Ridgeway School: 01752 338373

Location Map | School Map | Google.co.uk | Yell.com | DHTML Menu by Milonic

Swine ‘Flu – Advice to Parents and Carers

The school has reviewed its policy in view of the current ‘flu outbreak in case it affects us directly. We have used the national advice and policy on such pandemics. You are kindly requested to refer to the Plymouth City Council website [Click here] for further advice. Please rest assured that Ridgeway School will strive to ensure the health of all students and staff is safeguarded. We are working closely with all the relevant local and national authorities. This advice will be updated regularly as required.

Ridgeway students presented with prestigious national award for their highly acclaimed animated film

Author Bill Bryson presents the Royal Society of Chemistry Award for Science Communication to students from Ridgeway School in a ceremony at the House of Commons

As overall national winners of the prestigious Royal Society of Chemistry, Bill Bryson Award for Science Communication, students at Ridgeway School were treated to a VIP reception at the House of Commons.

The celebrated author, along with a panel of notable scientists, chose as the overall winner, from hundreds of entries from across the country, Ridgeway School’s animation ‘The Other Co2 Problem’. This unique and highly original film [Watch it here] explores the important issues that lead to our oceans becoming more acidic as a result of the rise in Co2 gasses.

Bill Bryson presented the award in person and he was accompanied by Dr Brian Iddon MP, also an industrial chemist and Mr Mark Lancaster TD MP. The level of interest was such that a number of other MPs were in attendance to offer their congratulations, including Plymouth M.P. Gary Streeter and well known Member of Parliament, Tony Benn.

The students were treated to a tour of the Palace of Westminster and given a splendid reception where Bill Bryson and the MPs took time to talk to the students about their success. [See photos and a copy of the award: 712 KB pdf]

As a memento of the day, Ridgeway School students were given a very special copy of the House of Commons ‘Early Day Motions’ paper, where they have been congratulated and named individually. So far it has received 37 MPs signatures. Mr John Didymus, Headteacher of Ridgeway School, said, ‘It was a real privilege for both students and their parents to be invited to receive this national award in the Houses of Parliament. For this animation to be recognised by the Royal Society is a great accolade for our students and everyone involved in the project.’

‘It will be a day to remember and treasure for the rest of our lives,’ said Merryn Hunt, one of the winning students.'

The following were present at the award reception; Tony Benn (stepped down in 2001, “to spend more time on politics”) Hilary Benn (Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) Peter Lilley (former conservative Social Security Minister) Dr Brian Iddon (MP and an industrial chemist) Local MPs were represented by Gary Streeter (Plymouth) and Jeremy Browne (Taunton). Adam Afriyie (Shadow Science Minister) was also in attendance.

I think that Lord Martin Rees, President of the RSC was also there and Bill Bryson, of course.

 

French culture provides food for thought

Ridgeway students enroute to Brest during a recent twinning visit to France

For the fifth successive year the Brest Twinning Panel invited us to take part in their annual trip to France as their guests. The members are individuals who share a passion for all things French, and they meet up a few times a year for a get-together. Their French counterparts do a similar thing, and come to Plymouth in May for a similar experience.

Our intrepid students this year were four Year 13 students and two Year 11 students. They were all quite apprehensive but excited as we gathered at Plymouth ferry port for the night crossing. Bright and early the following morning we were met at Roscoff by a coach which took us to the main fire station in Brest (our reputation must have preceded us!). Here we had a lovely breakfast of croissants, pains au chocolat, crêpes, far breton (a local speciality) and buttery biscuits as we wandered around being introduced to the families we were going to stay with. Then we got back on the coach for a tour of the surrounding villages, which all had as their claim to fame an “enclos paroissial” which was a sort of parish church with a surrounding wall, within which were also the ossuary (they keep the bones here), the cemetery, the Calvary and the arched gate. Some of these churches were incredibly beautiful.On our return to Brest we were formally welcomed by the Assistant Mayor in the town hall in the centre of Brest. Then we all went our separate ways with our families, only to meet up on Sunday morning for our return journey to Roscoff and on to Plymouth, via a very posh restaurant where we were treated to a rather nice meal. We were met at the ferry port at about 10.00 pm by our own families, tired but elated by an unforgettable experience. The members of the twinning panel complimented me time and time again on the exemplary behaviour and attitude of our students: I too would like to say thank you to them for making my job so much easier.

Ofsted inspection team heap praise on staff and students

Ridgeway School was the first Plymouth secondary school to be inspected by Ofsted using the tough new testing measures put in place in September this year. This much more rigorous inspection process identified ‘a number of strong features that make Ridgeway School popular with parents and students’. The report also commented that the care, guidance and support received by the students was ‘fantastic’ and helped them develop as well-rounded people who behave well and value the relationships with teachers and each other.

In his opening comment, HMI Jonathan Palk, was eager to point out that the inspection team enjoyed being in lessons, meeting students and he emphasised that they were particularly impressed by the behaviour of students around the school and in lessons. Identifying the curriculum as offering ‘some outstanding academic, vocational and social experiences,’ he went on to say that, ‘As a consequence, students from a wide range of backgrounds enjoy their time at school, develop strong bonds with each other and the adults that work with them, and develop positive values’. The report also recognises that, ‘students are impeccably supported and nurtured through a range of integrated studies’ which have been part of an upward shift in teachers’ expectations leading to standards that have risen on most measures including the important five or more grades A* to C including English and mathematics. The inspectors identified the curriculum as ‘personalised extensively and there is a real sense of the school finding and delivering the right courses for the right students’.

Identifying teaching as good, Mr Palk said, ‘it is this that motivates students’. He added, ‘Any identified underachievement is tackled quickly through a combination of targeted intervention, departmental initiatives and changes to the curriculum’. As a consequence the inspection team believed that, ‘the majority of students are on track to reach their expected targets and the more able students make good progress to reach their challenging targets’. In identifying, ‘strong features of teaching throughout the school’ the inspection team were impressed by ‘a clear focus on the learning at the start of the lessons and the use of the final part of the lesson to help students draw this together’. They also said, ‘Lessons are engaging with a good balance of practical activities, discussion and group working’ adding, ‘learning is fast paced’.

Commenting on care, guidance and support, the inspection team said, ‘The promotion of respect and valuing others is at the heart of the school’s ethos’. As a consequence, they reported, ‘Any rare bullying incidents are dealt with effectively and promptly’ They were unequivocal in stating, ‘Ridgeway School offers a safe environment’.

Parents gave the school overwhelming praise in the Ofsted questionnaire where responses showed, ’very high levels of satisfaction with the work of the school’. The parents responded particularly strongly to praise the impact of the curriculum and are confident that the teaching is good and that their children are making enough progress.

A copy of the Ofsted report is available here [518 KB pdf].

Ridgeway School PTA

Logo of the National Confederation of Parent Teacher Associations (NCPTA)The PTA raises funds for important items and activities around the school. This autumn, bids were approved during the last AGM for a wide variety of items, ranging from a Wii to helping create the new pond designed to attract wildlife and act as a teaching resource for science.

Minutes of our AGM are available to download here [17.4 KB pdf].

Read more about our aims and activities

The PTA always welcomes new members interested in supporting the school. Have you thought of joining us or do you know of anyone who would be interested? We will meet in the LRC at 6pm on the following dates:

19th January 2010

23rd March 2010

4th May 2010

8th June 2010

 

University & College Open Days

opendays.com: Search and book free open days at any UK higher education institution Search and book free open days at any UK higher education institution

   

 

Ridgeway student voice survey: PE 2009

As part of our commitment to giving you - our students, the best possible lessons, choice of clubs and facilities we'd be grateful if you could spend a few minutes of your time letting us know your views by filling in a short survey [open in new window]. You don't have to give your name and your opinions will enable us to shape the schools PE curriculum to suit you and meet the requirements of the National Curriculum. Thank you!

 

An animated view of climate issues and ocean acidification

Ridgeway students have made a short animated film which is being used internationally to highlight the acidification of the world's seas

Ridgeway students have made a short animated film [See it here] which is being used internationally to highlight the acidification of the world's seas. Called 'The Other CO2 Problem', the film was commissioned by Dr Carol Turley from Plymouth Marine Laboratory, a leading authority on ocean acidification who had seen a previous film (which won a Europe wide film making competition held by Euroceans) made by the students which highlighted the problem of pollution in the seas.

Sixteen students drew up the storyline, designed and made the starring characters from plasticine then filmed the stop frame animation. Seventy other students composed and played the accompanying music. [Read more on the BBC Devon website]

Image of Zooplankton in the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth Earlier last year, a group of Gifted and Talented Ridgeway students were taken to the National Marine Aquarium to research and gather reference materials. These were used to produce a series of short animated films based on the theme of Climate Change. [Read more]

Two students from Ridgeway collect first prize at the European schools Film Contest last year Students win European Film Competition: Sixteen of our Gifted and Talented students recently entered a film making competition run in conjunction with the National Marine Aquarium and ‘Euroceans’, a network of scientists from across Europe who research the impact of climate change. [Read more]

The title sequence from the winning animated film 'Our coast, our seas, our planet! Watch the winning film [See it here] on the Ridgeway site or on the euroceans web site [Please note: A broadband connection and flash player plugin are required]

ITV Westcountry covered this local news story on Tuesday 17th June: Watch it again here

Dr Carol Turley - senior scientist at PML and a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) came into school on the 7th January this year to talk to 200 students about her commission to produce a short film on ocean acidification. Dr Carol Turley - senior scientist at Plymouth Marine Laboratory and a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) came into school on the 7th January this year to talk to 200 students about commissioning students from Ridgeway to produce a short film on ocean acidification [Read more]

Highlighting the work of the School Council

Members of the School Council at the Eden Project. At The Eden Project: Researching Sustainable Development. Last year, four members of the School Council paid a visit to the Eden Project to interview the Development Director there, in order to gather ideas for sustainable development for future building at Ridgeway and prior to installing a rainwater harvesting & recycling system at a local primary school [See the video] Please note: A broadband connection is needed

Preparing for sustainable development at RidgewayFirst Mud Build Session Last summer, Conservation Architect and expert in mud construction Linda Watson from Plymouth School of Architecture and 60 Student Architects came to Ridgeway [Read article in full] to help students practice techniques in preparation for a full scale build on the school site. [See the video] Please note: A broadband connection is needed

Get fit in 2009

Revitalised: Helping the whole school community to lead a healthier lifestyle! As part of our on-going Healthy School initiatives, we are delighted to be able to offer all of our parents / carers free access to the Online Personal Health Management System (OPHMS). Revitalised: Helping the whole school community to lead a healthier lifestyle! As part of our on-going Healthy School initiatives, we are delighted to be able to offer all of our parents / carers free access to the Online Personal Health Management System (OPHMS). [Read more]

Language Faculty News

A new languages blog has recently been started up by Jane Croft, head of the MFL Faculty here at Ridgeway, with the aim of getting students to participate in developing a valuable resource to help in their studies24/02/09 A Languages Blog has recently been started up by Jane Croft, head of the MFL Faculty here at Ridgeway, with the aim of getting students to participate in developing a valuable resource to help in their studies [Read more]

Ridgeway students taking part in 'making languages our business' day'Making Languages Our Business': Friday 23rd January 2009 A group of Year 9s went to Hele’s School and took part in a day of activities organised by CILT – The National Centre For Languages, who emphasise and promote the importance of languages in the world of business. [Read more]

The award winning Ridgeway School Canteen

Plymouth City Council Healthy Eating Award logoRidgeway school canteen has been renamed Vultures, by popular demandVultures Get Healthy & Safe Eating Award: Head Chef Julie Tuffnell and her canteen team were given a Healthy & Safe Eating Award last year [Read more]

 

Back to top

 

 

 Investors in Enterprise and Work Related Learning (previously Investors in Education Business Partnership): Ridgeway School is committed to developing long term partnerships with businesses which are mutually beneficial. Subject Departments have links with businesses which provide for expert input into the school curriculum, as well as opportunities to work with employers to raise students' awareness of careers and the core skills that businesses need.  Specialist Schools Trust: Our designation as a Specialist School ensures we are rigorously monitored for development of specialist teaching in Mathematics and Science as well as being a springboard for other vibrant learning opportunities. Our well publicised and regarded Gifted and Talented programme, with inputs from Artists, film-makers and engineers and our continuing links with the University of Plymouth have all served to ensure we are open to improvement and external review. Sport England is an organisation committed to creating opportunities for people to start in sport, stay in sport and succeed in sport. We have been fortunate in gaining additional funding for Rowing, Cycling, Trampoline, and Sailing equipment or training through our PE developments through a local Community Sports Coordinator. These opportunities are extensively used during PE lessons and are also accessed  outside the school day.    Investors in People is the national Standard which sets out a level of good practice for training and development of people to achieve business goals. Ridgeway School is committed to be an employer which takes the development of all staff seriously. We continue to develop systems to monitor and feedback on personnel issues as well as ensuring a high level of commitment to meeting challenging targets focused on the education of the students in our care.  Established by the Teaching Awards Trust, an independent charity chaired by Lord Puttnam CBE, The Teaching Awards publicly acknowledge and celebrate the crucial role that teachers play in the lives of our children and our future as a nation. The Teaching Awards Trust was established in 1998 as a registered charity (No. 1074968). The International School Award is an accreditation scheme for curriculum-based international work in schools. Click here to read more about the International School's work Ridgeway is proud to announce that it is now an ITE Partner with Exeter University and has provided a minimum of four school-based work placements per annum. With closer links to Exeter University, Ridgeway benefits from enhanced teacher development, pupil achievement and increased staffing.

Back to top | School Map | Website Policy | Contact Us | © 2009 Ridgeway School

17-Nov-2009 22:328 12:15