Open Evening Letter

Dear Parent / Carer

Mr Hayer

At The Radclyffe School our aim is to provide the widest educational opportunity for all our students. This means extending and challenging our most able, and stretching our less able students in stunning, 'state of the art' facilities, at our brand new, single site school on Hunt Lane. Through what we call 'The Radclyffe Way', we use the dedication and talents of all our staff to enable each individual child to achieve personal excellence. 'The Radclyffe Way' is about saying to our students, "tell us about your dreams and we will help you fulfil them".

We want our flagship school to be a first class place of learning as well as a caring community, where children feel happy and secure, and where the emphasis is on high achievement. As a Specialist Technology College we see information technology as a key tool for learning, and for preparation for life in the wider world. We have over 800 computers available for student use. Many visitors have commented upon the purposeful and friendly working atmosphere within our school. We believe that this arises partly from the approachable style of staff and partly out of the firm but fair discipline which we try to maintain. The Radclyffe School exists to develop in students a passion for learning and our staff and Governors are committed to the concept of 'corporate excellence', where everyone is proud to belong to The Radclyffe School community. Our lessons are designed to be challenging, interactive and enjoyable.

The transfer to secondary school can be a worrying time, particularly the move to a very large building and the study of so many different subjects. We make this transition seamless through the excellent relationship which we have with our feeder primary schools. Moreover, our school is unique in pairing each child with a member of staff called their PLG (Personal Learning Guide) who will meet them regularly on a 1:1 basis. The fact that we keep the same PLG and Year Manager for each child during their whole time in school, means that children soon settle in and begin to feel at home.

We offer a wide variety of extra curricular activities at The Radclyffe School. We are keen to develop the interests and skills of all our students through a rich menu of activities including sport, societies and clubs, many of which take place out of school hours, including weekends. These range from team games to Gymnastics, Music, Dance and Drama. The Radclyffe School Sports Village is one of the leading sports complexes in the country and has been recently chosen as a training venue for the 2012 Olympics.

We rely on the support of parents – for instance in encouraging students to do homework – and we ask you to let us know if you have any concerns. In return we will keep you informed not just of any problems, but also of achievements. This partnership with parents to achieve high standards is summed up by our mission statement , "Working Together for Excellence".

If you decide to entrust us with your child's education, I am confident that your child will experience a first class education in a twenty-first century learning environment. Please come to our Open Evening on 7th October, and/or visit us during the course of a normal day and judge for yourself. The staff and I look forward to working with you in the months and years ahead to help your child to achieve their own personal excellence.

Yours sincerely

H S Hayer

Headteacher