School Profile
St Augustine's Catholic High School
Area: Redditch - Worcestershire
Specialisms: Maths and Technology, Science and Technology
Find out more: Ofsted Inspection Reports , DCFS Performance Tables , UpMyStreet
Our School is a Catholic School established by the Archdiocese of Birmingham in 1974 to provide an education for the children of Catholic families from the Redditch and Bromsgrove areas of Worcestershire. We presently have 869 students on roll with 230 students in our Sixth Form. Approximately 45% of our students are Catholic whilst 55% belong to other faith traditions.
As a Catholic School, we strive for personal and academic excellence for all students, have a rich prayer and liturgical life and a strong sense of community and service to others. We are very proud of our Chaplaincy Team, the pastoral care offered to students, the extra curricular opportunities we offer and our examination results. These compare very favourably with other schools both nationally and in the Local Authority. In 2011 our average A level point score per student was 984.8 with 54.5% of all grades achieved being A*/B Grades at A2 level. At GCSE 82.63% of students gained 5+ A* - C grades with 66.67% A*-C grades achieved including Maths and English. We are determined to improve our standards further whilst remembering to always focus on the development of the whole person.
Specialist School Status
We became a Specialist Science College in September 2006. This status helps us to drive further improvement in teaching and learning across the curriculum and in accommodation. The Canterbury Suite – a Mathematics Centre of Excellence opened in November 2007. This centre provides the Mathematics department with its own specialist teaching areas, equipped with the most up to date Technology and resources. It has also supported us in ensuring up to date and plentiful facilities in our ICT rooms.
Our Staff
In the last five years St Augustine’s has benefited from an injection of new teaching staff after a long period of stability. We have an excellent balance of youth and experience with strong induction programmes to support staff new to the school. We have also in the last 5 years increased the number of administrative and support staff who are available to help reduce the bureaucratic workload on teachers. We employ a number of Teaching Assistants who offer support in the classroom and help implement the Inclusion Agenda and two Learning Cover supervisors to enable teachers to devote time to planning and marking.
Our Curriculum
Our curriculum has evolved considerably in recent years. We anticipate further changes in the near future to meet new government initiatives, and to better provide for the needs of ALL of our students.
In Year 9 all students follow the same curriculum and are taught in teaching sets appropriate to their ability. All Year 9 students study ICT as a discrete subject.
In Key Stage 4 all students follow a core curriculum consisting of English (including English Literature), Maths, RE and Science. Students then have four option choices to make, currently from 17 subjects including 2 languages, 4 Applied GCSEs and 11 other GCSE courses. We also offer a life skills course based on the Asdan scheme and the Step Up Programme for a small number of students and a Level 1 and Level 2 Diploma in Engineering for students from our own school and others in the Forward Consortium. Schools in the Redditch and Bromsgrove area are members of this Consortium and liaise on curriculum delivery in subjects with small numbers.
In the 6th Form we currently offer over 30 advanced courses of which students study four in Year 12 and usually three in Year 13. These advanced courses presently include Applied A Levels and L3 BTEC courses.
All students also follow a course in General RE and all are entered for General Studies as an additional qualification. At present we do not offer intermediate level courses but we are currently investigating new opportunities in this area.
Student Support and Guidance
At St Augustine’s, the role of the Form Tutor is seen as integral to the success and personal, social, cultural and spiritual development of all students. Form Tutors and Heads of Year work closely with Heads of Department and Subject Teachers to monitor academic performance and to ensure personal and academic excellence for all our young people. Form Tutors also help deliver certain aspects of the Statutory Entitlement Curriculum and with their form support the prayer and liturgical life of the school. Support is given to students and staff both from the RE department and the Chaplaincy Team in this work.
The Inclusion Agenda
As a Catholic school the way we care for and value each individual student is core to our mission. It is therefore essential that we continue to provide inclusive education policies and practices at St Augustine’s. We are becoming more skilled in supporting students with Specific Learning Needs and currently are focusing on further providing for our gifted and talented young people. Our most able students perform well and their value added scores are consistently high.
Teaching and Learning
Good lessons are at the heart of what we do at St Augustine’s. We are totally committed to the highest quality of learning and teaching. To this end the school invests heavily in staff development and in technology. Student behaviour is generally good and we are fortunate to have committed parents and Governors. All staff are asked to claim responsibility for ensuring high standards in relation to teaching, learning and student behaviour.
‘St Augustine’s is a vibrant and dynamic Catholic school that provides a good education for its pupils….. The active involvement of the staff, governors and students in all aspects of the life and work of the school is impressive. Staff and students share a sense of purpose and are highly committed to the school’s values and its continued improvement. Students’ personal development is exceptionally strong, as is their care, guidance and support. Students display maturity and take responsibility for their exceptional behaviour in and around the school …. they are always extremely polite and eager to help. They speak proudly of their school and how staff are always available to help them both personally and academically’. Ofsted May 2009




