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Chipping Sodbury School is a growing, successful mixed comprehensive school. It is situated on the southern outskirts of the medieval market town of Chipping Sodbury, on the southern edge of the Cotswolds. It attracts pupils from Chipping Sodbury, Yate and the surrounding villages.
Governors are very supportive of the school and take interest in school activities. Each governor is linked with a Faculty and most are members of at least one committee. Parents are similarly supportive, there being an active Parent Teacher Association.
In February 2003 the school was designated as a Specialist Technology College from September 2003 under the Government’s Specialist School programme.
Chipping Sodbury School is proud to be the result of centuries of development in this ancient market town. The present school has its roots in the Endowed School founded in the Middle Ages to provide free education for the townsmen. In 1938 Chipping Sodbury Grammar School as it was then, moved to its present site. It has been a comprehensive school since 1970.
Currently the school serves Chipping Sodbury, Yate and surrounding villages. In 2003 the school was designated specialist status as a Technology College. Committed to Care and high standards we, aim to offer an education to prepare young people for citizenship, employment and further education both in the local community and beyond.
The school works very closely with its community in many ways. Our Technology College status allows us to support adult and community learning programmes for different groups in the local community. The quality of the school’s community links was recognised by the recent achievement of the nationally recognised School’s Curriculum Award.
We have close links with local employers through our extensive work experience programme as well as support from local businesses and organisations for our World of Work project and other curriculum projects in individual subject areas.
The school contributes to community life in various ways such as our support for the Chipping Sodbury Festival and the Victorian Evening. We are well supported by Chipping Sodbury Rotary Club and the Lions Club of Chipping Sodbury. Local firms, in particular Rexam plc have supported our successful designation as a Technology College.
The school is a short drive from the cities of Bath and Bristol. It is easily accessible from the M4/M5 motorway network. Exmoor, Dartmoor, South Wales and the Forest of Dean are all within easy reach.
Teaching is organised in the faculties of English, Mathematics, Science, Modern Foreign Languages, Humanities, Expressive Arts, Design Technology and Physical Education. These areas are further supported by Co-ordinators of ICT, Learning Support, Literacy and Numeracy.
As well as regular faculty and subject meetings, a voluntary group with a focus on Teaching and Learning issues meets regularly, as well as groups dealing specifically with Literacy, ICT, Special Educational Needs and Staff Development.
We have high expectations for the quality of teaching. This is the main focus of our performance management system, our professional development activities and our school self-evaluation processes.
Sixth Form teaching is provided through a joint arrangement, The Yate-Sodbury Link, with our two neighbouring secondary schools. This offers opportunities to work closely with colleagues from other schools and ensures a wide range of courses are offered post-16.
The School makes extensive use of pupil data to set targets for individuals, groups and whole year cohorts.
Pupil care and guidance is dealt with through a Year System, each team of tutors being led by a Head of Year. All teachers are either a tutor or attached to a year group in a supportive role. The guidance programme is supported by the co-ordinators of P.S.E. and Careers working with Heads of Year and tutors.
There are 74 teachers with a mix of new and experienced staff at the School. Teachers are supported by other dedicated staff including office staff, teaching assistants, librarian, caretakers, lunchtime supervisors, technicians and cleaners. The School has Investors in People status.
The Governing Body has a well developed committee structure which plays an important role in policy development and review. The School works to a long term Strategic Plan, supported by a bi-annual planning process which involves staff and governors in its inception, development, monitoring and evaluation.
These play a large and central part in the life of the School. There is a wide range of competitive and leisure sports. The School enters teams for the annual Ten Tors competition. There are strong and developing links with the local community eg the School Orchestra recently played a fund raising concert for the parish church of St John’s. Business links are very good, with support from the Chipping Sodbury Rotary Club, the Lions Club and other individual organisations. There are regular trips abroad eg the Sixth Form visit Italy and Year Eight visit Boulogne.
In the Summer Term, the timetable is collapsed for a week of the Year Ten Work Experience (two weeks) to allow a series of further activities to take place, including residential and camping opportunities.
The extra curricular and community links were recognised by our recent School’s Curriculum Award.
Faculties are located in their own suites of rooms. Significant improvements in accommodation have taken place recently and more are planned! The Main Building is subject to a window replacement programme and an ongoing process of re-decoration and refurbishment of classrooms. New Art and Music facilities have recently been developed; Food and Textiles Technology rooms have been refurbished to a high standard.
A £2.3 million building programme to replace our existing Science accommodation with eight laboratories, preparation room, ICT suite and offices in single storey purpose built accommodation and also further develop facilities in Design Technology, Art and ICT is currently under way.
There are currently two main ICT suites. These will be supplemented in the near future with ICT developments in a number of faculty areas. The School has a well-resourced Library, with Internet access, staffed by a full-time Librarian. The Library is also due for refurbishment with ICT developments.
The school has an ancient foundation, first mentioned in 1638, when the sum of twenty pounds was donated from charitable funds for the free education of townsmen’s children. Generous support is still given by the Chipping Sodbury Endowed School Foundation and, as a result, the school has Voluntary Controlled status. The present site was first used in 1938, though since then numerous adaptations have been made as the nature of the school and its curriculum have changed.
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