Hagley Catholic High School

Hagley Catholic High School is part of the Emmaus Catholic Multi Academy Company that was established in February 2021 with 9 other primary schools. We are a mixed 11-18 school in Hagley, Worcestershire and our Published Admissions Number (PAN) is 190 and with over 1130 students on our oversubscribed roll.

We are situated in a semi-rural setting some twelve miles south west of Birmingham.  The village of Hagley is within close proximity to the national motorway network and on a train line from Worcester to Birmingham, yet still enjoys views of the Clent Hills and beautiful surrounding countryside.

Our Patron saint is the Catholic martyr, Saint Nicholas Owen, and the school is divided into houses named after saints Anselm, Bede, Chad, Gregory, Kenelm and Wulstan.

Hagley Catholic High School is a good school and the recent OFSTED inspection of October 2019 under the new inspection framework confirmed this.

Inspectors commented very positively under a very robust and challenging new framework. They reported that:

This is a friendly school where pupils are safe and well cared for.

Leaders have high expectations of how pupils should behave, and pupils behave well.

Pupils are proud of their school and they take pride in themselves.

Pupils achieve well...

Leaders make sure that topics are taught in a logical order and teachers make deliberate links to what pupils have learned before.

Pupils are well behaved in lessons. They are keen to learn, and they take pride in their work.

Curriculum

Pupils follow the National Curriculum at KS3 and KS4. The school in partnership with other providers offers a wide range of A levels. Children with SEND are carefully catered for and we have developed our own paired reading scheme involving volunteer work from our Sixth Form.

When pupils arrive they join a mixed ability tutor group and they remain in that tutor group up to year 13. The school has developed its own classroom expectations and code of conduct which the pupils are expected to keep. We enjoy a reputation for high standards of pupil behaviour and the school has a strict uniform policy for all children up to year 11.

Outcomes are excellent at Hagley with a GCSE Progress 8 score in 2019 of +0.35 and English literature and language, maths, science and history in the top 20% of all schools nationally for attainment. Overall attainment was in the top 20% also, as were all elements of the attainment buckets.

Hagley Catholic High School also has a top performing sixth form with over 200 students on roll. In 2019, 41% of all students achieved grades A* to C with 17% achieving AAB. While in 2020 this increased to 72% of all students with 48% attaining AAB. We have an excellent reputation for supporting students on the Oxbridge pathway and in the last 2 years 5 applicants went on to Oxbridge, while 40% went on to Russell group Universities in 2020.

We also have a thriving extra-curricular provision in all areas but especially in music, performing arts, PE and RE. While students are given some amazing opportunities to engage in trips to the Gower, Poland, Italy, France, Skiing in Austria and more.

The School Buildings and their Location

Hagley Catholic High School was built in the late 1950’s with numerous subsequent building programmes. The accommodation includes: an assembly hall, Chapel, kitchen and dining area, three two storey classroom blocks – two of them of 1960’s design with flat roofs, the third of a 1990’s design with a pitched roof. There is a separate Technology, Art, Drama and IT, Physical Education facilities and also a Memorial Suite which houses all our teaching of music, together with practice rooms. Recent additions include a VIth Form Study Centre and a new Technology workshop. During the last year we have had the completion of a new music classroom and we have seen the refurbishment of the performance area of the music suite. Within the next year we are expecting the completion of a Sports Hall at the bottom of our site. Subject department rooms are grouped together wherever possible. The buildings are fronted by the school playing fields.

The school is situated in Worcestershire, bordering on to West Midlands, in a semi-rural setting some 12 miles south west of Birmingham. The village of Hagley is within close proximity to the national motorway network, yet still enjoys views of the Clent Hills and beautiful surrounding countryside.

The Directors of the Emmaus Catholic MAC

The Emmaus Catholic MAC is governed in accordance with the Archdiocese of Birmingham's Roman Catholic Schools Instrument of Government.

There are 14 Directors in total:

• 8 Foundation Directors who are appointed by the Archdiocese of Birmingham.
• 2 Headteacher/Principal Directors who are elected by the six Principals.
• 2 Staff Directors who are elected by staff of the six schools.
• 2 Parent Directors who are elected by the parents of pupils attending the schools.

The Directors meet at least twice a term and in addition there are four committees which meet to consider specific aspects of management and make polcy recommendations to the full board.

The Academy Committee

Below the Board of Directors, the school also has its own Academy Committee to address local management issues. There are 12 members of this Committee:

• 7 Foundation Members who are appointed by the Archdiocese of Birmingham.
• 1 The Principal.
• 2 Staff Members who are elected by the staff of the school.
• 2 Parent Members who are elected by the parents of the pupils attending the school.

Staffing and Resources

The school management structure is arranged with a leadership group consisting of the Principal, the Vice Principal and four Assistant Principals. All members of teaching staff are allocated to one of the 12 major departments to deliver the academic curriculum. In addition the teaching staff act as form tutors and are arranged into teams managed by Heads of Year. There is a team of site staff, one of whom is resident on the premises.

The School and the Wider Community

Hagley Catholic High School produces a regular newsletter which is published on the school website  and distributed to all parents via their children. The school recognizes that it has a role to serve the wider community. Links with our feeder parishes, the general community and the surrounding areas are important and the school seeks to strengthen them and make them more effective.

SCHOOL MISSION STATEMENT AND AIMS:

The school motto is Semper Fidelis, meaning always faithful.

This school’s mission is to educate pupils in a Catholic environment where they can grow in faith, knowledge and understanding to serve as a witness to the Catholic faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Guided by these principles our Mission Statement is:

Called as God's family,

we strive to achieve our personal best,

by living and learning in Christ.

This statement is reflected in our school prayer to our Patron Saint, St Nicholas Owen.

St Nicholas Owen: make this school a safe refuge;
Inspire in us a love of God and a love of our neighbour;
Guide us in our work and play that we may always be faithful to Christ, our Lord.
Amen

From our Mission Statement the Aims of the School are:

This school aims to provide an education through which pupils can acquire life skills, attitudes and values which will prepare them to become free, responsible and active members of society, making the Church’s mission present to all by the example of their lives.

This school aims to create a community which promotes tolerance, respect and sensitivity to the needs of others so that pupils realize their duties and responsibilities to their neighbour as well as their personal rights and freedoms.

In summary our school aims to be a school to which children wish to come, to which parents wish to send their children and where teachers wish to teach.

As a Catholic school we seek:

To place the worship of God and prayer at the centre of school life through Mass, assemblies and other liturgies

To instill respect for, understanding of, and discernment for, other cultures, religious beliefs and customs and promote equal opportunities for all

To emphasize the need for stewardship and good citizenship and its importance in contributing to the common good

To deliver a broad, balanced, relevant and differentiated curriculum, taking into account the ability and needs of each person to fit them for life-long learning and enable them to develop their full potential value and sense of self worth

To encourage the personal and professional development of all staff.