AIMS

The Pingle School should help pupils:

To develop lively, enquiring minds, the ability to question, to argue rationally and to apply themselves to tasks;

To acquire and to apply knowledge, skills and practical abilities relevant to the needs of adult life at home, at work, at leisure and as consumers and citizens of a fast changing world;

To acquire a reasoned set of attitudes, values and beliefs including respect for and understanding of, other people's religious and moral values and ways of life, and of the interdependence of the human and all other elements of the environment;

To acquire an understanding of the social, economic and political order of the world and of the interdependence of individuals, groups and nations;

To appreciate human achievement in art, music, drama, dance, textiles, science, technology, physical pursuits and literature; and to experience a sense of personal achievement in some of those fields;

To develop a sense of self-respect, the capacity to live full lives as independent, self-motivated adults with the will to contribute to the welfare of others and to society;

To appreciate the complex human interaction and interdependence within the environmental system, locally and globally, and to develop a caring and responsible attitude to the environment.

In addition, the school is committed to the principles of human dignity and equality of opportunity as well as co-operation in promoting tolerance, combating racial injustice and the eradication of all forms of racism and racial prejudice.

PRINCIPLES

All pupils regardless of age, sex, ability or background are entitled to, and should be offered, a comparable range of educational opportunities. In order to achieve this the curriculum at The Pingle School has been designed to display breadth, balance, relevance, differentiation, continuity and progression.

The curriculum offered achieves breadth by ensuring that all pupils are brought into contact with the nine areas of experience identified by HMI : aesthetic, creative, linguistic, mathematical, ethical, physical, scientific, social, political and technological.

Balance in the curriculum is maintained by allowing each area of experience appropriate attention in terms of time and resources.

Relevance in the curriculum is provided by relating educational experiences to the pupils' present and future needs so that understanding, competence and confidence are all enhanced. A relevant curriculum will equip pupils with the knowledge and skills needed in adult life.

In order to meet the learning needs of every individual pupil the curriculum is differentiated in terms of content and teaching approaches.

Teaching and learning experiences within the curriculum are organised so as to recognise the need for continuity between the main phases of primary/secondary and secondary/tertiary education and to allow for progression through the phases, building on existing knowledge, concepts, skills and competencies.

The subjects studied by the pupils make up the curriculum. The school delivers the curriculum in a regular timetable of lessons which are in units of one hour. There are five lessons every day.

Key Stage 3 (Years 7, 8 & 9)

Pupils in Years 7, 8 and 9 pursue a broadly-based general course enabling them to have experience of a wide range of subjects before they are required to choose, during the course of year 9, those subjects which they will study in Years 10 and 11. After careful consideration with parents and staff, pupils then embark upon courses which lead to either external examinations or internal assessment.

Subjects studied in Years 7, 8 and 9

• Mathematics
• English
• Science
• History
• Geography
• Religion
• Personal & Social Education
• Art
• Music
• Physical Education
• French
• Information Technology

Key Stage 4 (Years 10 & 11)

COMPULSORY SUBJECTS

All pupils must study:

English, mathematics and science

Personal and social education (including citizenship, careers, health education and sex education).

Physical education

I.C.T

Religion

Key Stage 5 (Years 12 & 13)

We have built a curriculum which we believe gives students the best opportunity to maximise their potential. As well as their timetabled lessons, students will have timetabled tutor and form period sessions. These provide an opportunity for students to discuss important issues, whilst also enabling us to identify strategies they can use to achieve the best learning outcomes. In the second half of Year 12, these sessions focus on careers.

There will also be a weekly timetabled enrichment opportunity. Students will be required to choose from one of a range of options such as:

Art
Assisting pupils with significant learning difficulties
Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme
Enterprise
Supporting younger pupils in lessons
Physical Education
Work Experience
Critical thinking
.

The area served by the school includes part of Swadlincote and the villages of Church Gresley, Castle Gresley and Linton. A map is provided in our prospectus

Entry at Year 7

The number of planned admissions for the year commencing 1 September 2007 will be 227.

Where application for admission exceeds the number of places available the criteria used by the governors to allocate places are listed as follows in priority order:

1. Children in public care (looked after children).

2. Children who permanently reside within the area served by the school. (‘permanently reside’ is defined by actual day to day residence on a permanent basis coupled with ownership of, or at least a six month rental agreement on, the premises).

In the event of over-subscription of applicants meeting this requirement for entry into Year 7 and a tie-breaker being required to reach a decision, the governors will use the shortest available route from home, as determined by postal address, to the centre of the school (by computer aided measurement*) to decide which child lives nearest the school.

3. Children who have a brother or sister at The Pingle School during the present academic year. (‘present year’ is defined as the academic year in which the application is considered).

4. All other children not eligible under the above criteria.

In the event of over-subscription of applicants meeting the requirements 3 or 4 and a tie-breaker being required in order to reach a decision, the governors will use the shortest available route from home, as determined by postal address, to the centre of the school (by computer aided measurement*) to decide which child lives nearest the school.

The governors will not consider more than one application on behalf of the same child in a single academic year unless the Chair of Governors considers there is a significant change in the particular circumstances of that child.

The Pingle School is a foundation school and is responsible for its own admissions.

The standard LA Common Application Form should be returned by Friday, 20 October 2006 at 3.30pm via the child’s primary school. Applications for the admission of pupils who live outside the county are considered on an equal basis. Parents should apply to their home LA who will send the details to Derbyshire LA after the closing date for that Authority area.

Admissions to Years 8 – 11

If places become available in later years because pupils leave, the same criteria are applied in the same order of priority to those who apply in y7. The decision is determined by the child’s situation which prevails at the time the application is made.

It is sometimes possible to accommodate a small increase in the total number of pupils in Years 10 and 11 because of the smaller size of GCSE option groups. In such cases the Admissions Committee will have to consider the size of particular subject groups so may only be able to offer a restricted choice of GCSE courses to those who apply.

Admission to the Sixth Form

There are three secondary schools in the area, two 11 – 16 schools and The Pingle School which is 11 – 19. Pupils transfer from the other secondary schools to the South Derbyshire Post 16 Centre which is based at The Pingle School. The planned admissions number for external candidates admitted to the Post 16 Centre each academic year is 45.

Entry requirements are as follows:

the course required is available

the candidate must meet the course requirements. Basic entry requirements for AS/A2 level and Advanced Vocational subjects are a minimum of 5 higher grades at GCSE.

All candidates will be invited to an interview with the Sixth Form Co-ordinator to discuss their chosen course options.

* Computer Aided Measurement (GIS)

The GIS system measures by the nearest available route. This measures by a standard walking distance calculated to within 2 metres. The measurement is taken from the postal address file, normally the house front door. For the school, the grid reference is again taken from the postal address file and is the centre of the school.