Ten Year Strategic Plan2011 - 2021

A challenging, dynamic and relevant education for every student lies at the heart of Cheadle Hulme School.

Young people need to be self-sufficient: to be intellectually independent, emotionally secure and socially adept. Our purpose is to prepare students so that they can be all these things, and so play a positive part in their communities and the world. Through excellent opportunities for learning, in which boys and girls learn alongside one another, the CHS student is able to develop and discover their skills and aptitudes, and to have these nurtured and encouraged. The outstanding education we provide is founded upon academic challenge, personal and social development, physical health, emotional well-being, the practice of leadership and a commitment to service.

Setting Out Our Stall

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The environment in which our students learn needs to be as varied as the learners themselves.

Learning spaces will be more versatile, enabling the practice of a range of learning and teaching styles; we aim to build on the current classroom models and diversify learning environments. Learning and therefore teaching need to reflect the ever-developing technological environment; learning spaces will be supported by a range of technological resources whilst departments will offer students guidance, extension opportunities and online support for them to pursue their own learning and explore their interests within their subjects and beyond.

We seek to provide a facility for practical lectures, alongside improved spaces for drama, music and dance.

An outstanding school sees itself as having a responsibility to encourage learning and personal development both inside and outside of the classroom. Through a diverse and broad range of co-curricular activities, our students are able to explore their talents, their interests and their limitations.

The introduction of The CHS Diploma will create a blueprint for enhancing students’ personal development; it will encourage the development of personal attributes, value the acquisition of several practical and interpersonal skills and reward sustained commitment to service. The Diploma will value well-being and a healthy lifestyle and unify the many aspects of the co-curricular programme in a single package, being awarded at different stages of a student’s School life.

The re-introduction of a school-wide House System will foster stronger ties between pupils through its vertical structure and facilitate a broader spectrum of competition across and throughout the School, offering leadership opportunities to students.

The World of Learning The Whole PersonOur purpose is the education of young people. And for us, education is about passion, curiosity, excitement and discovery. We want our students to discover their passions; we want to excite their imagination and their spirit. Learning the critical skills of investigation, discussion, reflection and judgement through a wide variety of teaching and learning experiences which develop the students’ capacity and passion for learning is central. We are committed to excellence in our teaching through the recruitment and retention of outstanding classroom practitioners, a strong commitment to professional development and a school-wide culture of observation, mentoring and coaching.

We seek a curriculum from 4 – 18 which fosters curiosity, enables discovery and offers challenge. Each pupil is an individual with particular learning needs; we are committed to meeting those needs as best we can. For some this means improving our Learning Support provision and creating a learning centre dedicated to helping those with specific learning difficulties. Learning is not limited to the classroom: extending academic learning beyond the curriculum, through extension projects, clubs and opportunities to compete in local and national competitions and projects is part of what we believe is a broad and valuable education.

The Life of the Mind

Creativity – the ability to bring something new to life – demands the ability to think, visualise and commit; the arts provide many and varied opportunities for creative expression as well as giving personal and social enrichment.

Working alongside creative professionals and artists-in-residence, students will have their creativity fostered further still; lectures and master classes from expert practitioners, professional individuals and groups will showcase creativity in its many forms and encourage students to explore their own potential.

Facilities to enable the development of creativity will include sound proofed instrumental teaching and practice rooms, enhanced provision for drama productions, display zones for student artwork and an expansion and improvement to the current Design Technology building. A programme of tours, recordings, exhibitions and student-led performances will offer wider opportunities and experience.

CHS is not about privilege; it is about responsibility. As a School we value highly commitment to others through service and charitable work. Students should experience a range of different service projects as part of their School life so that they can reflect upon the responsibility that they each have for their communities.

Opportunities for leadership will be provided throughout each student’s School career. The input of students, their opinions, ideas and feedback will be engaged further through Year, House and Form forums. By giving students responsibility, we seek to develop their understanding of accountability and the need to take responsibility for their actions, enhancing their ability to show resilience and to have the courage to stand by their principles.

We are committed to increasing our bursarial assistance to those families in financial need whose child would thrive in the academic, pastoral and co-curricular life at CHS. We seek to create and actively sustain working and learning partnerships with local schools and the local community, supporting the education of young people throughout the local area.

The Wonder of Creativity Service and LeadershipPhysical education and sport are vital components in achieving and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Fostering an enjoyment of exercise encourages students to develop positive, life-long habits. Sport offers lessons in self-discipline, teamwork, leadership, communication and resilience, all of which we hold to be vital as part of a full education.

Greater opportunities for all pupils to participate in sport will be provided through fixture lists that will cater for a greater number of teams and the introduction of a House System. We seek to broaden the range of sports that we provide, extending our coaching expertise and creating links with external clubs.

The provision of sufficient indoor and outdoor facilities to enable students to explore a range of sporting opportunities is essential. CHS is currently underserved in its sporting facilities, disadvantaging pupils when a lack of light or poor weather prevents practice or competition on the playing fields.

The Physical Self

CHS already possesses some excellent facilities, but these have their limitations, not least in their ability to serve satisfactorily a School community of more than 1400 young people.

Through the work of the Development Office, we will be raising funds to enable our vision for what an outstanding school should offer to its students. These projects would also be closely tied in with our local community, providing them with access to a range of facilities that would enrich them equally.

Our commitment to offering financial assistance to those families who would not otherwise be able to experience CHS is absolute and we will continue to grow the 150th Bursary Trust.

Enabling the FutureWe want everyone to understand the core concepts of our strategic vision and our aspirations and to engage fully with our community to improve the School.

We will achieve this through an integrated PR and Communications strategy that keeps pace with our needs and those of the wider community: parents, Old Waconians, current pupils, staff and prospective parents. Our students are active, engaged and engaging communicators; our role is to educate them with regards to how digital communication must be guided by moral responsibility and ethics.

Cheadle Hulme School has a proud history as a co-educational school and is notably distinctive; we look to build on its strong reputation for educational excellence and achievement and to grow its renown further in the North West and nationally.

Spreading the WordWe look to higher education and businesses to enhance student experience and understanding; we value careers advice and guidance, work experience and educational exchanges as ways to stretch our students.

Experiencing education from a different perspective and establishing mutually beneficial links with other schools throughout the UK and the world will enable our students to spend a period of time in a different learning environment. We welcome student and teacher exchanges.

Developing a programme of partnerships with higher education institutions, for both staff and pupils, will broaden us further; visits to universities, departmental placements, visiting lecturers and the inception of academic competitions developed alongside our partner universities will ensure that CHS provides the best preparation for academic life beyond the Sixth Form.

Beyond Our Gates

Registered Company Number 3823129

Registered Charity Number 1077017

Head Lucy Pearson, B.A. (Oxon)

Claremont Road · Cheadle Hulme · Cheadle · Cheshire · SK8 6EF

Tel 0161 488 3330 · Email head@chschool.co.uk

cheadlehulmeschool.co.uk