 EDUCATIONAL FEATURE 

AUTUMN 2010

INTRODUCTION

This summer students at Catholic independent schools and their parents have been seeing the benefits of an education that is grounded in the authentic Catholic tradition and enlightened by the Gospel as they celebrate a bumper crop of A-level and GCSE results.

At Woldingham School in Surrey, for example, students and staff were delighted with a 100 per cent pass rate across all Alevel subjects with 60 per cent of students achieving passes at A*-A grades, and 100 per cent of pupils achieving A/B grades in Politics, Art History, Spanish and Physics.

At Ratcliffe college, the Rosminian foundation in Leicestershire, 54 per cent of pupils achieved A*-B grades in three or four subjects.

Ratcliffe’s headmaster, Gareth Lloyd, said that he was delighted by the Alevel results, that it had been a “memorable year for this particular group in terms of their achievements in extra-curricular activities, especially sport, music and drama”, and that he was “pleased that it has now been complemented by academic success”.

Mr Lloyd added that he was “especially pleased for all of our students who have obtained a place at their chosen university”.

Pupils at New Hall School in Chelmsford, Essex also achieved a 100 per cent pass rate, with 54 per cent achieving A*/A grades, 82 per cent achieving A*-B grades at A-level and one third of the A-Level year achieving 3, 4, or 5 A*/A grades.

Principal Katherine Jeffrey said she was “proud of the students and delighted that so many academic records have been broken”, adding that the number of A*-B grades had increased by four per cent since last year, and that the “exceptional” results “have brought much deserved university success”, adding that every pupil in the year had “achieved or exceeded the grades needed for competitive places in Veterinary Medicine, Medicine and Law.”

At St Benedict’s School, Ealing, over 70 per cent of pupils achieved grades A*B, with 10 per cent gaining the A* grade. Headmaster

Chris Cleugh said that the students had “exceeded our expectations. I congratulate them on their success.”

Over half of pupils at Farnborough Hill school achieved A*/A grades, and over 11 per cent of the results achieved were A*s, while four pupils achieved two A*s, and 10 managed to achieve straight As. Headmistress Sarah Buckle said she was “delighted with this set of outstanding results”, and that the leavers “had been a credit to the school”.

Leweston School in Dorset also had exceptional results, with 71 per cent of leavers achieving grades A*-B at A-Level, or equivalent in other exams, with 42 per cent achieving A* or A grades. The average number of UCAS points per candidate were 386.

Adrian Aylward, headmaster of Leweston, said that the results “not only pay testament to the hard work of the students, but also the work ethic of the school, especially in the sixth form”. He added that the pupils should be “justifiably proud of their achievements”, adding that he was “delighted that almost all of our leavers have achieved their first choice places”.

The percentage of A grades at Ampleforth College has increased by 4.4 per cent to 51.6 per cent, the school’s highest ever number of A grades, with 31 per cent of those achieving an A grade also achieving the new A* grade, or an overall 16 per cent of pupils examined. Leavers from Ampleforth have an average of 383 UCAS points per candidate, representing A-level grades of one A* and two As each.

Results at Stonyhurst College in Lancashire were also an improvement on previous years, with 70 per cent of pupils achieving grades A*-B, an improvement of 10 per cent on the previous year. The average number of UCAS points per pupil had also increased, from 330 last year to 356.

Some 44 per cent of pupils at Downside School in Somerset achieved an A grade at A-level and71 per cent achieved grades A-B.

Congratulations are due to all these high-performing pupils. And it is as well to remember that a Catholic education is not merely academic but addresses the whole person.

Catholic Benedictine 11-18 co-educational boarding & day school

Our pupils are our best advert; come and see for yourself

• Distinctive all-round education, high academic standards & strong community • International Baccalaureate and A Levels in the Sixth Form • Set in 500 acres of rural Sussex, yet only 1 hour from London • Scholarships available at 11+, 13+ and 16+ for September 2011

OPEN DAYS 2010/11 25th Sept (girls), 9th Oct, 14th Oct (Sixth Form), 13th Nov, 5th Feb, 12th Mar and 30th Apr Please book your place in advance For further details, please contact the Registrar, Miss Yvonne Lorraine t: 01342 710200 admissions@worth.org.uk Paddockhurst Road Turners Hill West Sussex RH10 4SD Charity No. 1093914 Company Reg. No. 4476558

www.worthschool.co.uk

Moving to full co-education at WORTH

“The passion of each member of staff for their subject and for this school has a huge influence on the attitude of the students.” Sixth Form student

Worth is known for its strong community, high academic standards, friendly atmosphere and the excellence of its all-round education.

Worth welcomes junior girls into the school for the first time this month, with girls joining in Years 7 (11+) and 9 (13+). The school already has a thriving co-educational Sixth Form. Worth has around 530 boarding and day students from 11 to 18.

Head Master Mr Gino Carminati comments: “This process of change will enable the school to offer even broader opportunities to experience life and learning, whilst sustaining its commitment to excellence in all things. As a community we will continue to flourish and be guided by the traditions of our faith and by the wisdom of St Benedict. It is wonderful to see how quickly the girls have settled into school life and how welcoming the boys have been.”

The school has invested in stunning new girls’ boarding and day houses, and an exciting development plan is also underway to extend teaching, study and boarding facilities across the school. The extensive range of sports and activities has been expanded and the music and drama departments, for which Worth has a superb reputation, has been further enhanced by the inclusion of girls.

Scholarships Scholarships are available for girls and boys for September 2011 entry. Music, Academic, Sport and All Rounder Scholarships are available at age 11+, 13+ and 16+.

Worth also offers St Benedict’s Scholarships, up to a value of 100% fees, to allow local Catholic children of real ability to benefit from the opportunities available at Worth. One day place is available for Year 7 entry; two day places are available for Year 12 (Sixth Form) entry.

For further details of our Open Days and Scholarships, please contact the Registrar (admissions@worth.org.uk). You are warmly invited to visit Worth and discover what it is that makes us special and why your son or daughter will flourish here.

CHURCH TEACHING

An extract from The Religious Dimension of Education in a Catholic School: Guidelines for Reflection and Renewal, by the Vatican Congregation for Catholic Education, issued in 1998 On October 28 1965, the Second Vatican Council promulgated the Declaration on Christian Education Gravissimum educationis. The document describes the distinguishing characteristic of a Catholic school in this way: “The Catholic school pursues cultural goals and the natural development of youth to the same degree as any other school. What makes the Catholic school distinctive is its attempt to generate a community climate in the school that is permeated by the Gospel spirit of freedom and love. It tries to guide the adolescents in such a way that personality development goes hand in hand with the development of the ‘new creature’ that each one has become through baptism. It tries to relate all of human culture to the good news of salvation so that the light of faith will illumine everything that the students will gradually come to learn about the world, about life, and about the human person.”

The Council, therefore, declared that what makes the Catholic school distinctive is its religious dimension, and that this is to be found in a) the educational climate; b) the personal development of each student; c) the relationship established between culture and the Gospel; and d) the illumination of all knowledge with the light of faith...

The declaration of the Council insists on the dynamic nature of integral human formation, but it adds immediately that, from a Christian point of view, human development by itself is not sufficient. Education “does not merely strive to foster in the human person the maturity already described. Rather, its principal aims are these: that as the baptised person is gradually introduced into a knowledge of the mystery of salvation, he or she may daily grow more conscious of the gift of faith which has been received.” What characterises a Catholic school, therefore, is that it guide students in such a way “that the development of each one’s own personality will be matched by the growth of that new creation which he or she became by baptism”. We need to think of Christian education as a movement or a growth process, directed toward an ideal goal which goes beyond the limitations of anything human. At the same time the process must be harmonious, so that Christian formation takes place within and in the course of human formation. The two are not separate and parallel paths; they are complementary forms of education

Continued on back cover

Head: Mr Gareth Lloyd, BA, MSc, FMusTCL Religious Tradition: Catholic Affiliations: HMC Classification: Co-educational, 3 - 18 years old Accommodation: Day and boarding No. of Teaching Staff: 81 No. of pupils: 684 Age Range: 3 - 18 years old For an appointment to visit at all other times, please contact our Registrar. Tel: 01509 817000 Email: registrar@ratcliffe.leics.sch.uk www.ratcliffe-college.co.uk

“There can be few schools which offer girls and boys such a breadth of education in the real sense, from academic excellence to success on the sports field, with so many opportunities to develop young people through music, drama and a plethora of other activities.”

Ethos Ratcliffe’s core Catholic ethos, drawing upon its distinctive Rosminian heritage, is at the very heart of everything within the School. This special ethos is widely proclaimed by parents as being the central strand of what has made the School the success that it is today. Fully inclusive in approach, the School seeks to nurture, develop and celebrate the gifts and talents of all of its students, regardless of background, as they develop into happy, respectful and caring young adults.

Facilities The School occupies a beautiful, rural location within 400 acres of rolling countryside, just a few miles north of Leicester. Easy to get to, Ratcliffe provides a totally self-contained campus with modern teaching facilities, elegant buildings, and full on-site sporting facilities. Most recently, a dedicated Sixth Form Centre was opened.

Successes The development of the all-round potential of each student is our priority, with the happiness and academic achievement of students central to our work. Public Examination results at all levels reflect the continued and on-going successes in this area.

‘Pupils are highly effective learners overall and many are enthusiastic about their learning. Pastoral care of pupils is excellent and fully supports the school’s aims of fostering supportive relationships.’ - ISI Report, March 2010

Boarding Alongside our provision for day students, boarding is also thriving within the School, with full, weekly and occasional options all used extensively. The School’s boarding provision was judged “Outstanding” by Ofsted in their most recent inspection report in 2010.

Scholarships and Bursaries Ratcliffe College offers a wide range of scholarships to recognise academic, sporting, musical, dramatic and artistic talent amongst applicants for the Senior School. The School may also be able to offer bursarial assistance in addition to any scholarship award.