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Student Support: Year 8 ​ Being in Year 8 at Rugby Free offers an exciting and pivotal time for students. At this stage, they are starting to feel more settled in their surroundings, allowing them to engage fully with both their academic subjects and the broader school community. This is where students can begin to excel across a variety of subjects and explore their growing interests with confidence. Year 8 presents many opportunities for individual growth, not just in the classroom but also through extra-curricular activities and student leadership roles. Students are encouraged to join clubs, take part in sports, and participate in creative and leadership opportunities, fostering a well-rounded experience. ​ At RFSS, Year 8 is all about building confidence, resilience, and a sense of responsibility, while preparing for the exciting challenges ahead. It is a time where students lay strong foundations both academically and personally for future success. Key Dates ​ What are we learning? What are we reading? Gallery MEGAN ANGELL HEAD OF YEAR 8 Megan.angell@rugbyfreesecondary.co.uk STUART BRAMBELL ASSISTANT HEAD OF YEAR 8 Stuart.brambell@rugbyfreesecondary.co.uk Megan, the Head of Year 8 at Rugby Free, has been a member of staff at RFSS for three years. She brings a compassionate and thoughtful approach to her role, always striving to create a supportive environment where students can thrive. With a passion for current affairs, animals, and travelling, Megan uses her interests to help students connect with the wider world and understand their place within it. Her work in the pastoral team is close to her heart, having always aimed to provide students with the support they need both academically and emotionally. Megan has been involved in the Equality Club, which offers assistance to some of the school's most vulnerable families. She encourages students to not only focus on their studies but also to grow into compassionate, aware individuals who understand the importance of rights and fairness.As a specialist in Sociology, Megan seeks to inspire students to think critically about the world, always aiming to help them become confident and caring members of the school community. Meet the Head of Y8 - Ms Angell

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Student Support Each year group has a Head of Year who is a full time teacher, and an Assistant Head of Year (non- teaching) supporting this role. There are also Form Tutors in each year group who meet with their class each morning for registration, and who deliver a Form Tutor programme throughout the year that covers all areas of PSHCE, and creates opportunities for celebrating success. Anchor 1 Back to Students Anchor 2 core_values2 kind2 endeav3 core_values2 1/18 Back to Parents & Carers Our structure reinforces the school value of Collaboration as we all seek to work in partnership with your child. This structure also means that students and parents have three dedicated points of contact for their specific year group which allows for regular contact between school and home via phone, email or prearranged meetings. It also reinforces the school value of Collaboration as we all seek to work in partnership for the benefit of your child. Anchor 3 Please click the below area for information specifically relevant to your childs' year group:

Year 13 Head Students Anchor 1 Sharon Adebisi - Head Student Bradley Abbott - Head Student Head Students at RFSS encapsulate our six core values at all times. They have aspirations to become leaders in their adult lives and are passionate about using their voices to empower change among the student body of our school. They are elected democratically by their peers and staff, after a leadership campaign, during which they must demonstrate their vision for and commitment to the school community. Our Head Students are role models for all students in the school, illustrating a strong academic skill set, alongside a compassion for the wellbeing of all students and staff at RFSS. They challenge all students to hold themselves to high standards, and coordinate and inspire the whole Student Leadership Team to do likewise. They play a key role in promotional events for the school and are a vital link for communication and collaboration between staff and students. We look forward to them becoming a central part of our new and growing alumni community.

Useful Information Anchor 1 Back to Our School Anchor 2 core_values2 kind2 endeav3 core_values2 1/18 For all enquiries please contact us on the below telephone or email: 01788 222060 info@rugbyfreesecondary.co.uk Rugby Free Secondary School Anderson Avenue Rugby, CV22 5PE ​ Opening hours: Mon – Fri: 8am – 5pm Sat – Sun: CLOSED We strive to develop well rounded individuals who are respectful, curious and resilient. Current Dinner Menu Kindness We regularly give ‘shout outs’ for staff who have gone above and beyond and demonstrated an exceptional display of one of our values We encourage and try to support flexible working requests and promote ‘family values’ as something that makes the workforce distinctive. We try to ensure staff have the opportunity to attend personal events or celebrations when requested and within agreed time frame. Collaboration We have an active Staff Wellbeing committee who meet regularly to discuss staff wellbeing and workload. We provide all new staff with a ‘buddy’ to provide support and advice. We plan a variety of staff social events across the year. We provide staff with a free lunch on the day of their duty. We have regular staff breakfasts, provide food on all CPD days and occasional treats such as Pizza! Curiosity We invest heavily in staff CPD and both promote and support opportunities to develop staff. We provide opportunities for all staff to network and visit other schools to improve their practice and share great ideas. Respect We have a Staff Room, where staff can meet, work and even socialise Each faculty has its own staff work room We have regular appraisal conversations to discuss career progression Resilience We promote resilience through our reflective CPD pathways. We have an area in the staff room dedicated to wellbeing which is used to promote health and wellbeing. We share weekly health and wellbeing information. Endeavour Promote a work life balance by being considerate when sending emails and holding meetings. We will endeavor to celebrate our staff and their achievements on a regular basis, for example; a black tie celebration evening. Enquiry Form If you would like to request paper copies of any of the documents within this website, please state in the above box. Submit Thanks for submitting!

Health & Social Care At a time where we need people to help others, to be caring and support others, we at RFSS are in a brilliant position to help inspire, educate and create students who are ready to make an amazing contribution to their local and wider community. Within health and social care students have opportunities to learn valuable skills to be successful within the health and social care sectors, to learn how to support themselves and others, and empower people to take care of themselves holistically. Anchor 1 Anchor 2 core_values2 kind2 endeav3 core_values2 1/18 Back to Subjects Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not. Dr Seuss RFSS Curriculum Vision Statement: To build an inclusive curriculum which is aspirational for all and empowers our students to make outstanding academic and personal progress. Health and Social Care Curriculum in Context: Over the past decade there has been a huge shift in the research behind how we should be approaching health and social care, this has come from many reviews into the current approach as well as serious case reviews over the past decade that have identified a need to change the approach to more person-centered care. In order to not just treat a symptom of a person's health but look at the root cause of it then support the person through a holistic and integrative approach. Combine this with the concerning staff shortages within Health and Social Care and a need for reforms to help support the widening increasing numbers of adults in social care you find the need to educate our young people on careers in this section as well as how to help prevent conditions from happening in the first place for themselves and others. Truly being preventative rather than reactive. ​ Our Health and Social Care curriculum aims to empower and educate our students in deeper understanding of how we grow and develop as humans and therefore how different factors can impact this, then how these can be influential on our long-term health and happiness. Students learn in detail different supportive measures from interventions, to how to create and establish care plans for individuals, and how to involve multi-disciplinary approaches to a person's care. Underpinning all of this is their knowledge of the wide range of roles within the Health Care and Social Care sectors will grow over the 3 or 5 years they are studying the subject, learning how the 2 co-exist together and are supported by different agencies. Our curriculum ensures student’s are shown and taught how to make changes within a person's life by using real case studies of a diverse range of people to help them develop empathy, compassion, effective communication skills and a reality of the challenges of life people face. Which in return helps them to reflect on their own attributes, building resilience and a deeper understanding of the changes that can be made. Students studying Health and Social Care can aspire to move into careers that support dementia patients, work as nurses and midwives, they can become support workers and carers, amongst learning about the background staff who help the settings to function, meaning that they can aspire to be anyone, whilst developing the knowledge of how to work with a wide range of people and know how to support themselves and those around them throughout their life. Curriculum Aims: Our curriculum aims to: Empower our student’s knowledge about the influential factors that impact development across the life stages Supports students to challenge their own ethics through developing empathy and the ability to look at issues from differing perspectives to help them solve problems. Develop student’s curiosity through the vast range of real-life case studies we refer to. Inspire students to learn about and pursue different careers within the Health and Social Care sectors Empower students to know what support is out there for themselves and others and how this support can help overcome barriers to care. Our broad and balanced curriculum concentrates on developing our students’ key knowledge and skills, and enhances their understanding of the world around them. We do this by: Stimulating intellectual curiosity by introducing them to a vast range of psychological theories that help to understand human development, which encourages them to independently reflect on the world around them. Facilitating collaboration through learning about the importance of multi-disciplinary approaches to support people. Promoting challenge for all, irrespective of starting point, as this is a new subject at KS4 or KS5 students are challenged from the first lesson with learning new content and themes that they haven't faced before. Enabling creativity, by supporting a person holistically within their work and practically they develop the skills to think outside the box and how this creative thinking and abstract thought can help support people who need it the most. Sequencing learning to ensure logical progression, both horizontally and vertically, units are taught in an order to ensure that themes and knowledge that underpins all units is taught first, with all students starting with pre-requisite content first to ensure there is a base starting point. Revisiting previous learning to support the transfer to long-term memory, students are taught how to make connections between content, which is explicitly taught throughout the course meaning that as their knowledge grows, they can see how it all connects, helping to put theory into context, across the units. Our curriculum is focused on the development of communication, character and cultural capital of each individual student, so they become: ​ Compassionate individuals who ask the question ‘What happened?’ rather than ‘What's wrong?’ More resilient due to understanding what creates resilience and how this can be practiced. Moral practitioners who logically think about the approaches they take when confronted with ethical problems Caring individuals who want to help and support those around them. Curriculum Outcome: As a result of our curriculum students will leave with the skills and knowledge to be compassionate, caring, courageous, competent, committed and effective communicators. They will have the knowledge of how they can make a difference to another person's life no matter what they choose to do. KS4 Health and Social Care Specification KS5 Extended BTEC in Health and Social Care KS5 BTEC in Health and Social Care Please view or download our 'Sequence Overview' document for Health & Social Care Kindness We regularly give ‘shout outs’ for staff who have gone above and beyond and demonstrated an exceptional display of one of our values We encourage and try to support flexible working requests and promote ‘family values’ as something that makes the workforce distinctive. We try to ensure staff have the opportunity to attend personal events or celebrations when requested and within agreed time frame. Collaboration We have an active Staff Wellbeing committee who meet regularly to discuss staff wellbeing and workload. We provide all new staff with a ‘buddy’ to provide support and advice. We plan a variety of staff social events across the year. We provide staff with a free lunch on the day of their duty. We have regular staff breakfasts, provide food on all CPD days and occasional treats such as Pizza! Curiosity We invest heavily in staff CPD and both promote and support opportunities to develop staff. We provide opportunities for all staff to network and visit other schools to improve their practice and share great ideas. Respect We have a Staff Room, where staff can meet, work and even socialise Each faculty has its own staff work room We have regular appraisal conversations to discuss career progression Resilience We promote resilience through our reflective CPD pathways. We have an area in the staff room dedicated to wellbeing which is used to promote health and wellbeing. We share weekly health and wellbeing information. Endeavour Promote a work life balance by being considerate when sending emails and holding meetings. We will endeavor to celebrate our staff and their achievements on a regular basis, for example; a black tie celebration evening.

Psychology The Rugby Free Secondary Psychology curriculum allows students to develop an understanding of human behaviour through an exciting array of topics. The A Level curriculum allows students an opportunity to delve into the theories while applying their newly gained knowledge to a wide range of topics and every-day situations They will show an inquisitive mind and enjoy the challenge of this new and unfamiliar subject. Our intent is that our students will be offered a curriculum which is academically rigorous but also helps them to develop into curious and well-rounded young people, who become more analytical in the way that they view everyday human behaviours Anchor 1 Back to Subjects Anchor 2 core_values2 kind2 endeav3 core_values2 1/18 Like all science, psychology is knowledge; and like science again, it is knowledge of a definite thing, the mind. RFSS Curriculum Vision Statement: To build an inclusive curriculum which is aspirational for all and empowers our students to make outstanding academic and personal progress. Psychology Curriculum in Context: Psychology is an increasingly popular option, at all levels (GCSE, A level and further education), with a 48% growth in entries for AQA GCSE Psychology since 2019 (AQA, 2019, 2023), a 34% growth in entries at A level since 2016 (compared to on average 2.5% growth across all A level entries), making it the second most popular A level course (and most popular overall for female students, second most popular for disadvantaged students FFT, 2022), and over 75,000 students studying psychology undergraduate degrees at university (UCAS, 2015). Conversely to the course’s popularity, attainment of top grades in psychology is slightly lower when compared to other GCSEs and A levels, even when considering teacher assessed grades (Ofqual, 2023), which is likely to be, at least partly, a result of the ongoing impact of COVID-19. Evidence suggests that, due to COVID-19, students have fallen behind on a number of skills which are crucial for success in psychology, most notably literacy (spelling, punctuation, grammar and spoken English) which are required for essay questions and for students to fully engage with debates within Issues & Debates (assessed at A level); mathematics (fractions and problem solving) which make up at least 10% of the marks across the A Level papers and can be assessed on any topic at GCSE; and a lack of practicals in subjects such as science, which is necessary for students to develop understanding of the research methods used within psychology, which makes up at least 25% of marks across the A Level papers and can again be assessed on any topic at GCSE (Ofqual, 2021). Students’ lack of understanding of mathematical content has also been linked to greater maths anxiety, which can cause students difficulties when studying Psychology. Therefore, these are parts of the content which are at the core of our delivery of Psychology, which is why this is the first topic covered in year 10 for GCSE, allowing students to see how important the entire research process is, and link this to the topic of memory covered in year 9. We also begin the A level course by looking at the mathematical and research methods content, allowing this to be interweaved and revised throughout the rest of the two year course. In addition, we provide students with explicit teaching support around the literacy elements of constructing answers to essay questions at both GCSE and A level, and scaffold this support so that students build confidence and independence in these skills. Furthermore, the COVID-19 lockdowns brought about greater prevalence and awareness of a wide variety of mental health conditions. Psychology is ideally placed to support students to understand their own and others’ minds, an area which an increasing number of students are curious to know more about. Through studying the mind and behaviour, students can gain an understanding of why people might think or act in a particular way, and how this thinking and behaviour might be changed. This allows students to develop their ‘psychological literacy’ (defined as developing ‘critically scientific thinkers and ethical and socially responsible participants in their communities’, McGovern et al., 2010). With the diverse nature of RFSS, this skill would encourage and enable students to be inclusive and understanding of students’ different backgrounds. This also develops students who would be suitable for a number of different further education and career options, it has been noted that 72% of psychology undergraduates go directly into employment (UCAS, 2015), but that these cover a broad and diverse range of careers (Nuffield Trust, 2021). This means that students studying GCSE and/or A Level Psychology at RFSS are well placed to navigate the challenging context of employment once they leave RFSS, for example, in Rugby there are higher rates of people employed in jobs in professional, scientific and technical activities, education, and administration and support service activities, all of which are helped by an understanding of psychological literacy (Warwickshire County Council, 2022). In the wider context, there is a growing focus on roles focused on equality, diversity and inclusion, wellbeing of staff, children’s mental health, and wider mental health education, again all of which would be benefitted by an understanding of psychology (APA, 2023). Curriculum Aims: Our curriculum aims to: · Fully support our students to be happy, healthy and safe in the modern world, through developing a better understanding of the behaviour of people in the world around them · Empower our students to o Know more about human behaviour and thinking o Remember more about the approaches and key topics within psychology o Do more by applying their knowledge to real world contexts and research methods · Inspire our students to strive for excellence and success throughout their lives · Prepare our students to be both literate and numerate Our broad and balanced curriculum concentrates on developing our students’ key knowledge and skills, and enhances their understanding of the world around them. We do this by: • Stimulating intellectual curiosity about human behaviour and thinking and independence to research these ideas • Facilitating collaboration, where students work with each other to research and conduct psychological studies • Promoting challenge for all through the topics we cover and particularly the evaluation and comparison of these topics, irrespective of starting points • Enabling creativity, by encouraging students to debate contrasting perspectives (particularly the nature-nurture debate) to find their own voice and arguments for essays • Sequencing learning so that students build on their early understanding of psychological approaches and research methods with logical progression, taking into account individual starting points • Revisiting previous learning of approaches, research methods and key evaluation areas to support the transfer to long-term memory Our curriculum is focused on the development of communication, character and cultural capital of each individual student, so they become: · Kind, caring citizens who contribute positively to society in a respectful manner due to their greater understanding of human behaviour around them · Reflective learners, who can learn from their work and the work of others, and who are resilient enough to problem-solve, reason, evaluate and debate within exams · Articulate individuals who can verbalise their own thoughts, ideas and emotions within debates and evaluation · Hard-working and empathetic young people who are constantly applying their learning to real-world situations Curriculum Outcome: As a consequence of our curriculum, students who leave RFSS will be empathetic and self-reflective individuals, competent at considering different opinions whilst being able to argue and support their own perspective. They will have a multitude of necessary skills, therefore, to enable them to progress to any further education course or career they wish to pursue. Please view or download our 'Sequence Overview' document for Psychology What are they learning? Kindness We regularly give ‘shout outs’ for staff who have gone above and beyond and demonstrated an exceptional display of one of our values We encourage and try to support flexible working requests and promote ‘family values’ as something that makes the workforce distinctive. We try to ensure staff have the opportunity to attend personal events or celebrations when requested and within agreed time frame. Collaboration We have an active Staff Wellbeing committee who meet regularly to discuss staff wellbeing and workload. We provide all new staff with a ‘buddy’ to provide support and advice. We plan a variety of staff social events across the year. We provide staff with a free lunch on the day of their duty. We have regular staff breakfasts, provide food on all CPD days and occasional treats such as Pizza! Curiosity We invest heavily in staff CPD and both promote and support opportunities to develop staff. We provide opportunities for all staff to network and visit other schools to improve their practice and share great ideas. Respect We have a Staff Room, where staff can meet, work and even socialise Each faculty has its own staff work room We have regular appraisal conversations to discuss career progression Resilience We promote resilience through our reflective CPD pathways. We have an area in the staff room dedicated to wellbeing which is used to promote health and wellbeing. We share weekly health and wellbeing information. Endeavour Promote a work life balance by being considerate when sending emails and holding meetings. We will endeavor to celebrate our staff and their achievements on a regular basis, for example; a black tie celebration evening.

Music Technology The music technology curriculum gives students the opportunity to create and manipulate sound to produce music, develop their knowledge and skills of sound production and editing, and explore areas such as live sound, sound recording, sequencing, mixing and mastering. Students will also develop an understanding of the history of music technology and production, and develop their skills and knowledge to prepare for a wide range of careers in production and technical roles within the music industry. Anchor 1 Anchor 2 core_values2 kind2 endeav3 core_values2 1/18 Back to Subjects Kindness We regularly give ‘shout outs’ for staff who have gone above and beyond and demonstrated an exceptional display of one of our values We encourage and try to support flexible working requests and promote ‘family values’ as something that makes the workforce distinctive. We try to ensure staff have the opportunity to attend personal events or celebrations when requested and within agreed time frame. Collaboration We have an active Staff Wellbeing committee who meet regularly to discuss staff wellbeing and workload. We provide all new staff with a ‘buddy’ to provide support and advice. We plan a variety of staff social events across the year. We provide staff with a free lunch on the day of their duty. We have regular staff breakfasts, provide food on all CPD days and occasional treats such as Pizza! Curiosity We invest heavily in staff CPD and both promote and support opportunities to develop staff. We provide opportunities for all staff to network and visit other schools to improve their practice and share great ideas. Respect We have a Staff Room, where staff can meet, work and even socialise Each faculty has its own staff work room We have regular appraisal conversations to discuss career progression Resilience We promote resilience through our reflective CPD pathways. We have an area in the staff room dedicated to wellbeing which is used to promote health and wellbeing. We share weekly health and wellbeing information. Endeavour Promote a work life balance by being considerate when sending emails and holding meetings. We will endeavor to celebrate our staff and their achievements on a regular basis, for example; a black tie celebration evening. It's amazing the way you can apply technology to an art form. Geoff Downes, Keyboardist in Yes

MFL - French MFL will support students to learn a second or third language, but also open their minds to other cultures and ways of living. ​ Learning a second language will equip students with new skills, such as resilience and curiosity and transferable skills to other subjects and live experiences. Anchor 1 Anchor 2 core_values2 kind2 endeav3 core_values2 1/18 Back to Subjects A different language is a different vision of life. Federico Fellini MFL Department - Overarching Curriculum Intent (September 2023) ​ RFSS Curriculum Vision Statement: To build an inclusive curriculum which is aspirational for all and empowers our students to make outstanding academic and personal progress. MFL Curriculum in Context: DfE does not have clear guidance for Modern Foreign Languages in KS2. Schools are not required by law to teach the content. That makes the curriculum in Y7 more challenging as students come from different backgrounds and levels, making French one of the most popular languages in Primary schools but not being taught properly as is a very common practice not to have specialist teachers of MFL in schools. The curriculum is created based on the literacy levels of students the first term of Y7, making sure that students have the foundations they will need for a second language acquisition. Once this foundation is developed KS3 curriculum is created to empower students. The topics have been selected by MFL teachers that have questioned the following: What is it essential to understand other cultures? What are the main areas of understanding that will help students to communicate and be independent? Which are the key words and grammar structures that will make a difference beyond the classroom? As Federico Fellini said, "A different language is a different vision of life." With these answers in place the curriculum was develop making sure that students are supported, and the correct differentiation and scaffolding is in place. Moving into KS4 the questions get bigger. Considering all the previous point we considered the exams requirements, but we also seek to inspire and engage our pupils through culture and History. Making sure that the learning is always contextualized. ​ Languages are linked to every subject in the DfE curriculum. Quoting Geoffrey Willans "You can never understand one language until you understand at least two." While students are developing MFL skills they are also developing their English and understanding better the world and people around them. Curriculum Aims: ​ Our curriculum aims to: Empower our students to communicate effectively and independently in a second language context. Fully support our students’ moral and cultural understanding of the modern world through languages. Inspire our students to explore and improve their linguist skills through culture and History. Empower our students to Know more about others understanding their languages. Understand people around them through their culture backgrounds. Do more by applying this knowledge in their life experiences. Becoming more respectful in the school environment and in their future adulthood. Our curriculum has been developed through the experiences of MFL teachers, that understand what the possible barriers and frustrations are while learning a second language. Also being realistic with the content making sure is contextualized and updated with the students lifes. We do this by: Stimulating intellectual curiosity about other cultures and languages, through storytelling, History events or personal experiences. Facilitating collaboration, where students can apply their speaking skills with peers and thinking routines. Promoting challenge for all through vocabulary, listening, speaking, and reading. Developing the four pillars of language acquisition. Promoting curiosity with cultural research of other countries cuisine, art, music, idioms… Sequencing learning creating the strong foundations on literacy and then developing vocabulary and grammar. Revisiting previous learning, languages always need the previous learning to develop longer sentences, stronger statements or better speech. Our curriculum is focused on the development of communication, character and cultural capital of each individual student, so they become: Empathetic citizens who understand the power of foreign languages in society. Resilient learners who reflect on their work and understand the steps of language acquisition. Creative thinkers who find ways to express their thoughts and opinions in a second language. Respectful citizens that can understand other’s points of view and way of living. Hard-working students who are committed to fully developing and exploring their ideas. More prepare future workers, ready for a multicultural world. Curriculum Outcome: As a result of our curriculum, students will leave RFSS competent in the skills of reading, listening, writing and spoken language. They will also be empowered by the ability of speaking and understanding a second language, improving their carriers and life. Finishing with one sentence from Nelson Mandela "If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart." Learning languages make people better in a personal and professional level. Please view or download our 'Sequence Overview' document for French Kindness We regularly give ‘shout outs’ for staff who have gone above and beyond and demonstrated an exceptional display of one of our values We encourage and try to support flexible working requests and promote ‘family values’ as something that makes the workforce distinctive. We try to ensure staff have the opportunity to attend personal events or celebrations when requested and within agreed time frame. Collaboration We have an active Staff Wellbeing committee who meet regularly to discuss staff wellbeing and workload. We provide all new staff with a ‘buddy’ to provide support and advice. We plan a variety of staff social events across the year. We provide staff with a free lunch on the day of their duty. We have regular staff breakfasts, provide food on all CPD days and occasional treats such as Pizza! Curiosity We invest heavily in staff CPD and both promote and support opportunities to develop staff. We provide opportunities for all staff to network and visit other schools to improve their practice and share great ideas. Respect We have a Staff Room, where staff can meet, work and even socialise Each faculty has its own staff work room We have regular appraisal conversations to discuss career progression Resilience We promote resilience through our reflective CPD pathways. We have an area in the staff room dedicated to wellbeing which is used to promote health and wellbeing. We share weekly health and wellbeing information. Endeavour Promote a work life balance by being considerate when sending emails and holding meetings. We will endeavor to celebrate our staff and their achievements on a regular basis, for example; a black tie celebration evening.

Teaching and Learning Quality-first Teaching and Learning is at the centre of our school’s ethos, and is the key priority for all staff. Our aim is for teachers to deliver high-quality lessons to all year groups, whilst also being supported to develop through pertinent and purposeful internal and external CPD that is bespoke. Anchor 1 Anchor 2 core_values2 kind2 endeav3 core_values2 1/18 Parents & Carers At RFSS, we believe our students are entitled to consistently good lessons. Learning is integral to everything we do at RFSS. We ensure that all of our students, regardless of gender, ethnicity or ability, receive the best possible learning experiences, to enable them to achieve and maximise their potential. Our forward-thinking curriculum, designed to meet the needs of all learners, is delivered by subject specialists, who embrace the latest innovations in teaching and learning. At RFSS, we continually support students to develop a love of learning to help them become learners for life, in order to equip them with the knowledge and skills that they will need in the real world. This is also the case with our teaching staff, who continuously develop and update their own pedagogical practices, through Action Research projects and other bespoke professional development sessions. At RFSS, we expect our staff to adopt a set of Teaching and Learning principles that are both research-based and pedagogy-led, ensuring all students are seen as individuals who are not limited by their ability or expertise. This framework allows for the systematic growth of minds, and the development of the cognitive skills, values, attitudes and attributes needed to reach success. In addition to this, we believe that staff are the experts in their areas, and we aim to work collaboratively to share good practice and ideas. Our students are encouraged to use their thinking skills to build on existing knowledge, generate their own ideas and opinion, and to solve problems effectively, both individually and in collaboration with their peers. This philosophy also extends itself to the personal aspect of Teaching and Learning, as we strive to develop well rounded individuals who are respectful, curious and resilient. ​ To support Parents and Carers we have created some help sheets around home learning and revision techniques that you can use with your child whilst they are away from the classroom. ​ Cognitive Load Theory Flipped Learning Interleaving Chunking Using Flashcards Kindness We regularly give ‘shout outs’ for staff who have gone above and beyond and demonstrated an exceptional display of one of our values We encourage and try to support flexible working requests and promote ‘family values’ as something that makes the workforce distinctive. We try to ensure staff have the opportunity to attend personal events or celebrations when requested and within agreed time frame. Collaboration We have an active Staff Wellbeing committee who meet regularly to discuss staff wellbeing and workload. We provide all new staff with a ‘buddy’ to provide support and advice. We plan a variety of staff social events across the year. We provide staff with a free lunch on the day of their duty. We have regular staff breakfasts, provide food on all CPD days and occasional treats such as Pizza! Curiosity We invest heavily in staff CPD and both promote and support opportunities to develop staff. We provide opportunities for all staff to network and visit other schools to improve their practice and share great ideas. Respect We have a Staff Room, where staff can meet, work and even socialise Each faculty has its own staff work room We have regular appraisal conversations to discuss career progression Resilience We promote resilience through our reflective CPD pathways. We have an area in the staff room dedicated to wellbeing which is used to promote health and wellbeing. We share weekly health and wellbeing information. Endeavour Promote a work life balance by being considerate when sending emails and holding meetings. We will endeavor to celebrate our staff and their achievements on a regular basis, for example; a black tie celebration evening.

Sociology The Rugby Free Secondary sociology curriculum allows students to develop an understanding of the world around them and how different social structures, processes and issues impact their day to day lives, as well as the lives of others. This gives students an opportunity to delve deeper into the many areas of their life that will shape their behaviour, identity and beliefs, while respecting those with different experiences. This knowledge and skill set will equip them for further study, as well as ensuring they never view the world in the same way again. Anchor 1 Anchor 2 core_values2 kind2 endeav3 core_values2 1/18 Back to Subjects You don't retire from sociology any more than you retire from life. Laurie Taylor (BBC Radio 4 presenter) Sociology Department - Overarching Curriculum Intent (September 2023 ) RFSS Curriculum Vision Statement: To build an inclusive curriculum which is aspirational for all and empowers our students to make outstanding academic and personal progress. Sociology Curriculum in Context: We live in an ever-changing world, where the impact of globalisation has led to greater diversity, less economic security and more technological change than ever before. These changes in wider society can be felt in schools too. They have led to wider gaps in achievement of groups such as the disadvantaged, ethnic minorities and students with additional needs within schools nationally and have also limited their access to other areas of society as well. Often these students are drawn to Social Science subjects, with A Level Sociology drawing in the more disadvantaged students than any other subject according to the Fischer Family Trust (2022). Often this is to make sense of their position in society, our curriculum has been designed to not only meet their needs and encourage inclusivity, but also allow these students to understand why these changes are happening through the exploration of current events and more recent studies. This has led to a focus on vocabulary throughout Key Stage Four and Key Stage Five to ensure that students have a secure understanding of key terminology that they are often introduced to for the first time in the subject. The elaborate vocabulary and concepts that students are introduced to can also be used in other subjects to show an enhanced understanding, with the 2019 AQA Paper 2 English Language Examiners report quoting that the strongest responses demonstrated an ability to engage with “’the big ideas’: politics, economics, gender, aesthetics, class, morality, psychology, even philosophy”. Throughout the RFSS Sociology curriculum, students will explore the different perspectives views of society and evaluate whether they are still relevant now. The curriculum allows students to explore contemporary issues, ensuring they are aware of political, economic, cultural and social changes that are occurring in society nowadays and can confidently apply them not just within the Social Science subjects, but the wider curriculum too. The curriculum also allows for students' personal development, giving students an opportunity to delve deeper into the many areas of their life that will shape their behaviour, identity and beliefs, while respecting that those with different experiences will likely hold different perspectives from them because of this. They will learn how sociologists strive to improve their society, making it a more equal place for all, but do so from different viewpoints and show resilience when others critique them because of this. Our intent is that our students will be offered a curriculum which is academically rigorous but also helps them to develop into curious and well-rounded young people, who will never view the world in the same way again. Curriculum Aims: Our curriculum aims to: Promote mastery, while encouraging students to be curious, resilient learners who can work independently and in groups to employ research skills that will be used into Higher Education and beyond. Develop students ability to analyse and evaluate through the exploration of different sociological perspectives. Ensure all students can make good progress by mastering core vocabulary, identifying trends in data and having a sound understanding of key concepts. Support students to understand their social world and experiences through the study key texts associated with some of the leading sociologists of the 20th century Our broad and balanced curriculum concentrates on developing our students’ key knowledge and skills, and enhances their understanding of the world around them. ​ We do this by: Sequencing learning in a way that allows knowledge to be built upon so that students can make synoptic links across topics. Promoting curiosity, collaboration and resilience through independent and interdependent activities such as research projects and extra-curricular trips. Exploring key themes throughout the course, such as Gender, Social Class, Ethnicity, Age, Power, Wealth, the Media and Inequality, linking these with historical and current events. Introducing students to challenging terms and concepts through the study of twenty-five key texts that have shaped Sociological thinking. Participating in debates to improve oracy and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of different sociological views, collect evidence to support their arguments and accept that people have different opinions. Promoting challenge for all through the use of additional studies and evaluative points. Our curriculum is focused on the development of communication, character and cultural capital of each individual student, so they become: ​ Curious about their position in society and the ways that they can improve upon it Empathetic to the experiences of others and aware of how inequalities within society may effect their position Effective communicators who are able to see both sides of an argument and consider alternative perspectives. Critical thinkers who are able to evaluate alternative viewpoints and support their views with statistics and academic studies. Confident students who can apply their sociological imagination to other curriculum areas around the school. ​ ​ Curriculum Outcome: ​ Students studying Sociology will leave RFSS as empathetic students who no longer take the interactions that they view on a daily basis on face value. They will forevermore apply sociological perspectives to the most simple events in their lives, will be fully equipped to employ skills desired by further education providers and employers alike, such as critical thinking, planning research and extended writing. Please view or download our 'Sequence Overview' document for Sociology Kindness We regularly give ‘shout outs’ for staff who have gone above and beyond and demonstrated an exceptional display of one of our values We encourage and try to support flexible working requests and promote ‘family values’ as something that makes the workforce distinctive. We try to ensure staff have the opportunity to attend personal events or celebrations when requested and within agreed time frame. Collaboration We have an active Staff Wellbeing committee who meet regularly to discuss staff wellbeing and workload. We provide all new staff with a ‘buddy’ to provide support and advice. We plan a variety of staff social events across the year. We provide staff with a free lunch on the day of their duty. We have regular staff breakfasts, provide food on all CPD days and occasional treats such as Pizza! Curiosity We invest heavily in staff CPD and both promote and support opportunities to develop staff. We provide opportunities for all staff to network and visit other schools to improve their practice and share great ideas. Respect We have a Staff Room, where staff can meet, work and even socialise Each faculty has its own staff work room We have regular appraisal conversations to discuss career progression Resilience We promote resilience through our reflective CPD pathways. We have an area in the staff room dedicated to wellbeing which is used to promote health and wellbeing. We share weekly health and wellbeing information. Endeavour Promote a work life balance by being considerate when sending emails and holding meetings. We will endeavor to celebrate our staff and their achievements on a regular basis, for example; a black tie celebration evening.

Admissions At Rugby Free Secondary School, we recognise the importance of a smooth, positive transition from primary school to secondary school. We understand that this may be a stressful time for both students and parents. Therefore we work very closely with students, parents and our feeder primary schools to ensure that the process is as stress free as possible. Deciding where to send your child to secondary school is a huge decision and one which must be taken early on. Anchor 1 Back to Our School Anchor 2 core_values2 kind2 endeav3 core_values2 1/18 We ensure that the transition process is as stress free as possible. Why don't you come and visit us? In order to help you make the decision on whether RFSS is the right school for your child, we invite you to join up for our Open Evening held at the beginning of each academic year. During the Open Evening you will have the chance to meet the leadership team, teaching staff, support staff and discuss all aspects of school life. You can visit our excellent facilities and see examples of students work as each department showcases what they have on offer. There will also be the opportunity to hear directly from the Headteacher during one of the talks held throughout the evening. Please keep an eye on our website and social media pages for dates, times and links to book in for the evening. If you would like to see the school but can't wait until one of our Open Evenings then you can watch our virtual tour, the video for which is shown below. ​ ​ Admissions Policy 2023-24 Click HERE for the In Year Admissions Application Form This form is only to be used for in year admission applications for Year 8 - Year 11 for the 2024-2025 academic year. Year 7 in year admission applications are managed by Warwickshire County Council until the end of the Autumn Term. At the start of the Spring Term, the above form can then be used. Kindness We regularly give ‘shout outs’ for staff who have gone above and beyond and demonstrated an exceptional display of one of our values We encourage and try to support flexible working requests and promote ‘family values’ as something that makes the workforce distinctive. We try to ensure staff have the opportunity to attend personal events or celebrations when requested and within agreed time frame. Collaboration We have an active Staff Wellbeing committee who meet regularly to discuss staff wellbeing and workload. We provide all new staff with a ‘buddy’ to provide support and advice. We plan a variety of staff social events across the year. We provide staff with a free lunch on the day of their duty. We have regular staff breakfasts, provide food on all CPD days and occasional treats such as Pizza! Curiosity We invest heavily in staff CPD and both promote and support opportunities to develop staff. We provide opportunities for all staff to network and visit other schools to improve their practice and share great ideas. Respect We have a Staff Room, where staff can meet, work and even socialise Each faculty has its own staff work room We have regular appraisal conversations to discuss career progression Resilience We promote resilience through our reflective CPD pathways. We have an area in the staff room dedicated to wellbeing which is used to promote health and wellbeing. We share weekly health and wellbeing information. Endeavour Promote a work life balance by being considerate when sending emails and holding meetings. We will endeavor to celebrate our staff and their achievements on a regular basis, for example; a black tie celebration evening.

Parents & Carers Advisory Board We recognise that parents play a vital role in supporting students to achieve their potential and encourage parents to work closely with staff. As a school we provide effective and efficient communications to ensure that parents and carers are involved in all aspects of school life. We use parent mail as our main method of contact but also provide monthly newsletters and updates via social media platforms. Anchor 1 Anchor 2 core_values2 kind2 endeav3 core_values2 1/18 Parents & Carers We strive to develop well rounded individuals who are respectful, curious and resilient. Kindness We regularly give ‘shout outs’ for staff who have gone above and beyond and demonstrated an exceptional display of one of our values We encourage and try to support flexible working requests and promote ‘family values’ as something that makes the workforce distinctive. We try to ensure staff have the opportunity to attend personal events or celebrations when requested and within agreed time frame. Collaboration We have an active Staff Wellbeing committee who meet regularly to discuss staff wellbeing and workload. We provide all new staff with a ‘buddy’ to provide support and advice. We plan a variety of staff social events across the year. We provide staff with a free lunch on the day of their duty. We have regular staff breakfasts, provide food on all CPD days and occasional treats such as Pizza! Curiosity We invest heavily in staff CPD and both promote and support opportunities to develop staff. We provide opportunities for all staff to network and visit other schools to improve their practice and share great ideas. Respect We have a Staff Room, where staff can meet, work and even socialise Each faculty has its own staff work room We have regular appraisal conversations to discuss career progression Resilience We promote resilience through our reflective CPD pathways. We have an area in the staff room dedicated to wellbeing which is used to promote health and wellbeing. We share weekly health and wellbeing information. Endeavour Promote a work life balance by being considerate when sending emails and holding meetings. We will endeavor to celebrate our staff and their achievements on a regular basis, for example; a black tie celebration evening.

Anchor 1 If there are any additional questions or queries you have, whether for this upcoming September admissions or looking ahead to the future, please do not hesitate to get in touch – there is no question too big or too small! You will find my contact details at the bottom of this page. I very much look forward to meeting you all at some point soon as you look to start your secondary school adventure with us here at Rugby Free Secondary School. Anchor 2 core_values2 kind2 endeav3 core_values2 1/18 Parents & Carers The move from primary school to secondary school is one that is often faced with a mixture of emotions; excitement, nerves, hope for the future, but a fear of the unknown. My hope is that this page is able to allay some of those fears by providing you with answers to many of the questions you may have around this transition process. Year 7: Transition Hello and welcome to RFSS! Kindness We regularly give ‘shout outs’ for staff who have gone above and beyond and demonstrated an exceptional display of one of our values We encourage and try to support flexible working requests and promote ‘family values’ as something that makes the workforce distinctive. We try to ensure staff have the opportunity to attend personal events or celebrations when requested and within agreed time frame. Collaboration We have an active Staff Wellbeing committee who meet regularly to discuss staff wellbeing and workload. We provide all new staff with a ‘buddy’ to provide support and advice. We plan a variety of staff social events across the year. We provide staff with a free lunch on the day of their duty. We have regular staff breakfasts, provide food on all CPD days and occasional treats such as Pizza! Curiosity We invest heavily in staff CPD and both promote and support opportunities to develop staff. We provide opportunities for all staff to network and visit other schools to improve their practice and share great ideas. Respect We have a Staff Room, where staff can meet, work and even socialise Each faculty has its own staff work room We have regular appraisal conversations to discuss career progression Resilience We promote resilience through our reflective CPD pathways. We have an area in the staff room dedicated to wellbeing which is used to promote health and wellbeing. We share weekly health and wellbeing information. Endeavour Promote a work life balance by being considerate when sending emails and holding meetings. We will endeavor to celebrate our staff and their achievements on a regular basis, for example; a black tie celebration evening. Bethan Austen Senior Assistant Headteacher Click here for our recent Transition Taster Events We ensure all students can establish positive relationships with their peers, and very quickly feel part of the RFSS family. Summer School 2022

Admissions At Rugby Free Secondary School, we recognise the importance of a smooth, positive transition from primary school to secondary school. We understand that this may be a stressful time for both students and parents. Therefore we work very closely with students, parents and our feeder primary schools to ensure that the process is as stress free as possible. Deciding where to send your child to secondary school is a huge decision and one which must be taken early on. Anchor 1 Back to Our School Anchor 2 core_values2 kind2 endeav3 core_values2 1/18 Why don't you come and visit us? We ensure that the transition process is as stress free as possible. In order to help you make the decision whether RFSS is right for you, we invite all parents of, and students in, Year 6 to visit us for our Open Evening, held at the beginning of each academic year. During our Open Evening you will have the chance to meet the leadership team, teaching staff and support staff, and discuss aspects of school life which interest you. You can visit our excellent facilities and see examples of students’ work. If you would like to arrange a viewing of the school or have any questions regarding RFSS, please do get in touch with us. Admissions Policy 2021-22 Kindness We regularly give ‘shout outs’ for staff who have gone above and beyond and demonstrated an exceptional display of one of our values We encourage and try to support flexible working requests and promote ‘family values’ as something that makes the workforce distinctive. We try to ensure staff have the opportunity to attend personal events or celebrations when requested and within agreed time frame. Collaboration We have an active Staff Wellbeing committee who meet regularly to discuss staff wellbeing and workload. We provide all new staff with a ‘buddy’ to provide support and advice. We plan a variety of staff social events across the year. We provide staff with a free lunch on the day of their duty. We have regular staff breakfasts, provide food on all CPD days and occasional treats such as Pizza! Curiosity We invest heavily in staff CPD and both promote and support opportunities to develop staff. We provide opportunities for all staff to network and visit other schools to improve their practice and share great ideas. Respect We have a Staff Room, where staff can meet, work and even socialise Each faculty has its own staff work room We have regular appraisal conversations to discuss career progression Resilience We promote resilience through our reflective CPD pathways. We have an area in the staff room dedicated to wellbeing which is used to promote health and wellbeing. We share weekly health and wellbeing information. Endeavour Promote a work life balance by being considerate when sending emails and holding meetings. We will endeavor to celebrate our staff and their achievements on a regular basis, for example; a black tie celebration evening.

Student Support Each year group has a Head of Year who is a full time teacher, and an Assistant Head of Year (non- teaching) supporting this role. There are also Form Tutors in each year group who meet with their class each morning for registration, and who deliver a Form Tutor programme throughout the year that covers all areas of PSHCE, and creates opportunities for celebrating success. Anchor 1 Back to Students Anchor 2 core_values2 kind2 endeav3 core_values2 1/18 Back to Parents & Carers Our structure reinforces the school value of Collaboration as we all seek to work in partnership with your child. This structure also means that students and parents have three dedicated points of contact for their specific year group which allows for regular contact between school and home via phone, email or prearranged meetings. It also reinforces the school value of Collaboration as we all seek to work in partnership for the benefit of your child. Anchor 3 The below attachment is a useful guide to all Parents and Carers on how best to support your child through their educational journey. ​ ​ RFSS Supporting Learning 2024 2025 Please click the below area for information specifically relevant to your childs' year group:

Careers information for PARENTS Should you require further advice and guidance in addition to the information below, please contact Mr Edwards on philip.edwards@rugbyfreesecondary.co.uk Rugby Free Secondary School benefits from having a Career Torch Careers Advisor who delivers a one-to-one service and works alongside the pastoral teams to provide a range of services to our students. ​ These services include: Assistance with college and university applications Securing employment and apprenticeships One to one interviews And help with CVs and application forms. ​ ​ The team also facilitates work experience, careers fairs (internal & external), A-Level and Vocational taster sessions, trips to colleges and universities. ​ Every year Rugby Free Secondary School holds a careers fair attended by higher education institutions, workplaces, public service representatives and the armed services. ​ We also provide career talks on apprenticeships, university & college options and careers on a weekly basis. Posters and flyers about careers events are also posted throughout the school and students are made aware of events via tutor time. Every summer our year 12 students are given the opportunity to take part in work experience. You can view our full careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) programme on here. ADVICE FOR PARENTS ​ As a parent, you are incredibly influential when it comes to the decisions your child makes in all areas of their lives and that is especially true when it comes to their education and careers. This guide makes it as easy as possible for you to talk to your child about their options. Careers Advice for Parents - Careers Advice for UK parents, young people, school leavers, A Level students, teenagers. Independent, informative & accurate Mumsnet Education - Find all you need to know on getting them from preschool through to higher education. Parent Adviser - Parent Adviser provide useful, up to date advice for parents about the career options available to their children. Advice on UCAS for parents and guardians - Lots of resources and information dedicated to helping parents and guardians support students applying to uni. Paths to Professional Careers – a Parent’s Guide 2024 - Get advice aimed at parents on careers, university and school leaver programmes such as higher apprenticeships and sponsored degrees. CHILD EMPLOYMENT ​ The youngest age a child can work part-time is 13 - except children involved in areas like: television, theatre, modelling. Children working in these areas will need a performance licence. Children can only start full-time work once they’ve reached the minimum school leaving age - they can then work up to a maximum of 40 hours a week. Once someone reaches 16, you may need to pay them through PAYE. Once someone reaches 18, adult employment rights and rules then apply. APPRENTICESHIP INFORMATION A Parent’s Guide to Apprenticeships Information for parents about the benefits of apprenticeships and the opportunities they provide.

Prospectus Please download our latest 2023-2024 Prospectus here. We hope you find the prospectus informative and would urge you to come and see us in action! Anchor 1 Back to Our School Anchor 2 core_values2 kind2 endeav3 core_values2 1/18 We strive to develop well rounded individuals who are respectful, curious and resilient. Please click here to download

Students Anchor 1 Student Support Careers Student Login

Ali House Leaders Anchor 1 A house leader is someone who will demonstrate RFSS values and ethos, they will have the desire to act responsibly and be a role model for other students. A house leader will be able to converse with staff, peers and the wider community. The are committed to encouraging others and recruiting members of the school community to participate in house events. Amna Ali Aakash Choudary Eleanor Drake Lily Baker Intira Chanrai