Philips High School

Philips High School is a co-educational, non-denominational secondary in Whitefield, Greater Manchester. As of the most recent inspection there were 854 students on the school roll. The school backs onto Prestwich Forest Park. The town of Whitefield has a population of 23,000, and is a half hour drive from central Manchester. The school motto translates from Latin as ‘I Stand To Serve’. The school is based on the site of the former Stand Grammar School for Girls, which was opened in 1937.

Headteacher

Tina Owen (retiring August 2024) 

Values and vision

A school philosophy is to keep things as straightforward as possible. Priorities are excellent examination outcomes, impeccable behaviour, outstanding teaching and learning and providing a wide range of high quality extra-curricular experiences for all students. With a clear focus and lots of hard work these things are all achievable.

Our school has a good reputation for being caring and inclusive, and is highly regarded by its local community. We have high expectations of our staff and a great emphasis on pupil care, which includes a particular focus on outstanding quality teaching and learning, with the aim of achieving excellent outcomes for all students. Every student at Philips High School is challenged to achieve outcomes in line with the top 20% of students nationally, who have the same starting points, and we are determined not to settle for mediocrity. At Philips, we have high expectations around behaviour and learning, and we support staff to actively apply these in the classroom, every day. With a consistent and supportive approach for all staff, this facilitates the student’s ability to understand and meet our expectations every day.

We believe that all our students deserve the very best education that we can provide and our teaching staff aspire to raise the standards and quality of teaching and learning. This is encouraged through inspiring and supporting colleagues with bespoke CPD; and by ensuring that best practice is shared and embedded. Having the right team in place is essential to this. Therefore, we thank you for reading through our application pack and considering us as the next step in your career.

The cumulative impact of all our school improvement work has been recognised by many external agencies who have worked with us. Attainment and progress indicators at Key Stage 4 are improving; student numbers are healthy across all year groups, attendance levels have dramatically improved and exclusions are falling. After some significant restructuring, we are as financially secure as anyone can be at the present time. This is an exciting time for the school, our students and our staff.

We are proud of what we have achieved so far and excited by the continuous improvements and changes here at Philips High School.