CATMOSE COLLEGE

Welcome to Catmose College, a college with awarm and friendly atmosphere where your childwill be supported to develop to his or her fullpotential, not only academically but personallyand socially. We want all of our students to havethe academic qualifications, personal skills andconfidence to take full advantage of theopportunities that await them upon leavingthe college. We value each individual student,nurturing their skills and talents, whilstcontinually providing them with new experiencesand challenges.

At Catmose College students are encouraged towork hard, take responsibility for their ownlearning and make the most of every opportunitythat our highly skilled staff are able to offer.This occurs within our calm and supportiveenvironment, based on mutual respect andan expectation of considerate behaviourtowards others.

To prospective students, I would say that CatmoseCollege is a college where the staff will get toknow you as an individual, with your own talentsand needs. We will have high expectations ofyou but will do everything that we can to supportyou to do well, both in lessons and in developingas an all-round person.

I am extremely proud of the Catmose Collegecommunity and would encourage you to visit sothat we can show you around and answer anyquestions that you may have.

Stuart WilliamsPrincipal

PRINCIPAL’S WELCOME

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OFSTED NOV 2008:'THE NEW PRINCIPAL IS PROVIDING OUTSTANDING LEADERSHIP.'

QUOTE FROM PARENT:‘THIS IS A SCHOOL I WOULD BE HAPPY TO RECOMMEND TO ANY PARENT.’

Left: Group portrait by VGCSE art students

OFSTED NOV 2008:'STUDENTS DEMONSTRATE EXCELLENT ATTITUDES AND ENJOY COLLEGE A GOOD DEAL’

‘THIS IS A GOOD SCHOOL, WITH SIGNIFICANT STRENGTHS IN THE WAY IT SUPPORTS THEEXCELLENT PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT AND WELL-BEING OF THE STUDENTS.’

The only people prouder of Catmose Collegestudents than us are our parents. Together weform an extended family, unwavering in ourdesire to develop the full potential of our students.

Students in year 7 are assigned a form tutor whowill look after them, ensure they are happy and bethe first point of contact between the college andparents throughout their five years with us. Wehave a dedicated team whose role is to supportand develop the partnership between college,students and parents.

These close links with home make sure that allCatmose College students are supported andcared for, ensuring they are able to enjoy theexcellent progress they make in their time at thecollege. We are pleased that OFSTED supportedour approach by rating the college asoutstanding for the way in which we promote ourstudents’ personal development and care.

Megan Foulkes, Year 7I like this college because I have finally felt that Ihave the confidence and the ability to achieve andit is all because of the facilities and opportunities atthe college and the teachers!

WORKING TOGETHER

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OFSTED NOV 2008:‘STUDENT BEHAVIOUR IS GOOD AND THEY ARE CONSIDERATE TO OTHERS. THEIRSPIRITUAL, MORAL AND CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT IS OUTSTANDING. THEY SUPPORTEACH OTHER EXTREMELY WELL AND FEEL SAFE.’

We value every member of the college equally.Whether a member of staff, student, parent orvisitor, all should receive the highest quality ofservice and respect. We recognise that no two ofus are the same, approaches should bepersonalised to reflect our individual strengthsand needs; 'equal value' does not mean we treateveryone the same.

We have the same high expectations of studentsas we expect of staff: to dress smartly, be themodel of civility, to have the highest aspirationsfor themselves and be respectful of each other.

It is the principle of 'equal value' that helpsour college to enjoy a happy, calm andpurposeful atmosphere.

Kieran Mackie, Year 7I really enjoy the sport at the college. There areloads of clubs and teams to get involved such asfootball, rugby, cricket and athletics and we havematches and competitions against other schools.

EQUAL VALUE

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OFSTED NOV 2008:'RESULTS FOR THE GCSE EXAMINATIONS IN 2008 WERE THE BEST EVER FOR THECOLLEGE. IN THE SPECIALIST SUBJECTS, PERFORMANCE WAS OUTSTANDING WITH 84%OF STUDENTS ACHIEVING A GRADE C OR ABOVE AND ONE QUARTER OF STUDENTSGAINING THE HIGHEST TWO GRADES.'

YEAR 11 STUDENT:‘THE BEST THING ABOUT CATMOSE IS OUR TEACHERS, THEY REALLY CARE ABOUT US,MAKE DIFFICULT IDEAS SEEM EASY AND IF WE HAVE A PROBLEM ARE NEVER TOO BUSYTO HELP’

Danny McKay, Year 8I’ve really enjoyed touring the primary schoolsplaying music in one of rock school’s bands. Thecollege encourages everyone to participate in theperforming arts and it’s great to play in front ofan audience.

OUTSTANDING PROGRESS

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Catmose College has an excellent reputation forexamination results - we have high expectations ofevery student and our individual supportprogrammes help ensure all students reach theirpotential. Our students at GCSE perform significantlybetter than the national average; the progress ourstudents make in English and mathematics places usin the top twenty five percent of schools nationally.

Our atmosphere although relaxed is purposeful,helping students to develop study habits that willensure they are successful now and prepared forwhatever goal they wish to pursue in the future. Eachstudent is encouraged to strive for personalexcellence whilst still enjoying a wide variety ofactivities available outside the classroom.

OFSTED NOV 2008:‘OUTSTANDING BENEFITS FOR ALL ASPECTS OF THE COLLEGE PROVISION COMETHROUGH THE SPECIALIST STATUS.’

‘THE GALLERY IS USED EXCEPTIONALLY WELL BY BOTH THE COLLEGE AND THE LOCALCOMMUNITY.’

As a college specialising in the visual arts we putcreativity at the heart of everything we do; webelieve that by nurturing creativity in our studentswe will enable them to be successful. All ourstudents complete an Arts course at GCSE level,many of them during year nine.

At key stage 3 we have constructed carefully acurriculum that introduces students to secondaryeducation, develops the skills to ensure theirsuccess as learners and in year nine, for studentswho are ready, introduces them to the rigour ofexternal GCSE examinations.

We believe that well informed students andparents are best placed to decide the coursesthey should study; at key stage 4 we construct ourcurriculum around the aspirations of our studentsand parents. This is why we offer YoungApprenticeships, applied courses and a full rangeof academic options. These routes are flexible,allowing students to personalise their experience,ensuring that, whatever their aspirations, they willhave the qualifications to be successful.

We work with an extensive range of partners toensure that the breadth of our offer is well beyondwhat could be reasonably expected in a collegeof our size whilst ensuring that all offer a highquality service.

Ashleigh Curtis, Year 8I enjoy the sport at the college because the staffare very enthusiastic and we do many differentsports. Some of the after school sports I take part inare netball and rounders. These are great teams tojoin, as the coaching is always helpful andeveryone is very friendly.

I also love expressing my feelings in art, anotherwell supported subject at the college. You get thechance to experiment with different materials anddifferent techniques.

CHALLENGE AND INSPIRE

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OFSTED NOV 2008:‘GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS HAVE SUITABLE OPPORTUNITIES TO DEVELOP THEIRABILITIES AND THOSE STUDENTS WHO NEED ADDITIONAL HELP ARE EXCEPTIONALLYWELL SERVED.’

'BOYS AND GIRLS PERFORM EQUALLY WELL AS DO THOSE STUDENTS WHO NEEDADDITIONAL HELP WITH THEIR LEARNING.'

The individual is at the heart of Catmose College.We adopt a highly personalised approach inconsidering each particular student’s learning,pastoral and extra-curricular needs. All staff arehighly trained in working with students whorequire a personalised approach, whether this isbecause they find certain aspects of learningmore challenging or because they are particularlyable or talented. In addition, the college’selectives programme provides an excellentopportunity for students to develop their skills in arange of extra-curricular areas or, simply, to trysomething new. We are proud to be an inclusivecollege in which the progress, achievement andwell-being of all students is central to everythingthat we do: our success has resulted in an‘exceptional’ judgement from OFSTED.

Lewis Atton, Year 9I have now been a student at Catmose for 3 years.In those 3 years I have improved in all subjectsthanks to the teachers’ constant support. I havetaken part in the Duke of Edinburgh AwardScheme. I am also in the college rugby team andtake part in matches against other schools. I alsoplay the saxophone and have performed in theChristmas concert at Oakham Church. I eagerlylook forward to the new college as it will benefit notonly myself but students in the future.

INDIVIDUAL SUPPORT

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OFSTED NOV 2008:‘THERE IS A GOOD CURRICULUM, WHICH IS BROAD AND BALANCED BY ANOUTSTANDING NUMBER OF SUPPLEMENTED ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES COVERINGSPORTING, ARTISTIC AND MUSICAL OPPORTUNITIES.’

‘THE REGULAR MUSIC AND DRAMA PRODUCTIONS ARE MUCH VALUED BY THE LOCALCOMMUNITY AND ABROAD.’

With a full programme of sport, music, drama,creative arts and over eighty 'electives' to choosefrom, there is something for everyone at CatmoseCollege. We challenge our students to take onnew activities, develop leadership skills, discovernew talents and care for one another. Our'house' structure will introduce new friends fromacross the college and allow participation infriendly competition.

Do you want to excel in sports? Join one of themany teams available or our ski trip or tourSpain playing netball. Learn a language? Takepart in our German exchange. A buddingperformer? Audition for a part in our musical or

join our performing arts tour to Austria. Developyour debating skills? Join Youth Speaks. Love theoutdoors? Join the Duke of Edinburgh Award.See yourself as a future leader? Apply for oursports and dance leader awards. A musicaltalent? Learn an instrument, join our orchestra,choir or one of our ensemble groups.

We believe in developing students capable notonly of passing examinations but also able tothrive in the competitive university and jobmarket they will encounter after leaving us.

BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

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Leanne Murphy, Year 9Catmose College offers fantastic opportunities toget involved in a variety of things such as sportsday, dance shows (Spotlight on Dance), and afterschool activities. I personally have a love for sportand the collage really gives me a chance to showhow enthusiastic I am about it, with all the differenttypes of activities it provides. As this is an artscollege the art in the college is fantastic.Wheneverthere is a new exhibition in the gallery we alwaysget to go and have a look. In our lesson we havehad a visit from an artist, Paul Wright, to give usinspiration. And finally the drama in the college isso amazing! So far since I have been in the collegeI have done three productions: The Tempest,Joseph, and just recently Grease which was anamazing experience.

The new college will provide for our students oneof the most exciting learning spaces in thecountry. The Commission for Architecture and theBuilt Environment rated the school as Good, oneof only three published new schools designs to begiven such a high rating and said that the“proposed Big Build has the potential to becomean exemplar education building”.

Our new building has all the key aspects of a21st century learning environment: flexiblelearning spaces, the use of circulation space forlearning, a comfortable working environment,ICT deployed throughout the building and spacesthat allow large groups of students and staff towork together.

We all learn in different ways and our newcollege will be flexible enough to adapt to theneeds of our students and the work they arecarrying out.

We will have use of state-of-the-art sports facilitiesincluding an eight court sports hall, fitness suite,dance studio, swimming pool, Astro Pitch and aflood lit gaming area.

The building will be fitted out to a standardbefitting its pathfinder status; truly an inspirationallearning environment.

AN INSPIRATIONAL ENVIRONMENT

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Foong Yee Cheung, Year 10I am really happy to be a part of this college. It hasgiven many students great opportunities and hashelped develop many students into mature, youngadults. The teaching staff are very professional andoffer a lot of support. They have helped mebecome more confident and encouraged me towork hard in order to achieve my potential.

”WE VALUE EACH INDIVIDUAL STUDENT,NURTURING THEIR SKILLS AND TALENTS, WHILSTCONTINUALLY PROVIDING THEM WITH NEWEXPERIENCES AND CHALLENGES”

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Thomas Goodliffe, Year 10I have been at the college for 4 years now and Ihave loved every minute of it; not just because ofmy friends but because of all the opportunities andinterest I have for the college. As deputy head boyI feel privileged to have played such a big part inthe college and I will be sad to leave such abrilliant school.

Catmose CollegeCold Overton RoadOakham, Rutland, LE15 6NU

01572 722286office@catmosecollege.comwww.catmosecollege.com

Principal: Stuart Williams