The Middle School Team

Head of Middle School 1/Assistant Principal – Miss C McGarrigle

Head of Middle School 2/Assistant Principal – Mr Hilditch

Key Stage Leader for Middle School 1 – Mrs R Williams

Key Stage Leader for Middle School 2 – Mrs K Mason

Pastoral Support Worker – Mrs D Boucher

Pastoral Support Worker – Mr Z Grice

Safeguarding/Early Help Support – Miss T Fallon

Middle School 1

Middle School 1 (Year 9) is the first academic year of study in the Middle School. Students have had two years to settle into the Academy at this point, having completed the Lower School. By now students have started to establish what their interests are and have a clear understanding of their subject strengths and areas for development – these will be developed and built upon over the coming year.

Middle School 1 is a vital year – students will prepare for GCSE and vocational study in Middle School 2, Upper School and beyond. Students continue to receive a vast amount of opportunities to support them in reaching their full potential. All students are encouraged to engage in intervention projects and curriculum extra activities to support their academic and personal development.

Students complete a programme of activities during House Tutor time each day. These activities support personal development and develop student well-being, careers and aspirations, life skills, citizenship and knowledge of Catholic Life.

During Middle School 1, students will continue to demonstrate the Academy’s ethos, and will learn and grow with the love of Christ at the forefront, in an environment where Gospel values are implicit to expectations and achievement. Students will be provided with every opportunity to develop their moral compass and reflect on how they can demonstrate these values in everyday life. By doing this, the Academy community will work together to live by our mission statement – ‘Together we will emulate the love of Christ and become the people God created us to be’.

Middle School 2

The aim of Middle School 2 is to ensure that all students succeed and have the correct focus to help them develop in to confident and resilient students who have the skills to excel in the Upper School and in life. When a student understands themselves fully it helps them to make better decisions on what they will pursue as a career. In Year 10 we focus on key employment skills, like how to construct a CV, interview technique and work experience. Career wise, the focus is on which of the five routes at the end of year 11 students will follow and what they need to do to be ready to engage in these routes and being work ready. Students receive visits from numerous employers to talk about different career journeys and a pastoral team that is second to none, ensuring that every students time in Middle School 2 is time well spent.

The Middle School 1 offices are situated on the main corridor, opposite the Maths classrooms (Mrs Williams and the other Middle School 1 staff can be found here).

The Middle School 2 office is situated by the Dining Hall (Mrs Mason, Mr Grice and Mrs Boucher can be found here).

Middle School Vision

When you get your ‘Who am I?’ question right, all of your ‘What should I do?’ questions tend to take care of themselves – Richard Rohr

The Middle School vision is to:

Develop young minds

Encourage students who know who they are and where they are going in the future

Develop numerate, literate, well behaved, polite students, who are prepared and equipped for the challenges of Upper School and beyond

 

Intervention Activities

Below is a list of some of the intervention activities on offer to Middle School students:

Maths Mentor

English Mentor

Science Mentor

Peer Mentors – 1 to 1 support

Academic Mentors

Progress Review Meetings

HA Projects

University Projects

Curriculum Extra

Sports clubs and representative teams

Active Mind

Huggle Pets

Barnado’s Counselling

Hair and Beauty/Athlete Mentor

Sports Leadership

Student Council

Sailing Visit

Mock Interviews

Work Experience

Sports College Inclusion Programmes

Careers Workshops and Events

Visiting Speakers

Right Choices Intervention

Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

Thrive interventions – supporting students SEMH

St Joseph Centre interventions – supporting students with their SEND needs

 

Curriculum

Middle School 1

All students study the following (1.25 hours per week):

  • English Language 1
  • English Literature 2
  • Maths 3
  • Science 4
  • RE 2
  • PE 2
  • History 1
  • Geography 1
  • Media/ICT/Computing/ Enterprise 1
  • Wellness (SMSCV, Careers guidance, Life in Modern Britain and RSHE) 1.25 equivalent
  • Spanish or French 1

Rotation subjects (8 weeks rotation) 1

  • Drama
  • Food
  • Additional Spanish or French
  • Music

Option 2 lessons (student select one of the following):

  • Introduction to Health and Social
  • Introduction to Sociology
  • Introduction to Sport
  • Introduction to Drama
  • Introduction to Dance

Middle School 2

Students study core subjects:

  • English Language 1
  • English Literature 2
  • Maths 3
  • Science 4
  • RE 2
  • PE 2
  • Wellness (SMSCV, Careers guidance, Life in Modern Britain and RSHE) 1.25 equivalent

​Students choose 3 options from the Open Option Subjects:

  • GCSE Computer Science
  • GCSE History
  • GCSE Geography
  • GCSE Spanish
  • GCSE French
  • BTEC Level 2 Tech Award in Health and Social Care
  • BTEC Level 2 Tech Award in Sport
  • BTEC Level 2 Tech Award in Art and Design
  • BTEC Level 2 Tech Award in Performing Arts (Dance)
  • BTEC Level 2 Tech Award in Performing Arts (Drama)
  • BTEC Level 2 Tech Award in Enterprise
  • BTEC Level 2 Tech Award in Creative Media Production