Deputy Headteacher Behaviour and Ethos

Our aim at Chace is to provide young people with an education of excellence that will change their lives and inspire them to be the leaders of tomorrow. Through our investment in an ambitious and engaging curriculum, strong discipline and inspiring teaching, our students can achieve our school motto of ‘excellence has no limits’. We are proud of every student and believe that each one of them can achieve. Staff will never cap a student’s potential, instead they push them beyond what they ever thought they were capable of.  This ambition enables our students to excel, not only in their education at Chace, but in the opportunities that they pursue when they leave.

As a school, we are at a very exciting place in our journey with students’ outcomes improving consistently since 2019.  In April 2022 Ofsted recognised our excellence and the school was judged as ‘Good’ in all areas.  They concluded that ‘Leaders and governors are ambitious for the school’, ‘the school is truly inclusive’ and that ‘Pupils are encouraged to have high aspirations and to aim for excellence’.

We are a popular, mixed comprehensive school and welcome students of all abilities. Over 45 home languages are spoken by our students who bring a rich cultural diversity to Chace. We have a very successful, popular Sixth Form, with significant numbers of Chace students going on to Further and Higher Education and students joining our 6th form from other schools.

We have well equipped, well maintained specialist rooms in all areas of the curriculum and are particularly proud of our facilities for Science; Technology (Textiles, Food Technology, Graphics, Resistant Materials, CADCAM, Engineering and Computing); Music; PE (gymnasium, weight training room and a large Sports Hall); Art (including Photography), Drama and Sixth Form facilities. There is shared community use in the evening and at weekends as part of our commitment to extending learning at Chace and working with the community.

We ensure that all students have access to excellent, challenging learning opportunities and provide a relevant, coherent, learning experience for all students, supported by regular home learning. We are committed to providing a broad, balanced curriculum so that all students can build on prior learning and whilst ensuring there is a breadth of courses for students to specialise in at Key Stage 3 and 4.

In Years 7-9 all students follow the National Curriculum (Key Stage 3): English, Maths, Science, Technology including Computing, Art, Music, Drama, PE, History, Geography, RE and French or Spanish. Lifeskills, including Careers, Enterprise, Health and Sex Education, Study Skills and Citizenship, supports the curriculum and prepares students to be successful independent learners, able to make informed choices within a framework which explores moral, spiritual and personal development. In Year 7, tutor groups are organised into 7 mixed ability classes.

At Chace developing the whole child is also important.  Students participate in a wide range of extracurricular activities before school, during lunchtime and after school. Our curriculum beyond the classroom caters for a wide range of interests and gives students a chance to experience and learn new things, socialise with others and have fun. Students have multiple opportunities throughout their Chace journey to enjoy visits to galleries, theatres, field studies, zoos, museums, and trips abroad to widen their experiences. Our students also attend conferences and university visits to raise ambition and aspiration.

To achieve excellence, our starting point is to ensure every child has a sense of belonging - is able to bring their ‘whole self’ to school, leading to positive mental health and well-being.  This is achieved through excellent pastoral care and support.  We pride ourselves on every child being known by multiple members of staff and being known well by their Form Tutor who plays an imperative role in ensuring the highest level of pastoral care and support on a daily basis.  In addition, our students with additional needs are known, not only by their teachers, but also by our Student Progress staff, who ensure their needs are fully met.

‘Pupils are appreciative of the help their teachers give them with areas of difficulty, both in lessons and in additional sessions’  Ofsted

We are proud of our school improvement journey and that every member of staff is inspired through high expectations and resilience to achieve excellence.

Thank you for your interest in our School.