Deputy Headteacher

  The Bewdley School & Sixth Form Centre

 The Bewdley School & Sixth Form Centre became an 11-18 school in 2007 on the site of a 13-18 school. The school was awarded specialist Arts College status in 2009 and was graded Good by Ofsted in 2012. Ofsted returned to the school on 12th January 2016, to inspect the school under the new inspection framework. The report reflects the continuing success of the school, and it is a judgment that the whole school community can be proud of.   Situated on the banks of the River Severn, the school is fortunate to have spacious, well kept grounds and assorted space for outdoor learning. In recent years, the school site has benefited from a variety of building projects including a Gallery, Sixth Form Dining Room and more recently, a new £3m Science Department. Our outstanding Art and Technology block is also a highlight. The town’s Leisure Centre is adjacent to the school and is used daily for PE lessons.
 
The school serves the historic Georgian town of Bewdley and the local areas of Far Forest and Arley. Bewdley is a vibrant market town that hosts a variety of annual events affording additional opportunities, including ‘The Bewdley Festival’. We have four main feeder schools; Bewdley Primary, St Anne’s CE Primary, Far Forest Lea Memorial CE Primary and Upper Arley CE Primary and in addition, up to a third of students transfer from out of catchment. The school is a member of the ContinU Trust, which includes seven local High Schools, an Alternative Provision Free School and the local College. The Trust looks for opportunities to enhance the life chances of young people.    The achievement and progress are consistently above local and national averages. In 2016, 72% of Year 11 students achieved at least 5 A*-C GCSE passes, with 70% achieving C grades or better in both English Language and Maths. 35% of students achieved the English Baccalaureate. Progress 8, is an encouraging +0.21, significantly higher than the national average and one of the best in Worcestershire. As in previous years the impressive record of 0% NEET was maintained.    Our 2016 A Level Value Added Score of +0.11 shows that those learners who stay with us into Sixth Form (currently 150) make significantly more progress than both local and national averages is the broad range of academic subjects that they choose to study. More than 90% of Year 13 students succeed in getting to a university of their choice.   In 2016, OFSTED commented that "...strong leadership has established a culture that fosters successfully the academic achievements of pupils and their personal development. Your vision of promoting ‘learning for life and achievement for all’ permeates the school’s practices and procedures. Parents say that this is a school in which ‘every child matters’. Warm relationships between staff and pupils, built on mutual respect, promote a purposeful, orderly atmosphere across the school, and this helps pupils to learn well. Pupils get on well together. They enjoy coming to school and value the many opportunities they are offered to develop their sporting, artistic and personal skills. Pupils feel that their teachers care about them and this is reciprocated in the positive attitudes that the very large majority have towards their learning. The high aspirations nurtured mean that pupils are well-prepared to succeed in the next stage of their learning."   The school’s main investment is in its staff. All members of the Bewdley community believe in the school’s capacity to learn, change and improve. Expectations of self and others are high and contributes to the ultimate aim of providing ‘learning for life and achievement for all’ through support, challenge and positive relationships for learning.