Colne Valley High School

About Colne Valley High School:

Colne Valley High School opened its doors in September 2014 as an Academy, sponsored by the Mirfield Free Grammar and Sixth Form Multi-Academy Trust and together, by striving for excellence in all that we do, we have developed one of the most vibrant learning environments in the district. Located in an area of outstanding natural beauty in the heart of the Pennines, the Academy has almost 1200 student on roll in Years 7 to 11 and has capacity to admit 287 into each year group. The school is within easy commuting distance from Leeds and Manchester and is situated within 10 a ten minute drive of the M62 corridor.

Outstanding schools have outstanding teaching and the quality of teaching is the single most important factor in a school’s success. All students, irrespective of ability, are driven to “be the best they can be”. Our ethos is driven by our mission – “To enable our students and staff to achieve their best” and our vision is that everyone, every student and every member of staff, can be exceptional, every day.

At Colne Valley High School we have agreed to live our school life by our values:

Respect – we recognise, accept and celebrate differences

Integrity – we are truthful and honest in all that we do

Team work – we aim to be the best for our team

Aspiration – we strive to be the best we can be.

Our staff lead by example and work hard to ensure that our young people feel happy, valued and safe, but equally they endeavour to enthuse them with a sense of aspiration, optimism and ambition. Work ethic is important and so is attitude. We encourage a “can do” attitude in relation to both work and play, and our expectations are extremely high.

We aim to:

• Sustain a culture of high expectations in which every individual is valued equally;
• equip all our students for lifelong learning enabling them to achieve their potential;
• provide an environment in which all staff experience a sense of professional well-being and are to give of their best;
• provide an engaging, creative and enjoyable experience of teaching and learning;
• engender a sense of personal worth and physical and emotional well-being which enables students to become confident, self-reliant, self-disciplined, healthy and responsible;
• promote excellent standards of behaviour through highly effective personal relationships;
• equip students with the knowledge, skills and understanding necessary for them to make a positive contribution to society and prepare them for the world of work;
• foster effective partnerships between students, staff, parents, governors and the wider community.

We work hard to maintain a happy and well-run School, where students feel confident to thrive and develop. We strive to make our School a place of sound, stimulating and appropriate learning, where every student can achieve their true potential. We create a caring community where great emphasis is placed upon good relationships and partnerships to encourage respect, understanding and co-operation.

The Mirfield Free Grammar and Sixth Form is a Sponsor Academy and National Support School. It was endowed in 1667 and has had a long, varied and successful history. On 1st January 2006 it converted to Foundation Status, and on 1st April 2011, became an Outstanding Academy. Since 2006 therefore, the Governing Body of the school has owned’ the land and buildings, employed the staff and decided the admissions policy. Academy status has given greater autonomy to make the right decisions for students. In January 2011 the Principal became a National Leader of Education (NLE) and the school became a National Support School (NSS). In 2012 Ofsted raised the bar for inspections and in May the Academy was judged outstanding again in every category (Achievement of Pupils, Quality of Teaching, Behaviour and Safety.