Science Technician

Headteacher's Welcome

Thank you for your interest in Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre. We are blessed with a beautiful school site in Caversham with fantastic transport links to many residential areas. Each year some of our Early Career’s colleagues take up our very reasonably priced onsite accommodation. Many have found this helpful and supportive at the start of their careers.

I have been Headteacher since April 2013. Since then, the school has been on a remarkable journey. We were very pleased to receive a ‘Good’ judgement in May 2015 which was confirmed in an ungraded inspection in 2018. Our pride as a school in this, and the number of times the word, ‘outstanding’ is used in the report, is only tempered by the desire to continue to improve outcomes for our students.

Our comprehensive range of school improvement strategies continue to bring tangible improvements in our results. Student attainment at GCSE exceeds national and local averages and progress at A Level is outstanding. Highdown students are highly aspirational and are a pleasure to work with.

We do not believe in complacency. There is a commitment to continuous improvement cycles and personal professional excellence.

For a teacher, Highdown School is an exciting environment in which to work. The total commitment to continuing improvement and the vision for Highdown School to be the best it possibly can be is underpinned by a dynamic programme of Joint Professional Learning (JPL). I truly believe that our pedagogy development programme is exemplary. Colleagues can select from a wide range of sessions and tailor their training to their personal development goals. For me as Headteacher, professional development of colleagues is second only to the achievements of our students. For support staff, there is also a commitment to development and an expectation that all are working to the same goals as the school.

All staff can join the Highdown Sports and Leisure facility and all have membership of staff benefit schemes.

Please do contact the school for a visit. I look forward to welcoming you to Highdown School.

Yours sincerely

Rachel Cave

Values and vision

The academy strives to instil in its students a lifelong love of learning. As well as academic achievements, the school focuses on extracurricular activities and strong community links that help students to become confident global citizens. A personalised programme of PSHCE (personal, social, health, citizenship education) is implemented through mentor schemes and Big Learning Days to foster confident, independent members of society.

Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre specialises in maths and computing, but also concentrates on core subjects such as English, science, languages and the arts. Highdown stresses the importance of extracurricular activities such as sports and music to enable students to reach their full potential.

Ofsted

“The highly inclusive nature of the school makes it a harmonious place in which to work and learn. Students are very welcoming of difference. All students, regardless of ethnicity, faith, additional need or sexual orientation, are fully integrated into the life of the school.”

View Highdown School and Sixth Form Centre’s latest Ofsted report