Principal: Mr McNaughton CHARLTON SCHOOL Building Knowledge. Developing Character. Inspiring Futures.

Welcome At Charlton, we take pride in students’ progress. We nurture happy, healthy young people who have the knowledge, academic achievement, and strength of character to lead safe and successful lives in modern Britain, preparing them for their next steps in education or employment with a thirst for lifelong learning. Our curriculum is broad, rich, and matched to individuals’ needs. Charlton is a successful and popular 11-16 comprehensive school. We are well established and respected in our local community, with a consistent record of high standards. This is attributed to good examination results and acknowledges our caring and supportive values based culture. We are committed to delivering a broad, balanced and knowledge rich curriculum enabling students to achieve their best and ensuring they are well equipped for the future. Our curriculum plans for the needs of all learners, as they progress through their five years in our care, providing opportunities for enrichment to develop wider aspects of learning. We see each student as an individual and encourage them to build their unique character through our personal development programme. Our curriculum is enhanced by a wide range of sustained enrichment opportunities, enabling students to discover and nurture their talents and interests. Students are guided by our strong pastoral system, with experienced staff who support their learning. All students have Form Tutors who serve as mentors to track their academic and personal progress. Heads of Year and Pastoral Managers offer further leadership, coaching and support. We ensure that every member of our school community knows that we are committed to supporting their physical health, safety and emotional wellbeing. We wish for Charlton students to be seen both in school and by the wider community as mature, confident, responsible citizens who wear their uniform with pride. As a school, we celebrate diversity and have well established links with our local community. We view partnerships with feeder schools, community partners and families as central to our success. We are proud to announce that of the Year 7 parents surveyed after transition, 100% would recommend Charlton to another parent. We look forward to welcoming you into our school community. Mr Andrew McNaughton “The school’s curriculum is broad and balanced and prepares students well for life in modern Britain” (Ofsted 2015)

School Vision Building Knowledge. Developing Character. Inspiring Futures. Our mission is to nurture happy, healthy young people who have the knowledge, academic achievement and strength of character to lead safe and successful lives in modern Britain, preparing them for their next steps in education or employment with a thirst for lifelong learning. Ethos Pastoral care. We ensure that every member of our school community knows that we are committed to supporting their physical health, safety and emotional wellbeing. Behaviour. Relationships between staff and students are based on our core values: respect, responsibility and resilience. Clearly stated standards of behaviour are to be upheld by all. Belonging. We celebrate our differences and show respect for our community. Students understand and develop their role as active and responsible citizens and are equipped with the skills to challenge discrimination. Curriculum. We are committed to delivering a broad, balanced and knowledge rich curriculum to enable students to achieve their best and be well equipped for the future. Co-Curriculum. Our curriculum is enhanced by a wide range of sustained enrichment opportunities, enabling students to discover and nurture their individual talents and interests. Facilities. Our new building provides a clean, bright, safe and stimulating learning environment with state-of-the-art equipment. Celebrating success. We celebrate success at all levels. Students are encouraged to apply a growth mindset to both their academic and personal progress. Partnership. We have well established links with our local community and view partnerships with the Learning Community Trust, wider community partners and our families as central to our success. Core Values Our ethos is built around three core values: Respect, Resilience and Responsibility. We expect all members of the Charlton community to exhibit these values at all times. Underpinning our vision and values are our shared character virtues: Gratitude: feeling and expressing thanks Compassion: exhibiting care and concern for others Humility: estimating oneself within reasonable limits Justice: acting with fairness towards others by honouring rights and responsibilities Courage: acting with bravery in fearful situations Integrity: having strong moral principles and standing up for what you believe in Honesty: being truthful and sincere

Transition at Charlton School At Charlton we pride ourselves in providing our new students and parents with a warm welcome to the school community. The first stage of your child’s journey with us is through our transition programme, which guides students and their families through the change from primary to secondary education. At Charlton, we have a dedicated transition team who ensure a smooth, carefully planned transition process with the sole aim of ensuring a happy and positive move between phases. Our transition programme is designed to ensure nothing is missed and that communication between primary phase and secondary strengthens our support for new students. Our transition team meet with primary teachers and pastoral managers during the summer term to ensure information is shared and that every child is supported to have a successful start at Charlton. Outlined below are details of the key events during the summer term in which we ensure the transition to Charlton School as enjoyable and trouble free as possible. 1. Primary school visits – Ongoing in Summer Term The Head of Year 7 and the Year 7 Pastoral Manager will visit all new students in their primary schools and complete a get to know you activity. They will also meet with primary school teachers and key members of staff. to discuss each student. Key information about behaviour, attendance, attainment, strengths and areas for improvement are discussed to ensure a smooth transition. 4. Information Evening - July An opportunity for parents and new students to visit Charlton once allocations have been confirmed. This will be in the form of an Open Evening with presentations from the Headteacher, and a meeting with the new form tutor. 5. Charltonbury Festival and Summer Fete - July A chance for students to bring their parents to Charlton following the transition days. Current students and those from partner primaries perform at a festival style music concert with various food stalls, crafts and activities provided by the local community for parents and students to enjoy. 6. Summer School – August New students will be given the opportunity to attend Charlton school and take part in three days of activities involving Science, Technology, Music, PE and potentially more. This will give students the chance to experience access in and around the school and familiarise themselves with the school in preparation for the start of the academic year. 2. Transition Days at Charlton - July An opportunity for new students to visit Charlton once allocations have been confirmed and take part in different sessions involving Science, Technology, Music, Drama, Dance, PE and more. This gives students the chance to experience lessons in secondary school and meet some of the teachers to discuss each student. Key information about behaviour, attendance, attainment, strengths and areas for improvement are discussed to ensure a smooth transition. 3. Parents Coffee Morning - July An informal Coffee Morning is held to welcome our new parents and to answer any general questions.

Curriculum Provision Key Stage 3 (Years 7 - 9) The aim at Key Stage 3 (Years 7 - 8) is to give students a broad and balanced curriculum that prepares them fully for a more individualised programme at Key Stage 4. It also offers them much more than the requirements of the National Curriculum. In Year 8, students are supported in making choices about their curriculum from Year 9 onwards. During this key stage students will study English, Mathematics, Science, Languages, History, Geography, RE, PE, Technology, Music, Art, Dance, Drama and Computer Science. At Charlton, we recognise that homework is essential to help students consolidate and extend their learning. Homework, especially extended projects, promotes the skills of independent learning and research. Key Stage 4 (Years 10 & 11) In Years 9 to 11, all students study the core subjects of English, Mathematics, Science, Religious Education and Physical Education. ICT, literacy and numeracy skills are also developed through the curriculum. The majority of students will study either French or German and Geography or History. Students have a choice of up to two further subjects from: Drama Engineering Food Technology Health and Social Care Music ICT Art Work experience, college taster days and placements support students in their future career decisions. Business Studies Media Studies Textiles Dance Physical Education/Sport Computer Science Admission to Charlton School Partnership with our families and the wider community is really important to us. As you can see, we build in a number of opportunities for parents to get involved in the transition process, including our primary partnership evening in the summer term. We also hold coffee mornings to enable parents to share their experiences and build a sense of community for our Y7 parents. Once our new students have settled in we hold a dedicated transition evening, parents are invited to share feedback about their child’s first weeks to ensure all students have the best start possible. Our full Admission Policy is available to view on the school website.

Personal Development We ensure that every member of our school community knows that we are committed to supporting their physical health, safety and emotional wellbeing throughout their journey with us. At Charlton, we promote personal wellbeing and development through a comprehensive Character Education and PSHE programme. PSHE (Personal, Social, Health and Economic) education is the curriculum subject that gives young people the knowledge, understanding, attitudes and practical skills to live safe, healthy, productive lives and meet their full potential. Character Education is a wider umbrella term which helps students build character, the knowledge here is underpinned by our core school values and virtues including Respect, Responsibility and Resilience. Through fortnightly dedicated personal development lessons, tutor time and curriculum enhancement days, students take part in a well-planned and sequenced programme to ensure they are committing age appropriate knowledge to memory. Students are encouraged to develop their individual character, learn how to stay safe and healthy and develop knowledge to ensure they are well equipped for the future. Personal development is at the heart of our whole school ethos. We ensure each area of the personal development curriculum delivers all aspects of the statutory guidance and reflects our specific needs as a school community. We have dedicated leaders for each of the key areas of the personal development curriculum; SMSC and British Values, PSHE and RSE, Emotional Health and Wellbeing, and Careers. The Curriculum Leads ensure that planning is engaging and well sequenced as part of the holistic personal development curriculum and provide training for non-specialist members of staff to ensure that all students get the very best we have to offer.

Pastoral Support and Communication We wish for Charlton students to be seen both in school and by the wider community as mature, confident young people who wear the uniform with pride, who are responsible citizens, with a thirst for learning. We are looking for the students to engage fully in the vast amount of opportunities available to them, to enrich their experience and inspire them to find activities they will continue to engage with for life. Students are guided via our strong pastoral system, with experienced staff who support their learning. All students have Form Tutors who serve as academic mentors to track their progress. Heads of Year and Pastoral Managers offer further support, as required, accessing the services of external agencies and family support. At Charlton, the School’s working document on school expectations is ‘Charlton Expects’. This gives students clear guidance about learning and preparing for learning. At Charlton, our ethos is built upon our three core values: Respect Responsibility Resilience Communication with families is key to our success. We hold year group consultation meetings which allow parents to speak to individual subject teachers. Reports are issued once a year and contain tracking grids to enable students to see their curriculum targets and the levels they should be working towards. Our on-line Parent Portal system allows parents to view daily how their child is progressing. This system can also be used to get in touch with individual staff members, should you have any concerns about your child’s education.

Inclusion We are fully committed to a policy of inclusion and we aim to integrate all students fully into the life of the school. To this end we acknowledge the fact that all teachers are teachers of Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and our ethos is one of helping both staff and students to thrive in an inclusive environment. All children admitted to the school, including those with disabilities, have access to the full curriculum offered by the school. The SEND department at Charlton supports the needs of learners. Our staff can support and give advice about how best to meet any additional learning needs a child may have. Student support is seen as a whole school commitment involving every individual; each having a responsibility to offer quality first teaching, providing engaging and challenging experiences across the curriculum. Our team of specialist teachers offer special needs provision, integrating students and providing small group support where necessary. Students identified as needing support will be supported in the following ways: In class or extra-curricular support as required. Specialist small teaching groups as appropriate. Tailor made interventions to meet a range of SEN Specialist differentiation of resources, where appropriate Students will spend the majority of their time in mainstream lessons with their peers; however, in order to maximise their potential as learners we provide additional intervention to ensure that students have a secure grasp of essential skills. In addition, personalised timetables can be implemented, where it is deemed to be of benefit to the student. The admission of students with Education, Health and Care Plans are negotiated with the Local Authority, the parents and the school.

Wider Curriculum As part of our universal offer, children take part in House competitions to raise the profile of local and national charities throughout the year, including Charlton Bake off: supporting the Macmillan Trust, The Harvest Festival: supporting the Telford Food Bank, Anti-Bullying campaigns through ‘Odd Socks’, the Christmas Gift Appeal: Hosted by the Shropshire Star, Walk or Bike to work week, Diversity Week, and our own fundraising festival ‘Charltonbury’. Charlton School offers a rich and varied wider curriculum throughout the school year. This enables our students to develop a range of skills and engage with experiences that enhance their learning and ease their transition into the wider world. This includes an award winning careers programme which ensures all learners develop enterprise and employability skills. Career opportunities are embedded in all areas of our curriculum; all students receive careers advice and information, and participate in work experience. At Charlton, we pride ourselves in partnership. We have well established links with our local community and view partnerships with the Learning Community Trust, wider community partners and our families as central to our success, we make the most of these connections to enable our co-curricular provision to link wherever possible to our local and national community. There is a strong programme of Educational visits that include the annual Year 7 outward bound residential to the Pioneer Centre, museum visits, trips to France and Germany, theatre visits, sporting events and concerts. These are combined with traditionally more social activities such as the annual ski-trip, and year-based celebration days to theme parks, zoos, the seaside and other popular student centred activities. At KS3, students get the opportunity to visit local, regional and international destinations across the curriculum. For example, in Modern Foreign Languages, students visit Trier, Germany and Paris, France. They have the opportunity to develop their speaking skills within cosmopolitan environments, whilst gaining a valuable insight to the culture and diversity of areas with a strong sense of heritage and identity. Students take part in residential visits to support a range of learning across the curriculum. For example, in History, students can visit Berlin, Germany. The trip coincides with classroom-based learning surrounding Germany from 1918-1939 and the rise of the Nazis. Students visit a range of cultural and historical attractions that include: The Reichstag; Berlin Wall Memorial; The Gestapo Museum and Berlin walking tour. The purpose of trips and visits across the school are to deepen understanding of the curriculum content, committing experienced learning to long term memory whilst also nurturing a sense of cultural identity and improved understanding of British Values.

Extra-Curricular Activities We are committed to delivering a broad and balanced curriculum to enable students to achieve their best and be well equipped for the future. Our curriculum is enhanced by a wide range of sustained enrichment opportunities, enabling students to discover and nurture their individual talents and interests. Students apply a growth mindset to both their academic and personal progress and we celebrate success at all levels. The co-curriculum is split into three areas, Expressive Arts, PE and ‘Project Charlton’. Our prestigious Expressive Arts Department have a long history of producing some of the best quality full scale Musical Theatre productions in Telford. Over 200 students participate annually in one of the biggest calendar events of the year for the school community. The next production will soon be confirmed and will follow a ten-year run of Musical Extravaganza’s including Hairspray, Annie, Oliver, Les Misérables, Fame and most recently, The School of Rock! Our PE department offers numerous Sport and Fitness related activities as part of our extra-curricular PE and fixtures programme. Our aim is to provide students of all abilities with as many opportunities as possible, to take part and enjoy sport, whether it is competitive, or to encourage healthy living. Our students have worked extremely hard to achieve a high level of success in a vast range of sports at District, County and National level. Our student leadership programme is locally renowned for supporting a range of primary school sports competitions. We value participation and competition in our fixtures programme. We have A, B and C teams in many sports, and sportability teams for less experienced students. We take pride in our team spirit and unity and are dedicated to self and team improvement, developing students’ physical, emotional and social wellbeing. At Charlton we recognise that students have a range of interests and talents. We aim to provide a wide range of clubs to help children nurture these talents throughout their time with us at Charlton. Project Charlton sits alongside the wide range of fundraising and volunteering opportunities provided through the house system to make sure there really is something for everyone in our extracurricular provision. Some of the activities on offer are as follows: Chess Club, Book Club, Homework Club, Library Club, Minecraft Club, Mock Trial, Youth Speaks, ICT Club, Radio Club, Duke of Edinburgh, Maths Homework Club, Shakespeare Schools Festival, Axiom Club, Maths Support Group, Table Top Card club, BBC Young Reporter. If your child has a particular passion or interest, we are confident that there will be an enrichment opportunity to encourage them to nurture their talent at Charlton. If there isn't, speak to a member of staff and together we can make it happen.

Facilities and Academy Status We are tremendously proud of our new school building. Our new build school opened in June 2016 and provides first rate facilities, which are purpose-built for learning in the 21st century. Additional investment in state-of-the-art ICT, Sports, Expressive Arts, Science and Technology equipment have been a great boost to curriculum areas. We firmly believe that the facilities strengthen engagement across the school and give students relevant learning experiences, preparing them for their next steps in education. Charlton School converted to become an academy in December 2018 and is part of the Learning Community Trust.We believe the Learning Community Trust to be an ideal partner for us, as we have a similar vision and values for providing the highest quality of education for the community in this part of Telford. Vision “To provide an outstanding education for all of our children and young people that prepares them to be successful in all they do.” Values Advancing Schools Inspiring Learners Transforming Communities Aims To focus across our schools, on excellence by achieving the best possible educational outcomes for our children and students by engaging and inspiring them, building their resilience and preparing them for work and adult life To drive a collaborative culture across our schools which drives and supports improvement and develops all of our staff as leading professionals To provide the highest levels of care and support for our children so they can succeed, including those that are the most disadvantaged, vulnerable or with special needs in our community To ensure our schools are at the heart of the community they serve and are truly inclusive organisations with equality for all across our community To engage positively with our families and wider community, building partnerships and programmes that develop opportunities beyond the school sector

Charlton School Apley Avenue Wellington Telford Shropshire TF1 3FA Telephone: Telephone: 01952 386800 Website: www.charlton.uk.com E-Mail: [email protected] This prospectus gives an outline of Charlton School. All information contained in this brochure was correct at the time of printing. Please note that during the academic year some details may change.