Head of Humanities

Coleshill is an ethically inclusive school and we are proud of our comprehensive values. We serve a wide ranging local community and have high expectations for all. Ofsted inspected us in February 2020 and confirmed that we continue offer a good standard of education in all areas. Please read the full report on our website to see the full range of strengths across our ‘united learning community’.

At the Coleshill School we are passionate about our curriculum and our ambition of is to provide a high quality education that transforms the life chances of our students through a ‘knowledge engaged’ curriculum.  Our framework of cognitive education enables children to think independently and contribute positively to society and the wider world.

Ensuring consistently excellent learning and teaching is at the core of all we do.  Our teachers benefit from outstanding professional development, with joint planning and action based research combined with bespoke pathways to develop their practice. This approach enables students to receive precision teaching and interventions matched to their individual learning needs.

The Coleshill School is an 11-19 Business and Enterprise Academy of over 1200 students, including approximately 200 students in the Sixth Form, which has grown rapidly in recent years.  It is set in its own extensive playing fields, situated on the outskirts of Coleshill, a small market town on the northern boundary of Warwickshire.  A good road network provides easy accessibility from all parts of the West Midlands.  The school has increased in size by over 500 students in the last few years and will continue to grow to approximately 1300, to meet local need.  There have been extensive developments to the school facilities, with a state of the art Leisure Centre, co-owned with North Warwickshire and a new £3.4 million teaching block, which opened in September 2020 providing outstanding facilities for our school community.

The Coleshill School is a member of the successful Arthur Terry Learning Partnership (ATLP), a multi academy trust with an excellent track record for school improvement.  The ATLP is a growing multi-academy trust of eleven primary schools, five secondary schools and one teaching school, based in Birmingham, North Warwickshire and Staffordshire, with more than 9,000 students and over 1,000 members of staff.  All academies are quite distinctive and separate schools, serving different communities and phases: but all either are, or have the capacity to become good and outstanding. In applying to Coleshill you also benefit from the wealth of amazing opportunities and professional development on offer across our partnership.

This is an exciting time to join our school as we continue to grow and seek to provide the highest standards of education.  Over the last four years our examination results have been broadly in line with national averages, with many subjects achieving beyond them.  In 2021 students maintained high pass rates in both English and Mathematics. 83% achieved the “Standard” pass of a grade 4 in both subjected and 52% achieved the new “Good” pass of grade 5 in both subjects. Students achieved well across a wide range of subjects, with several of these above national average. At A Level and Level 3 BTEC over a third of all grades were at the top with A/Distinction grades or above.   We have an inclusive, student centered, curriculum which offers a wide variety of traditional and applied courses.

Our motto of “Learning and Achieving Together” builds on the school’s rich history dating back to 1520 and the fact that the school is at the centre of a supportive local community.  The school is committed to working with a range of partners, including our partner primary schools, as we work in creative and innovative ways to ensure our school remains a safe, happy and successful place to be.

The Sixth Form is becoming increasingly popular, as we strive to make it a centre of excellence.  Our Sixth Form is big enough to provide the full range of A Level courses and some BTECS, but small enough to enable bespoke provision for our students.  There is an emphasis on personalised learning plans to ensure that each sixth former has teaching that is matched to their needs.   Sixth form students benefit from expert guidance and support from our experienced team of tutors and an exceptionally experienced Head of Sixth Form.  Of course, they also have dedicated accommodation and facilities to support their achievement and transition to employment, further education or university.  The majority of students apply to university and all who applied were successful in gaining their first choice place.

Sixth formers can also study the Level 3 Sport Diploma and receive exceptional football coaching and development, through joining The Coleshill School Post 16 Football Academy in partnership with West Bromwich Albion. The programme is open to 16 – 18 year old students. Each have personalised timetables, enabling the balance of lessons together with an in-depth football development programme. We provide an excellent pathway into further education, sporting 22 hours of lessons over a fortnight, gaining a BTEC level 3 Extended Diploma in Sport - the equivalent of 3 A levels provided at The Coleshill School over two years.

The Coleshill School provides excellent support for all of its students organized in linear tutor groups with a phases structure. We provide pastoral support and guidance through phase leaders, form tutors, non-teaching pastoral leaders, a dedicated and experienced Inclusion Team. We have 4 Houses and hold House competitions in sports, the arts and a number of other areas have developed teamwork and friendly competition.

Students are encouraged to participate in a wide range of extra-curricular activities including Duke of Edinburgh, sports, choir, drama, dance, skiing trips, and residential visits, in Britain and abroad.  In the last three years visits have been made to France, the Czech Republic, and Poland. Some of our Key Stage Four students follow Sports Leaders Award in PE and there are many other opportunities for students to develop their leadership skills.  Sixth Form students benefit from a range of leadership opportunities.  There is a very active Student Voice group. Our KS3 students are all working towards graduating through the Children’s University by attending sixty hours of extracurricular activities which range include our STEM club, participation in our school production, a host of sporting activities and a design club.

The staff and governors are committed and enthusiastic; there is a real determination from us all to continue our rapid progress as we aim to provide excellent provision for all its students and develop them as an effective ‘Coleshill Learner’ so that they are ready to be the very best they can be.

Ian Smith-Childs

Headteacher