Reducing the impact of poverty on educational attainment
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Information about the school
Mary Immaculate R.C. High School is an English medium, Catholic, 11-16 comprehensive school in the west of Cardiff. There are around 786 pupils on roll and the school admits pupils from a wide geographical area. Around 40% of pupils are eligible for free school meals. Around 11% of pupils have an additional learning need and a very few have a statement or Individual Development Plan (IDP). A majority of pupils come from a white British background, and many speak English as their first language. No pupils are fluent in Welsh. The headteacher has been in post since September 2014.
Culture of high expectations
Leaders use their Catholic mission to take a strategic and comprehensive approach to reducing the impact of poverty on pupils’ attainment, removing barriers to learning and developing resilience and aspiration in their learners. The school aims to develop a culture that never drops its standards but ensures pupils meet those standards with support. Leaders strive to ensure that this ethos runs through everything they do.
Over 70% of pupils have been eligible for free school meals (FSM) at some point. Given that, what the school offers and does is for everyone. They track pupils eligible for FSM but understand that deprivation impacts on many other pupils and families, therefore the support and challenge is for all and not focused on one particular group. Leaders use test data to set very ambitious academic targets for all, but high expectations run through everything – including behaviour, relationships and uniform (which the school provides for pupils if needed).
Curriculum and Learning
The school places a strong emphasis on providing a very broad curriculum and a wealth of enrichment experiences that broaden pupils’ horizons and give them access to opportunities that may not be available to them otherwise. The school runs a timetabled enrichment curriculum for Years 9-11 to support enhanced skills development. This always involves non-examined courses that enhance pupils’ wellbeing and includes activities such as sign language, gardening, first aid, textiles or cake decorating. In addition, ‘Academic Review’ sessions take place during tutor time. These involve a course around building ‘cultural capital’ by giving pupils a breadth of historical and ethical knowledge that enhances their characters and breadth of understanding of their world. Pupils also benefit from a wide range of extra-curricular trips and activities that support learning and provide opportunities to broaden their experiences and develop further skills. This offer includes sports clubs, arts and crafts, trips to businesses or retreats to local areas for outward-bound activities. Pupils can access an after school bus service which supports them attending extra curricular activities
The school captures all the experiences accessed by pupils via their ‘Horizons Programme’. This tracks the cultural, aspirational, transition and careers events to ensure that all pupils have comprehensive access to experiences that enhance their aspirations. The annual culture week builds on this, with a celebration of the diverse nature of the school community.
Removing the barriers to learning
The school’s emphasis on building positive relationships with pupils and their families and the provision for supporting the well-being of pupils is central to its approach to alleviating the impact of poverty. The school’s ‘Bridge’ facility for vulnerable pupils offers bespoke support for pupils to overcome any barriers to learning, whilst nurturing them in readiness for the real world, with the aim of improving their emotional and mental well-being. The ‘Bridge’ provides sanctuary as well as providing bespoke interventions which include bereavement and emotional regulation interventions. The team in the facility includes a number of Mental Health First Aiders that support individuals in a mentoring capacity. Well-being staff work closely and successfully with a range of outside agencies, such Local Authority Specialist Teams, Primary Mental Health Services, School Nurse, external School Counsellor, Social Services and Music Therapist. With an often large number of pupils in local authority care (LACE), the school has appointed a LACE champion to specifically support their needs, along with specific support for the many young carers in the school’s community.
The school’s team approach to safeguarding means that a range of staff are trained to a high level in safeguarding processes. This means that there is a strong shared understanding of the central importance of safeguarding.
The school runs its own canteen facility. Staff in the canteen know the pupils well. They ensure that they have a good diet in school and pupils who may face deprivation are targeted for support.