Welcome to Monks Park School

Learning is at the heart of all that we do and it is our aim to ensure that all students leaving Monks Park School will be happy, fulfilled, confident young adults with skills and qualification which will equip them for the 21st Century.

Dr Helen Holman
Headteacher, Monks Park School

The School

Our vision is reflected in our mission statement:

Learning together for a better future

Learning is at the heart of all that we do and it is our aim to ensure that all pupils leaving Monks Park School will be happy, fulfilled, confident young adults with skills and qualifications which will equip them for the 21st Century.

How do we achieve this?

• A curriculum which stimulates learning and matches the needs of all students.

• Teaching which is focussed on learning.

• A safe and happy environment which encourages learning.

• A strong working partnership between parents and school.

• A school at the heart of the community.

This Home School agreement is in each pupil's planner

• ensure that your child achieves his/her full potential
• ensure that your child is valued as a member of the school community and      reated with courtesy and respect regardless of ethnic or national origin, culture, religion, gender, disability or sexuality
• provide a safe environment free from disruption, violence, bullying and any form of harassment
• provide a balanced curriculum and meet the individual learning needs of your child
• provide high quality teaching, including the regular setting and marking of homework
• keep you informed about general school matters and about your child’s progress in particularare for your child’s safety and welfare 

• see that my child attends school regularly throughout the school yearq
• see that my child comes to school on time, in dress code and properly equipped
• make the school aware of any concerns or problems that might affect my child’s work or behaviour
• encourage my child to accept responsibility for any inappropriate behaviourq      support my child in homework and other opportunities for home learnin
• attend parents’ evenings and discussions about my child’s progress 

•       attend school regularly and on time
•       bring all the equipment I need every day
•       follow the school dress code and be tidy in appearance
•       do all my classwork and homework as well as I can and on time
•       behave well at all times
•       be polite, respectful and helpful to others
•      respect school property and keep the school free from litter and graffiti 

• Prospectus 2007-2008

About the school

The academic year 2007-2008 will be an important one for us at MPS because we will be celebrating our Golden Jubilee. Yes, it is 50 years since the school was established and we hope to celebrate in style with past, present and future pupils. 

For those who haven’t visited the school for some time there will be a very pleasant surprise.  In April last year we moved into a brand new building with state of the art facilities.  The building provides for all who work within it a fantastically stimulating learning environment including excellent technology and specialist facilities. 

In September 2005 we were awarded Specialist School Status.  We are unusual in being one of a small number of schools nationally to have a combined specialism.  Ours is in Humanities (English) and Modern Foreign Languages and we are working hard to make effective communication the basis of all our progress.

 Monks Park School in July 1957

 Monks Park from the same viewpoint 2007

Attendance   

Here is some information to clarify a few issues about attendance. We know how important it is to make sure all parents, carers and students understand that

EVERY DAY COUNTS ·       

 Absence -     

We have a dedicated absence report line – 3772021 (notification is required for sickness, lateness and/or medical appointments – although the latter are encouraged to be out of school hours). ·       

Holidays -     

The current ‘leave of absence’ form has been reviewed and is available upon request in writing to your child’s Head of Year.  

o       Leave of absence will only be granted in exceptional circumstances.  

o       Should leave of absence not be granted, the period of absence will be marked as unauthorised absence       

Illness/Medical Absences –   

We constantly monitor each student’s attendance, therefore any regular or long term absences will be highlighted. 

o        It is very important that the school is made aware of any ongoing/long term medical issues so we can support your child.  

o       In some cases we may request a copy of a doctor’s certificate. ·       

Truancy -      

We will be issuing penalty notices to any parents/carers of students who have more than 10 unauthorised absences in any period   (this is only 5  school days!)     

100% Attendance –      

We are pleased to announce that we now have a weekly raffle for each year group with tickets being given to all students with 100% attendance - the prize is a £10 Mall Voucher! 

Should parents/carers have any further queries please contact the Attendance team on 3772021/3772000

Uniform

SCHOOL UNIFORM The uniform is distinctive but practical. In the long run it is cheaper because it discourages competition in the latest, inevitably expensive fashions. The uniform helps to maintain an identity for the school in the neighbourhood. It is of great value on school visits and can stimulate a pride in personal appearance and in the appearance of the school as a community. 

The main element of the uniform is the Navy blue sweatshirt with the distinctive logo. The navy blue colour with logo is essential - no other colour is permitted. In addition to the sweatshirt, the uniform consists of:- 

• Plain black trousers or skirt.  No tracksuit bottoms, leggings, ski pants, jeans, cords or similar.   
• Polo shirt with logo in white.
• In summer, plain tailored shorts in black may be worn. No sports or Bermuda shorts, nor denim material is allowed. 
• Sensible black shoes or black trainers. In addition, please note:- Jewellery must be removed where safety is affected. Any make-up must be very discreet. Extremes of hair fashion are strongly discouraged.  

SPORTSWEAR 

All students change for PE and Games as they need suitable clothing for hygiene reasons. Students are required to wear the following for PE or Games, each of which they have once a week:- 

Boys                                                                               Girls

School rugby jersey                                                   T shirt - white

Shorts - black                                                           Shorts - black

Rugby socks - black                                                   Leggings - black

T shirt - white                                                           Training shoes (below the ankle)

Football/rugby boots

Training shoes (below the ankle)

Specialist School Status

Our Aims 

We have declared to ourselves, the school and the local community that:  We want to improve the communication skills of:

Ø      Our students

Ø      Students in our partner primary schools: Upper Horfield Primary School; Horfield Church of England Primary School; Fonthill Primary School; Filton Avenue Junior School.

Ø      Students in our partner secondary school: Brislington Enterprise College

Ø      Local, single parent families

Ø      Local, unemployed/disaffected 16-24 year olds

Ø      Local, small businesses 

The English and Languages departments of the school have been nominated to lead this improvement. 

Learning Resource Centre

 Poetry Workshop in the Library

A Year 7 pupil helps visiting poet Mike Ratnett dramatise a poem about an amorous crocodile. As part of the Small Island Read project in the city in February, classes of pupils took part in a workshop in the Learning Resource Centre to explore poems from a variety of cultures

Book Club

Order books from the current leaflet which is free in the LRC.

Buy the new Michael Morpurgo for £4.99

A copy of Holes is only £1.99

Curriculum

Year 7	Year 8	Year 9	Year 10	Year 11

Gifted and Talented

                  Gifted and Talented Programme Throughout Years 7-10

Students are identified in the top 10% in each subject. Those students who are identified in several subjects form a "GTi" group in each Year. This group follows a structured and progressive course in leadership and self development leading to the completion of the Duke of Edinbugh's Bronze Award at the end of year 10.

Our intention is to develop the whole person. This entails looking at the limitations of the students and not simply working to their strengths. Many G&T courses are aimed at specific subject areas to stretch the students further in those areas where they demonstrate excellence. Our aim takes a wider perspective, as we are involved in a long-term, strategic programme that aims to engender the type of inter-personal skills that are crucial for an effective life.

The students are set challenges and tasks that involve making friends and attempting to influence others. This will raise their awareness of both themselves and other people. Are they aware of how they present themselves, what body language they are using, their tone of voice and the actual language they use in speaking to others? Are they really listening or just waiting their turn, have they respected the opinion of other people and is the message received the one that was sent? 

 Students are actively encouraged to produce ideas and encourage others to listen. They may have to ‘sell’ their idea in order for it to be accepted. They will also learn about prioritising their ideas and be encouraged to have back-up plans in case their first plan does not succeed. It may also occur to teams that a leader may be required at this stage to provide focus and leadershipOrganisation will be required to make their plans work. This means identifying and using both human and physical resources.

The students will need to weigh up the pros and cons involved, think ahead regarding the outcome and make effective decisions.  Hopefully, the students will realise that ‘many heads’ are needed for the team to achieve success and that if they have a range of strategies this will stand them in good stead especially when they come across obstacles and difficulties.

Reviewing takes place after each activity or task to ascertain what has occurred and what can be learnt from it – it forms a vital part of the development process. Only by having a discussion can the students find out about which behaviours are being effective. All of the students complete a formal, written review regarding their behaviour both in terms of what went well and what they need to work on. The emphasis is on the feedback not on whether one failed or not. If the students can understand that the same behaviour is going to lead to the same problems and be aware of this then they are making progress in their self-development. They can then take this knowledge away with them and set themselves more focused targets for the

Year 7 is about ‘Identity’; the students need to get to know each other and be seen as part of a G&T cohort. This links back to the Year 6 work where the idea of ‘identity’ can build on that of ‘awareness’. They need to be inspired and involved in the process of development. This also requires them to be resilient in preserving with their learning. In terms 5/6 we take the students on a ‘journey’ to produce an emotional response

.Year 8 is about the central idea of ‘Communication’; students spend this year exploring the essential skills that good teams use such as planning, being organised, choosing a leader, being aware of the different roles that people can play in a team, the need for determination and the importance of effective motivation. Underlying all of these skills is that of communication – our active encouragement and engagement of the students in discussions allows this process to occur in an organic and subconscious way.

 ‘Developing Oneself’ is the basis of the Year 9 work. Students are asked to focus on self-motivation through becoming more aware of their individual learning style. Leadership is given more focus with the accent being on the various styles of leadership that are available. Finally, the students are required to be reflective in developing their self-awareness; they both give and receive peer feedback regarding what one does well and what one could do differently. 

In Year 10, students to come away with some concrete accreditation for their development work. We offer support for the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award which brings together many of the skills and ideas that the students have been using; it is nationally recognised by employers and colleges throughout the country.

School Parliament

The School Parliament is a way for the students to have a voice in the school.  We were elected by the students. There are 3 parliament members from each year group.   

The School Parliament meets every fortnight. The sort of things we have talked about are: school food, litter, recycling bins and charity events.  

Litter Campaign Two people from each tutor group in each year go around the school and pick up litter. We use gloves, black bags and special litter picking tools.

Three girls from 7M3 on the Litter Campaign

Fashion Show We organised a fashion show to help St Peters’ Hospice. Students and teachers modelled the clothing from local charity shops and we raised money through a raffle.

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