQH (National ProfessionalQualification for Headship).

Bishop Perowne will soon become a LearningAcademy with all teaching staff gaining professional recognition for their training inCollege. The success of our professional development programmes is measured in thequality of learning which takes place in classroomsand the high standards and achievementsgained by our students each year.

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It also allows us to inform parents about otherurgent matters such as school closure. This maybe in the form of a text message or a telephonecall. Longer communications such as newsletters,and invitations to school events are able to be sentdirectly to parents’ e-mail addresses.

TutoringChildren, parents and visitors often commenton the friendly and caring atmosphere atBishop Perowne. We are not an imposinglylarge or impersonal College.

We have a system in which students normallystay with the same Group Leader (Tutor)throughout their time with us. Every studentwill see their tutor at least twice a day to monitortheir progress and well-being. The tutor is ideallyplaced to gain knowledge of every student intheir care, to be the person that knows thestudent best. Tutors monitor every event andaction from attendance in lessons to merits,ensuring their work with students is well-informedand accurate at all times. The tutor is the firstpoint of contact for all academic and pastoralmatters liaising with both College staff andparents as needed. If matters require moresupport a swift internal procedure brings inYear Leaders and Senior staff.

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Physical Educationand Sport

We aim to offer a wide range of sportingopportunities to allow students to developboth their physical potential and interestwhich can continue beyond school-age intoadult life. All students are encouraged to takepart in individual and team as well ascompetitive and non-competitive activities.

All students follow a core Physical Educationprovision at both Key Stage 3 and 4. They areintroduced to a rich variety of sports and skills,(both indoor and outdoor) making use of ourexcellent facilities and playing fields. We arecurrently the only school or college in Worcesteroffering a regular Swimming lesson to all students in years 7 and 8.

At Key Stage 4 this provision is supplementedthrough the use of local leisure centres and ourpopular GCSE option enables specialist studentsto further develop their skills.

We are proud of our comprehensive range ofclubs and teams running throughout the yearin the Extended Day. The College competeson a friendly basis against other schools aswell as taking part in the major competitionsand tournaments. The list of outstanding performances at District, County and Nationallevel continues to grow and our teams enjoyan excellent reputation for sportsmanship andfair play.

A number of students each year work towardstheir Junior Sports Leader Award which providesthem with a recognised qualification, transferableskills and the confidence and knowledge to runsporting activities with young people.

The Extended Day starts at 3pm (2.35 onWednesdays) and ends at 5pm. This moves usaway from seeing the school day purely in termsof the formal curriculum, but enables studentsand their families to plan for a wide range ofother worthwhile activities, including thoseorganised by other organisations. The activitiesare timetabled wherever possible to allow studentsof different year groups to attend without havingto choose between activities they equally enjoy.Tutors advise and suggest ways in which everystudent can gain access to the Extended Day.

What sorts of activities areoffered in the Extended Day?We provide a very wide range of activities ledby teachers, trained and licensed adults, andyouth leaders. The provision changes eachyear and depends largely on the interests andskills of the students but includes Clubs,ensembles, workshops, academic clinics andspecialist learning support programmes.Many students can gain extra qualificationsthat enable them to gain access to further andhigher education, training and employment.

Citizenship and WorkRelated LearningCitizenship is a key aspect of the core curriculumfor all students. It is delivered both as taughtlessons and through dedicated days in whichthe school community takes part in professionalvisitor-led activities containing the very latestinformation, advice and experiences appropriateto each age-group. All students receive an annualreport for Citizenship.

The value of work-related learning is firmlyestablished at Bishop Perowne. Students in year10 participate in a one-week placement (workexperience) during the Summer Term with localbusinesses and public sector organisations.Throughout a student’s time with us we seekopportunities to extend learning with relevantindustrial and careers experiences. A numberof students participate each year in a residentialArmy careers week and some recently participated in a Arts careers day at the MidlandsArts Centre in Birmingham where students met and worked with animators, performers,television production teams and writers.

At Key Stage 4 we offer an increasingly broadcurriculum which includes a number of AppliedGCSE courses which are more work-relatedin form and content, and 35 students eachyear participate in the Vocational InclusionParticipation project (VIP). This Countywideinitiative provides coordination for all studentswishing to supplement their academic curriculum with practical skills in areas suchas childcare, motor mechanics, animal care,catering and customer services.

Inspiring all to excelEnrichment through theExtended DayAs a successful College we continually seek waysto enhance learning and teaching and to raisestandards. We enjoy an innovative structure tothe College day which enables the widest possiblerange of learning opportunities to be offeredto students and members of the community.We believe this has many positive effects:

A more purposeful learning community

Enhanced relationships

More educational pathways forstudents with links to other institutions

Our students are provided withmany more opportunities to learnand develop their skills

Better opportunities for staffprofessional development

The shape of the College dayAll our students receive a first class curriculumfulfilling all statutory requirements in theFoundation Day. This part of the day contains5 sessions of 1 hour over a 10 day cycle.We enhance the Foundation Day through acoordinated Extended Day provision, that allstudents can access throughout the week.

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Active andresponsible citizens

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Bishop Perowne in theCommunityWe enjoy excellent links with partner primary,secondary and special schools, Universities,businesses, community and Church organisations.As a Specialist College we provide a number ofarts programmes for partner schools, hostingfestivals and performances in our theatre andenabling our staff and students to lead workshopsin other schools and colleges.

Bishop Perowne has always raised money ininnovative ways for charities. Party on the Farmis a popular whole College event involving allmembers of our community raising moneythrough sponsorship. It has now grown to aremarkable scale with real benefit to everyoneat Bishop Perowne.

We have an active parent/staff association, theFriends of Bishop Perowne. We are grateful tothem for their unstinting work on behalf ofthe College, and for the valuable funds theyraise for us. Over the years we have been ableto buy valuable items that we would otherwisehave been unable to afford - including minibuses,computers and video cameras. The Friendshave funded coaches for sports fixtures andprovided refreshments for the busy programmeof performances throughout the year. They alsoarrange regular social events, talks, outings,dances and meetings. Their work is appreciatedby the whole College community.

today I did all I could

to be all I could...