Cardinal Newman Catholic School, Hove is a highly successful Catholic co-educational comprehensive school with 2,200 students. The school draws from a very large geographical catchment of Brighton and Hove as well as East and West Sussex. We are passionate about learning and have a broad and balanced subject-based curriculum in all Key Stages. This encompasses rigorous core knowledge, subject-specific skills and extended research which inspire and extend our learners. We have been involved with The Prince’s Teaching Institute since 2009 and are engaged with both the Schools Leadership Programme and the Associate Department Scheme. 

The impact of The Prince’s Teaching Institute is clear - we believe in promoting growth within our staff and fostering a passion for subject knowledge. Many of our subject and curriculum leaders are working at a national level through The Prince’s Teaching Institute. They are involved with planning residentials; leading Subject Days for newly qualified teachers; mentoring other School’s Programme members; and delivering subject-based CPD days. The Prince’s Teaching Institute has allowed us to develop and share best practice with some of the best schools in the country; implement robust, engaging and enthusing schemes of work to our students; and offer a rich diversity of extra-curricular and super-curricular experiences for all learners. We aim to ensure that every student is exposed to the highest quality teaching and learning that we can provide. We believe this will ensure they reach their maximum potential and their very highest ambitions using their God-given talents.

With this in mind, we have a number of departments involved in a range of activities and action research projects through The PTI.

Leadership

At Senior Leadership level, the school has completed a three year project on reducing differentials between departments and is now working on ‘Narrowing the Gap’ between pupil premium and non-pupil premium students. Both projects have allowed expert national research to be undertaken as well as exciting collaborative work with other PTI schools.

Music

Our Music department has been involved in some fascinating and innovative work. Combining our mass orchestra and our choir, our students have performed songs based on ‘Wonder’ by R J Palacio at the Brighton Dome and have delivered musical productions such as ‘Little Shop of Horrors’, ‘Grease’ and ‘Billy Elliot’. The Music department has a growing extra-curricular programme that includes a Samba band; African drumming, ukulele and guitar club; brass, strings and jazz bands as well as multiple choirs. Other exciting performances included a combined choir and jazz performance as part of Soundcity 3. This will form part of the Brighton Festival Chorus where the world premier of 'Invictus' will be performed, a composition inspired by the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta.

Geography

In our Geography department teachers are working 'above and beyond' to mentor other national departments. They have been met with much success and have had articles published in leading Geography journals. The department, which has two 'Secondary Geography Teachers of the Year', has an exciting Key Stage 3 curriculum. It is now working to develop rich and invigorating schemes of work and assessment opportunities for both the 9-1 Eduqas GCSE and the Reformed AQA A Level. The department has university links with Sussex, Brighton and Manchester and engages with the wider Geography community. Currently, the department is promoting and developing fieldwork opportunities at all Key Stages using the school grounds, local urban areas as well as the South Downs and the Seven Sisters Country Park. At A Level, the department offers fieldwork days at Juniper Hall Field Studies Centre, Dorking as well as recent residential trips to Iceland, Naples and the Amalfi Coast. The department is very proud of its 84% (A*-C) attainment at GCSE in summer 2016; the strong levels of progress; the 100% (A*-B) at A Level in summer 2016 and the number of students applying to university for Geography degrees.

Art

Our Art department has put together some highly successful public exhibitions of students work for Key Stage 3, 4 and 5. This has included a public exhibition of students work at Worthing Museum as part of the collaboration between the South Downs National Park, Learning Through Landscapes and local galleries. They have grown their extra-curricular clubs to include GCSE art and photography club, manga club, stencil club, Key Stage 3 art club and Key Stage 3 clay club. There have been a number of fantastic curriculum developments such as Year 7 using a cross curricular scheme of work called 'Wonder', addressing issues surrounding facial disfigurement and challenging perceptions of beauty and self representation. They have enriched learning through various trips including a visit to the National Portrait Gallery; the Brighton Photo Biennial with a local photographer; and visiting the V and A as well as Tate Modern to explore themes within specific exhibitions including Horst P Horst.

Science

Our Science department has outreached to Sussex University; forming links with the Science ITE leads. They have also taken students in Years 9-13 to events related to Particle Physics, Forensic Science and a Biochemistry practical day, as well as the Subject Leader for Biology sitting on the Brighton Sussex Medical School Admissions Team. The PTI School’s Programme, CPD Days and Saturday Schools have allowed all Science teachers to re-engage with their subject specialisms, inspire their students and have a huge impact on results and engagement. We are now a flagship department in the city and we have taken the lead on many Science based projects and initiatives.

History

Our History department is at the forefront of the active learning agenda, creating engaging but rigorous schemes of work and assessment across Key Stage 3-5 in response to national changes. They have run a 3-year research project focusing on supporting and challenging gifted and talented students from their Year 11 studies into Year 13, as well as utilising the PTI's subject days to support NQT’s. The department has two ‘Lead practitioners’ and engages in outreach with other History departments in Brighton and beyond through a joint practice network. The History department offers a broad programme of activities including trips to the Tower of London (Tudor workshop), Imperial War Museum (Holocaust workshop) and Greenwich Maritime Museum (Transatlantic slavery workshop). They also offer residential trips to the Battlefields, Berlin and Russia. The department has built strong links with Sussex University’s History Faculty with guest lecturers visiting the school, as well as providing a highly stimulating Key Stage 4 workshop for First Generation Academics on WW1 in Brighton. Two Key Stage 5 students were also selected to be Holocaust Educational Trust Ambassadors and as part of their role, met with a Holocaust survivor in London and went to Auschwitz.

Mathematics

Our Mathematics department shares a common ethos of “every child matters”. We meet regularly as a team and put teaching and learning at the forefront. We often work together on specific topic areas and how best to deliver them. Lesson observations are conducted frequently but we ensure that our staff are comfortable, allowing them to choose areas of focus for their own personal development. All staff are involved in learning walks which give them the opportunity to see other teach and give feedback. We pride ourselves on working collaboratively and ensure that even a temporary member of staff is welcomed with open arms and appropriately supported. We are very fortunate to have leads at each Key Stage, so no matter where a pupil is within the school or college, their Mathematical progress is being closely monitored. The department uses the UK Maths Challenge across all Key Stages, has developed a YouTube channel (WrightMaths) to support our students studying the new GCSE specification and has a history of successfully getting students to Oxbridge to study Maths every year.

For more details please see the school website: www.cncs.co.uk