Upper Shirley High School

Upper Shirley High School is a mixed, mainstream secondary academy in Southampton, Hampshire. The school caters for students aged 11 to 16.

Upper Shirley High School is part of the Jefferys Education Partnership, a multi-academy trust. Formerly Bellemoor School, the school changed its name in September 2008 and became an academy in 2012.

Upper Shirley High is committed to ensuring that our students get the very best opportunities through an education that provides academic success in traditional subjects, alongside helping young people to explore their interests and their strengths in other subject areas.

Whether a child is practically, technically or academically minded, there is a pathway for them which enables them to thrive and enjoy their time at school. We invest heavily in trips, extra-curricular clubs, performing arts, sport, and career guidance so students have a wide range of opportunities during their time with us. Providing young people with moments of excitement and enjoyment, moments they will remember forever, is so important to the USH community.

We are determined that young people will follow the path that is right for them, determined in partnership between student, home and school.

We have high expectations of our students. Excellent behaviour is fundamental to ensuring learning takes place. We treat people well, we demonstrate good manners, and we are kind. At USH we celebrate success and support our students in developing perseverance and resilience. We take our work very seriously and are committed to being the best school in the region.

Learning without limits reflects our ambition for all our young people to aim high. We encourage our students to ‘Believe, Respect and Succeed’ so that they leave Upper Shirley High School with the skills and characteristics they need to be successful in their future lives.

We are here to achieve, and we are proud of our strong tradition of exceptional academic performance. In 2022, a record breaking 78% of our students achieved a grade 4 or above in both English and maths. USH is a proud member of SSAT Leading Edge Group – a national award and membership which is exclusively for high performing schools. Our caring and aspirational staff are completely dedicated to guiding our students to success. They have a proven track record.

We work closely with our feeder schools in the Hamwic Education Trust so that we provide better support and education for our students and community.

Headteacher

Chris Sykes

Our Vision:

USH is a happy place where all are challenged to achieve; where we are distinguished as leaders of learning and the passion of our people transforms futures.

Our Values:

We expect all members of our community to share and role model our values:

Believe

As a member of the USH community, everything starts with self-belief and a positive mind-set. Our school exists to raise achievement and give young people the best chance of living a happy and fulfilling life. Embracing challenges, taking risks and a belief in the benefits of learning are fundamental to our success. These qualities ensure our pupils thrive. Building trust underpins our work at USH and this means we can rely on each other and show integrity (what we do, matches what we say). We believe in each other, we are a team.

Respect

We have high expectations of our students. Excellent behaviour is fundamental to ensuring learning takes place. We treat people well, we demonstrate good manners, and we are kind. We want to cultivate an ethos where children have a genuine interest in helping their peers. This only happens in an environment which promotes strong relationships based on mutual respect. We are inclusive and we celebrate individuality, so everyone feels they belong.

Succeed

We are here to achieve. We are proud of our strong tradition of academic performance. We celebrate success and understand the importance of learning from our mistakes and failures. Successful people show perseverance and resilience. Success comes in many forms and at USH we support each other to be the best we can be. We take our work very seriously and are committed to being the best school in the region.

Our Motto:

Believe, Respect and Succeed values underpin our school motto of ‘Learning without Limits’. They are at the core of everything we do, and we expect all members of our community to share and role model these values.

Ofsted report

“Students and parents are given a wide range of information and support, advice and guidance to ensure that courses are appropriately matched to individual needs. This has ensured students have a high level of motivation on the courses and clear pathways to the next level of study.”

View Upper Shirley High School’s latest Ofsted report