ABOUT US

The Radclyffe School is a ten form entry school for girls and boys aged 11-16, which has been designated a specialist technology college by the government. We have over 1,350 students and over 150 staff. We serve the local community of Chadderton, but attract students from a wider area. Parents of children in over 40 different primary schools choose to send their children to The Radclyffe School, including those living in the surrounding communities of Alkrington and New Moston.

The school is housed on two sites. Our Lower School is on Broadway and our Upper School is nearby on Hunt Lane. Although we very much regard ourselves as one school we also think that being on two sites gives us some of the benefits that small schools have; we are able to get to know our students very well; for their part the students appreciate the friendlier small school atmosphere.

• to encourage each individual within our school community to strive for ‘personal excellence’;
• to raise standards through a zero-tolerance of under-achievement;
• to provide the conditions in which it is possible for all students, regardless of gender, race or ability, to work hard and do their best;
• to help students build on their strengths and overcome their weaknesses;
• to encourage each child to discover, and develop to the full, his or her own individual worth;
• to help students develop respect for others so that they can form tolerant and caring relationships and be sympathetic to the needs of other people;
• to present students with a wide range of different experiences that will be useful both in school and in later life;
• to introduce students to the values, ideas and skills that will enable them to to understand the workings of our society and allow them to make the most of their lives;
• to help students decide what they want to do when they leave school, and to help them gain the qualifications they will need;
• to help students to understand the world we live in, and how individuals, communities and nations depend on each other.
• to create a thriving learning culture and environment where innovation is the key feature of our community;
• to focus on different teaching and learning styles and Information Technology to raise standards and aspirations.

Students in Years 7 – 9 are based at our Broadway building and spend most of their time there. The building has its own extensive facilities including science laboratories, a library and modern information resources centre, five computer suites, and full sports facilities which include tennis courts and large playing fields. A new canteen has just been constructed on the site. Each area of the curriculum has its own suite of fully equipped classrooms.

Most of the lower school work in technology goes on at the Hunt Lane site, in the modern facilities of our purpose-built Technology Centre. Here all the students follow a range of courses in art, craft and design, information technology, and food technology. The Centre is equipped for work in electronics, photography, pottery, and textiles. The Lower School also houses our BEST Centre funded through Excellence in Cities.