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Context

It is more important than ever that schools have a clear vision for the future. The responsibility of preparing the next generation with the knowledge, skills, sense of morality and spiritual awareness to take up the challenges of the new Millennium is awesome.

At Driffield School we are aiming for continuous improvement and to do even more effectively what we already do well. We believe in a climate of educational innovation whilst being conscious of the pressures upon staff, who remain our most important and valuable resource.

This document contains the achievement targets for the 2002 to 2005 cohorts at Driffield School, in the format in which we are legally required to publish them. More importantly, it clearly provides a context under which they will be achieved. We believe it to be unique.

We are already an excellent school. Together, we will become an outstanding school.

Aims:

Our core function is to provide the highest possible quality of teaching and learning for all students of all abilities in all areas of the curriculum to maximise the potential of every student.

We aim to build a school where the talent of the teacher and the power of information technology combine with the excitement of the developing mind in empowering the teacher and student to improve educational outcomes.

Our aim should always be to improve against our previous best at individual, team and whole school levels. This includes all partners to the educational process at Driffield School - students, staff, parents, governors and the community. We must all have high expectations of ourselves and of everyone around us.

Finally, we recognise that our school is part of a wider educational community and that we all never stop learning. We are committed to working positively with all our primary schools to ensure appropriate progression and in partnership with other providers at secondary, further and higher levels of education. We are a learning community, committed to lifelong learning.

In specific terms this means that by the time they leave Driffield School every student should :

Have striven to fulfil his or her highest potential, whatever that may be and in whatever areas.

Be equipped to succeed in further and higher education, training or employment.

Understand the importance of community and be prepared for responsible citizenship

Have become an autonomous learner with a desire for and love of learning.

Have high self-esteem and have a confidence in his or her own identity.

Have a pride in his or her achievements and in Driffield School.

Have an awareness of the context of Britain within a European and World Community, with all the challenges and opportunities which this offers.

To support the achievement of these aims, staff at Driffield School should :

Have an entitlement to professional support, development and guidance.

Have unfailingly high expectations of students and of themselves.

Have their professional skills and expertise recognised and valued.

Have their achievements and contributions celebrated

To support the achievement of these aims, governors at Driffield School should :

Seek to provide an operational framework that places maximum support and resources on the teaching and learning process in the classroom.

Campaign for additional resources and support for Driffield School externally as appropriate.

Seek to invest in people as our most valuable resource.

To support the achievement of these aims, parents at Driffield School should :

Have high expectations of their child(ren) and of Driffield School.

Support the educational process through encouraging homework, attending Parents’ Evenings, ensuring that their child(ren) arrive at school equipped to learn and maximise attendance.

Seek to work in partnership with the school for the benefit of students and the wider community, signing the Driffield Home School Agreement.

Be given opportunities to become involved more fully in school life via the “Driffield School Association”.

The “Driffield Guarantee”:

To support the fulfillment of these aims, Driffield School guarantees the following :

Every student has an entitlement to expect, in addition to a broad, balanced and appropriately differentiated curriculum :

Targets of process or experience:

By the end of Key Stage 3 every student will have had the opportunity to:

• Access and utilise the ICT Network.
• Undertake induction to the Learning Resource Centre
• Develop appropriate study skills
• Identify their own preferred learning style(s).
• Participate in outdoor education at Spiers Bank
• Start their Record of Achievement.
• Participate in a performing arts production
• Participate in enriched expressive and creative arts
• Participate in a sports team or coaching
• Experience a European culture through MFL
• Participate in the Student Council
• Become involved in charitable fundraising
• Develop historical and contemporary awareness

By the end of Key Stage 4 every student will have had the opportunity to:

• Participate in a programme of work experience
and Careers Education.
• Participate in a tracking and mentoring scheme
• Prepare for post-16 transition.
• Fully complete a National RoAE.

By the end of post-compulsory study every student will have had the opportunity to:

• Develop the study skills and autonomous learning expertise required to succeed in higher education
• Have received specialist guidance on the range of choices at the end of year 12 and / or year 13 and made an informed choice

Students with special educational needs will have equal access to these experiences although the timing and detailed nature of them may vary according to individual need.

Targets of outcome:

Every student will have an annual entitlement to a progress audit and individual progress interview.

Every student will be given the opportunity to develop self-generated individual progress targets in every subject on an annual basis.

Every student will be given the opportunity to benefit from progress tracking throughout Key Stage 4.

Every student should produce an accredited Record of Achievement.

A framework for achievement at Driffield School: The 8 C’s:

To support every student in reaching his or her maximum potential, Driffield School will seek to develop in every student:

Communication Literacy:

• Including oral, aural, reading, writing and presentational skills.

Computational Literacy:

• Including numeracy and use of appropriate tools to aid computation.

Computer Literacy:

• As a core skill to enable the use of ICT as a tool in all areas of learning and as a production vehicle for student work.

Collaborative Skills:

• Including working in pairs and in a variety of team situations, taking on appropriate roles; community involvement, citizenship and caring skills.

Coping Skills:

• Including study, research, time management and social skills, investigating skills, decision-making and problem-solving skills.

Creative Skills:

• Including work in the arts, the development of aesthetic awareness and opportunities for sporting activities.

Careers Entitlement:

• The development of career awareness throughout the five years at Driffield School with the best advice on destinations on leaving and preparation for future change and development.

Citizenship & Responsibility:

• An understanding of the nature, responsibility and obligations of responsible citizenship and a sense of value and respect towards one another, the community and environment locally, nationally and internationally.

Student Achievement Targets for Driffield School:

These whole school targets involve the maximisation of the potential of every student in the year group. In specific terms, and in compliance with the legislative requirements placed upon us, they are as follows:

Five or more GCSE grades A* - C :

• On the basis of existing evidence, prior attainment, testing and assessment, the specific year-group targets for 5 + A* - C grades
at GCSE at Driffield School are as follows:

2002 cohort : 56 %

2003 cohort : 60 %

2004 cohort : 65%

2005 cohort : 70%

Five or more passes at GCSE grades A* - G:

• Given attendance and completion of required coursework:

2002 cohort : 95 %

2003 cohort : 95 %

2004 cohort : 97%

2005 cohort : 98%

Total points score at GCSE:

2002 cohort : 42.0 points

2003 cohort : 44.0 points

2004 cohort : 44.5 points

2005 cohort : 45.0 points

These targets represent ambitious and challenging outcomes for the identified cohorts but we believe that there is sufficient talent within all partners in the teaching and learning community at Driffield School to achieve these results. Success implies teachers, learners, parents, governors and LEA Officers working together and in unison.