Mathematics and Computing Specialist School

The Bishop Bell Church of England

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This School aims,

within the Christian ethos of our Foundation,

recognising each person’s supreme value and

working in active partnership with parents, church and community:

to provide high quality education based on Christian care;

to promote innovative excellence in Mathematics and Computing;

to develop everyone’s potential academically, socially and spiritually;

and to equip all for citizenship in our technological learning society.

SCHOOL MOTTO & MISSION STATEMENT

Aiming for Excellence Believing in Partnership Caring for Quality

INTRODUCTION The belief in the supreme value of every person is at the heart of our Mission Statement as an outstanding church school. We are committed to ensuring all pupils fulfil their true potential academically and in terms of their personal development. We refuse to compromise, striving to provide the best possible educational experience for your son or daughter, within a framework which emphasises traditional standards. Our pupils have a great pride in their school and show it in their standard of dress, their behaviour and their attitude towards others. This approach has led to us being one of the most successful schools in England. Whilst our standards are traditional, the education provided is forward-looking, innovative and exciting. We are at the forefront of national developments and, in recognition of that, OFSTED rated us to be doubly Outstanding and the Government have designated us a High Performing Specialist School, a National Centre of Excellence for Gifted and Talented and a Leadership Partner School. In this latter role we lead an innovative partnership with The Causeway School. Hence, having been Headteacher of this school for fifteen very successful years, I am now Executive Headteacher and Mr Jewell, who worked closely with me as Deputy Head in Bishop Bell and as Executive Deputy in the Causeway Partnership has taken the role of Headteacher, ensuring that day-to-day the standards, and ideals, to which we aspire, remain the reality for every pupil. T S Boatwright BA (Hons) Cert Ed Executive Headteacher Our School Motto encapsulates what we are about, whilst our Mission Statement guides us in all that we do. Both are displayed prominently around the School, as well as in pupil diaries and teacher planners. Our Motto and Mission Statement make clear our high expectations of all members of our school community. They, also, hold us to account for providing the best education for every child. Our success in Aiming for Excellence and Caring for Quality was formally recognised by Ofsted when Bishop Bell School was judged to be 'Outstanding' by Section 5 and Section 48 inspectors. Believing in Partnership, Christian values underpin all we do and we promote them within our school community. Our partnership with the community, and particularly with parents, is essential to the success of all our pupils. Hence, good communication with parents is a high priority for us. This brochure can only give you a flavour of the distinctive nature of our school. We hope you will want to discover more by coming to see us in action. N Jewell BSc (Hons) NPQH Headteacher

Recognised Nationally

For Excellence

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aiming for excellence

“One of England’s most successful schools.”

SECRETARY OF STATE FOR EDUCATION

The Bishop Bell CE Mathematics & Computing Specialist School is justifiably proud

of the achievements for which it has gained national recognition for excellence.

The School:

is one of the very few in the County rated ‘Outstanding’ by OFSTED.

is one of East Sussex’s highest achieving in terms of 5+ A*-C’s.

appeared in OFSTED’s ‘School Hall of Fame,’ a roll of honour of England’s most

successful schools.

is one of England’s top schools for ‘value-added’, the ability to enable pupils to

achieve their full potential.

was chosen as one of three ‘transformed’ Church of England schools nationally

to provide a model for others and the subject of a book.

has won the Government School Achievement Award.

is unique, being the only school in England with a 5+ A*-C pass rate which has

risen every year since 1997.

has received national awards for being one of the ‘Most Improved’ and ’Highest

Value-Added’ schools in England every year since 2004.

It is not surprising, therefore, that our reputation has blossomed and we have

become one of the County’s most popular schools.

Recognised Nationally

For Excellence

As a Mathematics and Computing Specialist School we strive to:

achieve excellent academic performance in all subjects.

attain exceptional standards of achievement in Mathematics and Computing subjects for all pupils across the ability range.

improve the Mathematics and Computing skills of the community, including our family of schools and colleges, by being a centre of excellence and model of good practice.

promote an educational culture which is innovative, scientific, technological, enterprising and vocational with a clear Christian ethos.

develop citizens equipped with the skills to progress into employment, further training or higher education according to their individual abilities, aptitudes and ambitions.

SCHOOL PHILOSOPHY

“This is an excellent school that provides an outstanding education.”

OFSTED Section 5

Believing Faith Matters

We believe that:

each person is unique, of supreme value and has the right to quality education and training.

true education should develop the whole person: body, mind and spirit.

every person should gain success, praise and a sense of achievement and self-worth.

quality education occurs when working in partnership with parents, the community, the diocese, industry and our family of schools and colleges.

SCHOOL PHILOSOPHY

Believing Faith Matters

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believing in partnership

“The pupils thrive in the nurturing Christian ethos that prevails throughout the School.” OFSTED Section 48

As an Outstanding Voluntary Aided Church of England School, there is something

unmistakably different about our ethos and an added dimension to the education

provided.

We believe education, in its fullest sense, should develop body, mind and spirit.

While not pressing pupils to accept one particular religious perspective, we do

provide the opportunity for young people in our care to explore issues of faith,

especially Christianity, in a manner, and at a level, appropriate to them.

Religious Education lessons form part of the core curriculum for all pupils, many of

whom take our very successful GCSE RE course. Though our RE curriculum

mainly develops a knowledge and understanding of Christianity, the lessons also

encourage an awareness of other faiths and cultures.

The School Chapel, our own Chaplain, the varied and stimulating programme of

assemblies, voluntary Christian acts of worship and extracurricular Christian clubs,

and activities, provide pupils with further opportunities to explore faith issues.

Also, in an age when pupils receive mixed messages about morality from society,

we base the education we provide firmly within a Christian moral framework.

Partnering for Success

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believing in partnership

“There is strong mutual support between the School and its partners in the local church, the Diocese and the world-wide church.” OFSTED Section 48

Key to our success is the value we place upon our partnership with pupils, parents,

local churches and our community partners.

We believe that a close relationship between home and school is crucial to your

child’s success. A weekly newsletter, ‘CONTACT’, keeps parents aware of general

information. An excellent Pupil Homework Diary gives parents daily information on

their child’s work and behaviour, forming a vital means of communication. Parents

are invited to two Academic Tutoring interviews and a Parents’ Evening each year

to discuss their child’s progress. Annual reports, specific information evenings and

consultation afternoons further enhance home-school partnership.

Pupils are important partners in the exciting developments taking place at the

School and they feed their views into the process through: School, and Year,

Councils; focus, and working, groups; and a Head, and Deputy-Head, Prefect

Management Team. The latter works very closely with the headteacher.

As a Church Specialist School we work closely with our church and community

partners. Pupils and staff frequently contribute to services in local churches.

Excellent work is done with our partner primary schools and local businesses. We

also partner a number of schools in other countries, especially Uganda and Sierra

Leone.

Partnering for Success

We are committed to working in partnership to achieve by:

ensuring that there is effective communication with our partners.

providing means by which partners can inform our decision-making.

striving to create opportunities to work in partnership towards common goals.

creating a learning society within the community, including our family of schools and colleges, with whom we will share resources and good practice.

SCHOOL PHILOSOPHY

“Parents are extremely supportive of the School and say how impressed they are with the support provided for their children.” OFSTED Section 48

A History Of Care

Christian care is at the heart of the pastoral system at The Bishop Bell CE Mathematics & Computing Specialist School. We work towards:

creating a caring, secure, environment for everyone.

ensuring all pupils have a network of pastoral support to assist them.

showing our care by having a clear discipline structure which is consistently, yet sensitively, applied.

SCHOOL PHILOSOPHY

“The strong Christian ethos of care pervades the work of the School.” OFSTED Section 48

A History Of Care

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caring for quality

“I am certain that this Church School will offer you every help and encouragement in preparing yourselves for living a full, useful and happy life.”

HRH PRINCESS MARGARET

OPENING OF THE SCHOOL 20 MAY 1959

Our roots go back to 1894, when a church school was founded with a mission to

care for and educate the children of a rapidly expanding Eastbourne. That school

met an acute need and twice outgrew its buildings. It was Dr George Bell (1883-

1958), the then Bishop of Chichester, who had the vision to build a new school in

Langney to bring Christian care and education to the that growing community. The

new school, which bore his name, was officially opened by HRH Princess Margaret

on 20 May 1959. Christian care is, thus, central to all we do.

Our Mission Statement encapsulates that aim, recognising “each person’s supreme

value.” Hence, we treat all our pupils as individuals requiring specialist educational

provision tailored to their unique needs. To enable us to do this, all pupils are set

individual, challenging, targets against which their progress is continually assessed.

A strong Pupil Support Department, well-structured pastoral system and numerous

other advisers, and professionals, employed in the School work very effectively

together to ensure that all pupils are supported to attain their full potential.

We believe that Christian care also means ensuring our pupils become fully the

best that they can be. Hence, we have clear, and consistently, applied discipline,

and rewards, systems which reinforce good behaviour while discouraging that

which falls below the highest standards.

Quality Range Of Provision

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caring for quality

At the heart of our phenomenal success is a passion to provide our pupils with the

highest quality range of provision, both in and out of the classroom.

In class, a wide range of teaching methods and stretching targets ensure that pupils

are motivated and challenged to make excellent progress. For most lessons pupils

are set according to ability, although some subjects are taught in mixed-ability

groups. The emphasis, whatever the group, is on high expectations. The quality of

teaching is continually monitored by senior and middle managers to ensure that the

highest standards are maintained in every classroom.

An extensive and innovative curriculum offers the widest range of provision to suit

the aptitudes and needs of all our pupils. A high quality, work-related, vocational

pathway includes subjects ranging from Motor Vehicle Maintenance to Horse Care.

Around a third of our pupils undertake this route to success.

Our extracurricular provision, rated "Outstanding" in pupil surveys, includes a very

wide range lunchtime and after-school clubs. Our sports teams are very successful

nationally. An annual School Production, along with numerous musical and

performing arts events provide ample opportunity for pupils to display their talents.

Exciting Academic Development Days, visits, trips and holiday activities further

enhance the range and quality of what we offer our pupils.

“Pupils enjoy school. Key factors in this are an outstanding curriculum, the positive impact of specialism on provision, the arts, sports and wide-ranging enrichment activities.” OFSTED Section 5

Quality Range Of Provision

We show how much we value people by ensuring that they receive the highest quality education and training. To do this we:

are self-critical, frequently analysing and evaluating current practice.

encourage feedback from pupils and parents.

strive for the highest standards in all aspects of school life.

SCHOOL PHILOSOPHY

“The curriculum offers pupils so many different learning opportunities and is adapted to give great choices, whatever the pupils’ need.” OFSTED Section 5

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“I am so pleased that I stayed on at Bishop Bell as I would never have achieved what I have without it. The course is great as I can apply what I study straight away in my work.” POST-16 TRAINEE

EXCITING POST-16 OPPORTUNITIES In addition to being one of the most successful 11-16 schools in the Country, The Bishop Bell CE Mathematics & Computing Specialist School is able to offer your son or daughter a range of unique and very successful opportunities post-16. Many of our pupils value the support offered by the School so much that they stay on to follow our nationally renowned Advanced Apprenticeships based in an exceptionally well-equipped Post-16 Training Centre and our excellent Training Nursery. The Advanced Apprenticeships allow post-16 trainees to combine study towards Advanced Level qualifications with an apprenticeship. Hence, trainees will study in our custom-built training centre two days each week and be employed, and paid, as working apprentices on the three remaining days. These excellent courses offer the trainees a double A-Level qualification along with an Advanced NVQ3 and also assist any who have not passed GCSE Mathematics and English with grades C or above to do so. In addition, other Advanced Level courses are increasingly being added to the suite of subjects on offer, enabling many trainees to gain three A-Levels. The great appeal of these courses is that they enable the trainees to gain high status academic qualifications, suitable for university entrance, along with two years’ experience working in a given field which is very useful in terms of gaining further employment. All our post-16 trainees are employees of the School and have a training allowance paid to them each week. The courses, which currently include IT Practical Systems Support , Business Administration and Early Years, have been incredibly successful with over 95% of trainees leaving with double A or double B grade A-Levels.

The Bishop Bell Church of England Mathematics and Computing Specialist School

Priory Road Eastbourne

East Sussex BN23 7EJ

t: 01323 465400 f: 01323 465465

e: admin@bishopbell.e-sussex.sch.uk w: www.bishopbell.e-sussex.sch.uk

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