About Us
Castleford High School is a nine-form entry 11-16 over-subscribed mixed comprehensive of nearly 1,300 pupils. We are a designated Technology College offering a broad and balanced curriculum. We are firmly committed to establishing first class standards and are proud of our achievements. Our expectations are high and this is reflected in our successful academic record.
We offer at Castleford a safe, secure learning environment within which pupils can develop their potential.
“Pupils behave well in lessons and around school”.
(Extracts from Ofsted Report February 2006). |
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The Form Tutor and Head of Year play a key role in the education of our pupils and are the first point of contact with the school and will remain so throughout the five years with us.
We are inclusive, providing a first class education whatever the talents and needs pupils bring to us. Once again Ofsted was fulsome in its praise for the way we personalise our curriculum. “The needs of individual pupils are carefully considered by the school, and parents and carers are fully involved in helping their children make progress”. We are also the Local Authority’s central resource for secondary pupils who are either deaf or have hearing impairment and have just opened (April 2006) a purpose built resource base for these pupils for the times they are not in mainstream classes.
Ofsted recognised the quality of our curriculum provision in terms of the choice and challenge it presents pupils with. in terms of facilities, the school has twenty-one Science and Technology specialist rooms. There are almost 500 PCs in use throughout the school, including six fully networked rooms, and two mini IT laboratories. The whole school is networked using fibre optic cabling and interactive whiteboards are used in every subject area.
The school achieved Technology College status from September 1997. This award reflects the hard work and progress over the previous four years in placing technology at the heart of the school’s development. The school is now in its tenth year of delivering a detailed development plan, which, while concentrating on Maths, Science and Technology, will see technology supporting learning throughout the school.
Developments within Technology include:
- Bridging Projects with a number of our junior schools
- Strong curriculum links with industry and community.
- Successful involvement in national technology competitions (e.g. Rover Challenge).
- Technology Faculty played a leading role in an ongoing manufacturing project with Denfords of Brighouse.
- Center of Excellence for the use of Interactive Whiteboards
- Piloting the extensive use of Open and Interactive Learning Systems
- Electronic reporting and registration systems.
The school has received recognition for its progress and development in the last few years:
* 2007 Redesignation as Technology and Sports college
* 2006 Ofsted Report (www.ofsted.gov.ik)
* 2005 Sports mark Award
* 2004 Arts Mark Silver Award
* Quality Standard for Work Experience
* 2002 School Achievement Award
* 2001 School Achievement Award
* 2001 Membership of the top 50 most improved Technology College nationally.
* 2001 Arts Mark Award
* 2000 Ofsted Report
* 1998 Sports Mark Award
* 1997 Technology College Status (second phase 2000)
* 1996 Introduction of Part One GNVQ courses
* 1995 Investor in People Award
* 1990 Schools Curriculum Award
The school has had two major building programmes. In 1996 we enhanced provision to Science and Technology through the Specialist Schools Initiative and invested in a new floodlit astro turf pitch. More recently in 2002 we added a purpose built drama suite, music rooms, new playground, an additional Food Technology room and further classrooms. 2003 saw the addition of new changing rooms to service the astro turf facility, two new ICT rooms and additions to the staff facilities which all reflect the expanding nature of the school which is in turn a response to improved pupil performance and a growing reputation for excellence. During 2004 a state-of-the-art “Learning center” designed to accommodate 90 pupils at any one time was added to the provision. This allows us to keep the use of the staff non-contact time for cover to an absolute minimum while providing first class IT based experiences for pupils. A recently introduced multi-gym fitness suite has been used extensively by both staff and students. 2007 will see a complete remodeling of the school entrance with the creation of a staff and parents entrance only on Ferrybridge Road while in 2008 the school will open a new sports hall which will be created to replace the one destroyed by fire.
Our pupil attendance is above the national average reflecting the pupils’ enjoyment and enthusiasm for school life. This is further reflected in the high level of participation in extra curricula activities, which cover sports, music, drama and various academic subjects.