GOLDEN HILLOCK SCHOOLBuilding futures through learning together

“Learning is placed at the heart of the school.” Ofsted 2011

Welcome to Golden Hillock

At Golden Hillock School, we work to build and sustain acommunity which loves learning, promotes and celebratesachievement, and cares for and respects all of its members.

Staff and Governors are committed to providing a high qualityof education for our students. Like parents, we want the verybest for children, because of this we insist on high standardsof work and behaviour. We work closely with parents to seethat this is maintained.

Our school has been serving the community of Sparkhill since1910. In our community there are many different cultures,many languages are spoken here and people live and worshipin different ways. We celebrate this variety, and are proud tosee this reflected in our school.

This prospectus can only tell you a little about Golden Hillockso; we warmly invite you to visit us to see for yourself how weare:

‘Building futures through learning together’

Matthew Scarrott

About Us

We are a mixed 11 – 16 community school serving thecommunity of Sparkhill, three miles South-East ofBirmingham city centre. We admit six forms of entry eachyear, giving a total roll of about 875 students.

All school buildings are on one site, enabling us to provide asafe, secure environment. We have provision for disabled ordelicate children; lifts and ramps provide full access to allfacilities.

At Golden Hillock, we are ‘Learning Together’. Teaching andsupport staff are committed to raising children’s levels ofattainment. We work closely with parents, local schools,colleges and the wider community to ensure that GoldenHillock students grow up feeling proud of their school, theircommunity and their cultural traditions.

“Students are proud of theirschool and they say, we are

like a family.’’ Ofsted 2011

Learning Together

‘Learning Together’ is at the centre of what we believe atGolden Hillock School. It is an ever-growing partnershipbetween parent, child and the school. It is supported by goodand outstanding teaching. Our aim at Golden Hillock is thatlearners:

• Feel valued• Are independent• Collaborate• Are active• Are confident and willing to take risks• Have choices about their learning• Aspire and achieve • Have fun!

Vertical Tutor System

On arrival at Golden Hillock School all students are placed intoa vertical tutor group. This is a group of twenty studentsmade up from students across all five year groups. The vertical group meet every day with their tutor for twentyminutes.

The Vertical Tutor is the person who monitors individual well-being and progress. They act as a link between home andschool; this is the person, alongside the Pastoral Year Leader,that most parents speak to about their child’s attainment andattendance throughout their school career.

“It was apleasure to meet

confident andhopeful students

keen to makea difference in

their communitesand society.”

Healthy Living

At Golden Hillock we place a particular emphasis on students’physical, social, and emotional well-being. Some examples ofhow we do this are:

• Extensive enrichment programme with an emphasis uponphysical activity sessions before school, lunch time, andafter school;

• Encourage students to drink water throughout the day;water is provided free of charge in the canteen and availablefrom water fountains situated around school;

• Healthy eating options in the school canteen;• Comprehensive Personal, Social, and Health Education forall students.

Attendance

We insist on good attendance and punctuality. If students arenot in their lessons, they cannot achieve. We work hard withparents to ensure students are both in school and on time.We have a clear policy of contacting home on a first dayabsence. Following Local Authority guidance, holidays abroadare not permitted during the school term, other than inexceptional circumstances.

Behaviour

Visitors to Golden Hillock School often praise our students’courteous, helpful and friendly attributes. We have highexpectations of standards of behaviour and discipline. Inorder to maintain that, it is essential we work closely with andhave the support of parents. Parents are asked to sign ahome-school contract with the school which commits us all tomaintaining these high standards. Our Pastoral Team helpsstudents with their behaviour giving them the confidenceand strategies for making appropriate decisions. Positivebehaviour, achievement and success is praised, rewarded andcelebrated in a variety of ways. We have a Pastoral YearLeader for each year group. The Year Leader will supportyour child in their behaviour, attendance and achievement.

Student Leadership

All students are encouraged to participate in positions ofresponsibility e.g. School Council member, Prefect, SchoolAmbassadors. Our School Council is elected through ourhouse system. The School Council is active in the continuingdevelopment of our school and enables students to voice theirideas and to be included in consultations. Students also haveopportunities to voice their opinions in a number of waysincluding questionnaires.

“Golden Hillock Community School is one of the best schoolsin the country at outperforming expectations for their pupils

and improving their future prospects.” SSAT 2012

The Curriculum

We seek to provide a relevant, exciting curriculum appropriatefor all of our students’ needs. We particularly pride ourselveson the following:

• Personalised learning pathways planned to suit individualneeds with a wide range of accreditation availablethroughout key stage 3 and 4;

• Longer lessons enable our students to experience deeperlearning; students have three periods a day of 100 minuteseach;

• We comply with all aspects of the National Curriculum;• Extensive opportunities available for off-site visits linked toall learning areas.

Homework

Home learning is an important part of every student’seducation. At the beginning of every year a timetable isprovided for each student. This provides a guide to thequantity, quality and frequency of the learning that a child isexpected to complete at home. Students are issued with aplanner that helps students to organise their home learningand which helps parents and the school to monitor thework. Parents are also given a guide which offers subjectinformation and suggestions for how families can supporttheir child’s learning at home.

“Promoting a love oflearning - celebratingachievement and success.”

Enrichment

Participation in a wide range of enrichment activities is a vitalpart of a child’s education and one we value greatly.

Our Enrichment Programme

This includes a ‘Golden Welcome’ residential trip for all Year 7s with additional residential opportunities availablethroughout their school career. Recent visits have been toWales, Brighton, Devon, Italy, and South Africa.

Extensive opportunities for all year groups to participate inoff-site visits linked to the curriculum.

Before school, after school, weekend and holiday study groupsand activities.

Inclusion

At Golden Hillock School, we take great pride in ensuring thatwe meet the needs of all our students. The school is fullyaccessible for students with mobility needs.

Facilities include lifts, ramps, automated doors and disabledtoilets. All school activities, including extra-curricularopportunities, are inclusive. These may be adapted to meetindividual needs when appropriate.

“Self respect, respect for others, pride in our school and our community.”

Working in Partnership

We all know that children are better able to meet their full potential when school andfamilies work closely together. We also work with a variety of agencies to support theschool and families in achieving this aim of ensuring the well-being and success of ourstudents.

Parents

We know that the education of children is a partnership between school and home andis integral to realising our ambition to raise the attainment, achievement, and aspirationsof every learner in Golden Hillock School.

We communicate with parents in a number of formal and informal ways. Parents arealways welcome to contact school, at any time, as issues arise and arrangements for anappointment can be made through the general office. We have bi-lingual staff to assistwith translation if required.

Every child also has a Home-School Diary which can be used for communications and ischecked regularly by the staff. We encourage parents to use this facility. Parents arekept in touch with events in school through regular newsletters which are sent homeand are also posted on our website. We also send reminders of important dates, suchas Parents’ Evening, by letter and by text.

We hold two evenings each year for parents to meet with teachers to discuss their child’sprogress and performance. At this time we also ask parents to tell us about their viewsof the school through a questionnaire. Parents can view on-line live data about theirchild such as attendance, punctuality and academic performance.

Lunches

We run a cashless schools meals system for all who choose toeat at Golden Hillock School. This allows the students to pre-pay into their own account. Students entitled to free schoolmeals have their accounts automatically credited on a dailybasis.

All children who wish to go home for dinner are issued with aLunch Pass that has their photo and name on. This onlyallows registered home dinner students to leave the site atlunch time.

Uniform

The school has a formal uniform code. We believe thatchildren who wear a clearly defined uniform are proud ofthemselves and of the school. It also shows that students areprepared for learning.

Our Vision

To build and sustain a community which loves learning,

Promotes and celebrates achievement,

Cares for and respects all its members,

Promotes health, well-being and creativity,

And collaborates with others to achieve shared goals.

At Golden Hillock, we create a community where we are all…

‘Building futures through learning together’

Golden Hillock School

Golden Hillock Road

Sparkhill

Birmingham

B11 2QG

Tel: 0121 773 8156

Fax: 0121 773 8159

Email: enquiry@goldenhillock.bham.sch.uk

Web: www.goldenhillock.bham.sch.uk

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