About Birley Community College
Birley Community College has just over 1,200 students and serves a stable community to the South East of Sheffield. The catchment comprises a mixture of mid-priced private housing and low-rise council housing. Virtually all youngsters within the catchment area attend Birley and we are heavily oversubscribed.
In September 2009 the College federated with Birley Primary School, with whom we share a campus. We have close links with our other ‘family of schools’, Charnock Hall, Birley Spa and Rainbow Forge with whom we are building a “soft” federation. We also work in close co-operation with our neighbouring secondary schools in the South East of the city, particularly to develop coherent and high quality post-16 provision. In February 2010 the College was judged “good” by the OFSTED inspection team – please see attached OFSTED Inspection Report – and in January 2011 the Leadership of the Federation was also judged as good.
Birley Community College is part of the Building Schools for the Future programme and is due to begin a schedule of refurbishment in April 2011 which will be completed in 2013. We have always prided ourselves on offering students an innovative curriculum and BSF will allow us to consider how we might transform the learning environment to better provide this and to meet the needs of 21st learners. We are pleased to still be part of the programme and we welcome its commencement.
We are committed to supporting and developing ‘Excellence for All’ our students whatever their abilities and needs. This has meant the development of a wide range of opportunities for gifted and talented students as well as those with special needs or those who are disaffected. We have a successful SEN department, an Integrated Resource for ASD students and a Personalised Learning Base to meet the needs of our students whose BESD needs are a barrier to learning in mainstream classrooms.
In 2002 our KS4 curriculum was successfully organised into four pathways to meet the needs of all our learners.
· The Academic pathway involves a student taking 10 or 11 GCSEs – about 60 students follow this route.
· The Balanced Pathway is the route followed by the majority of our students, where students follow a vocational subject, chosen from a range of BTEC or OCR options which include Health and Social Care, Travel and Tourism, Engineering, Art & Design, ICT. This leads to a Level 2 qualification. Students on this pathway also study 5 or 6 GCSE subjects.
· The Supported route is for less able but well motivated students, where young people study for a Level 1 Vocational qualification, a key skills qualification and 3 or 4 GCSEs. This allows extra support and a range of appropriate experiences to be targeted at this group.
· A small number of students follow a pathway which involves them in a more personalised study programme designed to meet their individual needs. Since 2010 the College has offered a Diploma in Engineering to a cohort of students.
This pathways development has always put us in the forefront of the development of the 14-19 educational agenda and has helped us to provide the opportunity for success for all our students. In 2010 we saw 90% of students achieving 5A*-C grades, 51% achieving 5A*-C (E/M) grades the best ever results for the College, representing a continued upward trend. This curriculum innovation is providing a model that others are adopting both locally and nationally and we are currently involved in several projects developing courses and materials for other schools. Partly as a result of this we have become a Specialist College Trust Leadership and Innovation Hub for Sheffield for personalised learning in the Yorkshire and Humber region. This involvement enables us to interact with other cutting edge schools locally and nationally.
The Key Stage 3 Strategy is important to us and we have significant initiatives supporting literacy, thinking skills and independent learning. The further development of literacy and numeracy across the College is central to our development planning. We also have a positive risk taking culture amongst staff who want to be at the leading edge of teaching, whether this is through the development of ‘brain based learning’ or the piloting of ICT based independent learning. This is supported by a significant ICT network, which is linked to over 250 computers. The routine use in teaching of Whiteboards and computer linked projectors is becoming increasingly common and all teachers have a laptop. The College is currently developing an MLE.
We believe our success is partly based on the above systems and are underpinned by the high quality staff who have a determination to deliver consistently at least good teaching to all students, whatever their ability. This is supported by a coaching and mentoring programme designed to support staff in developing best practice.
Alongside this runs a successful Vertical Tutoring and Academic Mentoring programme for students which supports personalised learning and a team of mentors who work to help vulnerable “at risk” young people make progress and achieve their potential.
Birley Community College is committed to the Every Child Matters agenda and as such we have a team of Standards Mentors led by a member of our Senior Leadership team, part of whose role it is to ensure safeguarding of our students. Leadership, Curriculum Innovation, Student Care, Staff-Student relationships, PSHE and SEN have all been identified as key strengths of the College.
The community aspect of the College began to develop significantly in April 2002 and we now offer an increasingly wide range of opportunities for all people of ages both in the College, in our family primaries and in other community locations - including a local pub! We are now offering courses in excess of 200 community learners, which is the biggest provision by any school in Sheffield. We value the role we play in the community and employ a Community Cohesion Co-ordinator.
However it is not buildings, equipment or curriculum structures that characterise Birley but the quality and enthusiasm of the staff here. We have a positive regard for our students and relationships with them are overwhelmingly good. Staff also offer students a huge range of extracurricular opportunities ranging from Sport, Young Engineers, Samba Drumming, work with Artists in Residence, ‘Booster’ classes and overseas History, Language and Watersports visits. Importantly staff share practice, support each other and (most!) enjoy themselves and their work.
I would not wish to pretend that we have everything solved. We are overcrowded and we still have significant issues to address. We do however have the vision, the staff and the sheer determination to address these challenges and we are seeing our efforts come to fruition. Recent examination results validate this. We are not into quick fixes but seeking solutions that will make a lasting difference to the students and the community we serve. We are not afraid of making mistakes but if we know something is wrong, we do something to rectify it.
In short, Birley is a great place for a teacher to develop their career, to make a difference and to enjoy the job. We have a reputation for taking measured risks and leading new ideas. If that is what you came into teaching for, then Birley will be a good place for you.
Sheelagh Woodcock
Acting Headteacher
April 2011
BIRLEY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
INFORMATION ABOUT THE MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT
AIMS
To maximise student attainment in Mathematics
To provide students with a sound and confident grasp of Mathematics at a level that is appropriate to their ability
To develop the ability to use mathematical ideas in familiar and unfamiliar situations
To develop skills, techniques and strategies suitable for solving problems
To provide a syllabus content appropriate to the needs of the student in accordance with the National Curriculum requirements
To encourage students to become aware of and responsible for their own learning and progress
STAFFING
Chris Davie Curriculum Leader
Laura Brown Teacher of Mathematics/STEM link
Jean Howard Teacher of Mathematics (part time)
Sarah Hully Teacher of Mathematics
Bridgett Kellett Second in department (G&T, KS2/KS3 link)
Jackie Murphy Student Teacher Mentor
Kirsty Maloney Teacher of Mathematics
Stuart Taylor Teacher of Mathematics
Louise Parkin Teacher of Mathematics/KS4 Progress Leader
Ruth Crookes OCR link
It is the policy of the department to allocate staff to classes, so that as far as possible staff teach a fair and full range of age and ability groups.
The department occupies a suite of six rooms, all of which are equipped with interactive whiteboards (Smart Boards) and is well resourced with a range of teaching materials. (Impact textbooks for KS3 and OCR graduated assessment texts for KS4 ; software including Mymaths, Boardworks, tenticks, easyteach).
DEPARTMENT STRUCTURE
KEY STAGE 3
KS3 covers student in Year 7 and 8, with students in Year 9 starting the GCSE course.
The scheme of work for KS3 is driven by the student progress booklet, which outlines the topics to be covered and when they are covered. Each topic is broken down into the objectives with their NC levels stated. Consequently, students can keep a record of what they have studied and the levels they have attained. This helps students to take responsibility for their own progress. There is an assessment every five weeks in the first two terms and the optional SATs test is used at the end of each year.
Students do their work in a class workbook and have a separate book for homework, which is set once a week.
KEY STAGE 4
Students in Year 10 and 11 follow the GCSE course OCR Graduated Assessment with some groups entered for additional Mathematics as well.
Year 9 follow the new OCR Modular GCSE course, with a scheme of work based around a progress booklet.
The department has been involved in trialling the functional Mathematics examination and the pilot two tier examinations.
The Year 10 and 11 scheme of work is dictated by the module content and the department uses the OCR textbooks as the main resource, though these are heavily supplemented by in house material.
Homework is set once a week and a booklet containing a series of exercises for each module is in the process of being developed to encourage responsibility for the student’s own progress.
FURTHER NOTES
The Department is committed to working together as a team to improve learning and is able to support new members of staff through an established coaching programme.
As part of our developing numeracy strategy, Mathematics teachers are working with Scientists and Technology teachers in developing STEM (Science Technology English Mathematics) in the lower school. These projects have the twin aim of developing both thinking skills and numeracy in science and technology contexts.
Further information about the Department can be obtained by contacting Chris Davie, Curriculum Leader, at the College.
CD/CN
January 2008
Every Child Matters
at
Birley Community College
In order to achieve their full potential children must feel safe and secure both with their peers and with the staff within the College. To ensure this desire translates into reality the College has
· A clear Behaviour Policy in which the class teacher is at the centre. With most of our students a ‘firm and friendly’ professional approach works effectively when it is in the context of well-managed classroom routines, appropriate work and clear consequences for poor or off task behaviour. In situations where a student is preventing the learning of others there is an ‘on call’ system in which a senior manager within the school will come and see the student and may remove him for that lesson. Where this happens, a home contact, by telephone or standardised letter, is made – usually by the class teacher, who has the responsibility of seeing the child to reintegrate them into their next lesson.
Where a student’s disruption is more persistent the appropriate support is through the curriculum team and its behaviour strategy. For the few students who are disruptive across a range of subjects their behaviour is often monitored and managed by Key Stage Standards Managers and Standards Learning Mentors. A few students who have significant ongoing behavioural needs are managed through a Personalised Learning Base where they spend some of their lessons.
· A clear Anti Bullying Policy in which disclosure of bullying or harassment is encouraged, both by the victim and by others who are aware of the situation. This includes a confidential e-mail system in which complaints are followed up. This policy is reinforced with all students through PSHE lessons and Assemblies and by providing vulnerable students with extra support at less structured times such as lunchtime and as individuals. Most incidents of bullying in the College are transient and often represent a ‘ falling out’ in which friends get involved. Persistent, premeditated and systematic bullying is rare – but where this occurs and the bully does not change their pattern of behaviour, exclusion and in some cases permanent exclusion, is used as a sanction. Children have a right to learn free of fear.
· A clear Child Protection Policy, which is led by experienced senior staff and Senior Learning Mentors and in which all staff are trained to identify signs of possible abuse and know the routes for referral. This also includes a ‘whistleblowing’ policy, which enables staff to report incidents of concern in confidence and know that they will be listened to.