Through a robust consultation exercise with stakeholders, leaders established the explicit culture of the school focused on the mission to provide ‘Opportunities for All’. They identified three core values for pupils: Prepared, Respect and Pride. These values provide clear expectations for all pupils to be positive members of the school community. The mission and values are used explicitly in the positive relationships policy and are consistently referred to by staff throughout the school. As a result, they are well-understood and exhibited by pupils. The values form a key part of the school’s vision for the new curriculum and the development of the new school site and pupils reflect on them biannually through the pupil well-being survey.
Pupil voice was a key element in developing the school’s mission and values. It has also helped to create and sustain an inclusive and engaging environment where pupils’ opinions have an impact on school improvement, for instance on the development of the well-being provision. This has been further enhanced by the school’s quality assurance processes. These processes embed the feedback of pupils in first-hand evidence gathering, such as feedback on learning as part of the work scrutiny process. In addition, pupils are asked what excellent teaching and classroom culture should look like and their responses have helped to develop classroom routines. Consultation with pupils and other stakeholeders has contributed importantly to the sense of belonging and kinship where all members of the community feel they are valued and treated as individuals. The information gathered has also helped to influence the bespoke professional learning offer for all staff.
The school has developed an effective and extensive curriculum offer that values and meets the needs of all pupils, from the most able to the most vulnerable. The school has focused diligently on developing curriculum experiences across all learning experience areas that reflect its community whilst ensuring that all pupils have the knowledge and skills they need to be successful in school and in life after school. For example, it has a bespoke provision for young people at risk of disaffection or underachievement in Key Stage 4, which provides additional support and opportunities but importantly keeps them as part of mainstream. Whilst the pupils identified for this provision may access qualifications with outside providers and have a more bespoke timetable, they still attend core subject lessons and form tutorials with their peers. In addition, pupils who are new arrivals to the UK and have limited English have a highly effective curriculum offer that supports their development of English, orients them in being part of a school in Wales, and rapidly integrates them fully into mainstream classes when they are ready. As a result of the inclusive nature of their curriculum offer, the progress and outcomes of all groups of learners are strong whatever their starting points and whenever they join the school community.
Effective relationships with teachers are vital when developing resilient and capable learners. This is an important element of cultivating the school cynefin. Pupils feel valued and respected in the classroom, which contributes to a positive working environment and a strong sense of belonging. Cathays High School has highly effective processes and provision to support the individual needs of all pupils, including those with additional needs and those requiring support for emotional challenges. For example the wellbeing surveys are used to identify individuals and groups that require emotional support from the school’s “Safe Tŷ” provision. There is support to improve the academic and/or social progress of students with additional learning needs whilst they still attend as many mainstream lessons as is appropriate. This support is bespoke and contributes to the pupils’ feelings of being respected and valued by all adults in the school and a sense that they belong to a community that cares for their academic progress and their well-being.
