TRINITY CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL - DOC

							                         TRINITY CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL
                         (Specialist Status in Science and PE)
                      Chairman of Governors: Mr R Barnes
                 Headmaster: Dr P C Doherty, B.A., D.Phil.(Oxon)., F.R.S.A.


Trinity Catholic High School is situated in the North-East of the London Borough of Redbridge on the
fringe of Epping Forest. It is a voluntary aided 11 - 18 mixed comprehensive school with
approximately 1700 pupils on roll. The school is based on two sites about half a mile apart, with Years
7 - 9 on the Lower Site in Sydney Road and Years 10 - 14 on the Upper Site in Mornington Road. The
school is maintained by the London Borough of Redbridge, but is a Catholic school under the Diocese
of Brentwood. It was formed in l976 by the amalgamation of St. Paul‟s Catholic Secondary School
(now the Lower Site) and Holy Family Convent School (now the Upper Site).

Trinity Catholic High School‟s vision is based on Christ‟s maxim that “We love each other as we love
ourselves”. In practical terms, we regard each child as we would our own. Teachers at Trinity
Catholic High School are most skilled, caring and professional and work in an environment which is
most conducive to the education of all.
In l997 Her Majesty‟s Chief Inspector for schools in his annual report described Trinity as “an
outstandingly successful school”. In May l999, the Department for Education and Employment
(DFEE) nominated Trinity Catholic High School as a “Beacon School” to show good practice both
locally and nationally. Her Majesty‟s Chief Inspector - 2000 annual report - Trinity Catholic High
School has again been nominated as an outstanding school. In March 2006 Ofsted again judged the
school to be outstanding. Comments from the March 2006 Ofsted report include:

„Trinity Catholic High School provides its students with an excellent education and continues to be an
outstanding school. Standards are high and students achieve extremely well as a result of
outstanding teaching. The leaders and managers believe that „each child matters now‟ and this
maxim is at the heart of their decision making. They have an astute view of the school‟s strengths and
weaknesses through their excellent self evaluation. There is a clear vision and a hunger for
improvement building on the school‟s record of outstanding success. The outstanding and consistent
leadership of the headmaster over a quarter of a century is complemented by the exceptional
management of senior and middle leaders.‟

„The Christian ethos and practice of the Catholic faith permeate the life of the school and underpins
the excellent relationships with all levels of staff and students and its concern for the individual.
Students and parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school.‟

„This is an outstanding sixth form. Its profile, reputation and performance are excellent, and it is a
popular choice for students from other schools.‟
In summary all areas were rated as outstanding:

   Overall effectiveness of the school – Grade: 1 Outstanding
   Effectiveness and efficiency of the sixth form – Grade: 1 Outstanding
   Achievement and standards – Grade 1 Outstanding
   Personal development and well-being – Grade 1 Outstanding
   Teaching and learning – Grade 1 Outstanding
   Curriculum and other activities – Grade 1 Outstanding
    Care, guidance and support – Grade: 1 Outstanding
    Leadership and management – Grade: 1 Outstanding


In l994/1995 the school underwent a major new building development. Two new classrooms and an
office were added to Lower Site whilst on the Upper Site eleven temporary classrooms were replaced
by a magnificent new teaching block, dining hall and Sixth Form Centre. In the last couple of years
there have been further building developments with the construction of a further block of four
classrooms and offices, and brand new teaching blocks for Science, Technology and Art.

Facilities now include:

        assembly / dining halls on both sites
        a computer resourced library and a lower site fiction
         library
        seven specialist computer laboratories
        two gymnasiums and a sports hall
        a state of the art Theatre for Drama
        specialist facilities for Art, Media, Science and
        Technology
        an ICT learning resources centre.

There are two chapels, one on each site, and a range of modern buildings which include Keswick
House, Pelham House (Sixth Form Centre), Grainger House, St Paul‟s Centre, Rackham House and
the Monteluce building. In addition the school has access to a wide range of off-site sports facilities
close by.

There are approximately 100 teaching staff at Trinity Catholic High School supported by
approximately 45 ancillary staff who provide clerical, administrative and technical support.

Trinity offers a broad and balanced range of subjects at all key stages. 29 subjects are offered at
GCSE as part of the normal school timetable. In addition a range of subjects are also offered as
enrichment twilight lessons: GCSE Statistics, GCSE Astronomy, GCSE Triple Award Science, GCSE
German and GCSE Food and Nutrition, AS Critical Thinking and AS Electronics.
In addition the school offers a wide range of extra curricular provision after school. A list of current
activities is attached. The school has recently received an award for the quality of its study support.

Trinity has a very large Sixth Form of approximately 500 students. The majority of Sixth Form
students will have spent their whole secondary education at Trinity but a significant number (usually
about ninety) join the Sixth Form each year from other schools in the area.

The Sixth Form is multi-racial. It is also multi-faith. Whilst Trinity is a Catholic school it is an extremely
popular choice in the local area for all those considering a post-16 option. Each year members of all
the major faith communities in the area (Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Jewish) are welcomed here as are
members of different Christian denominations and the secular community. In common with the school
as a whole, the Sixth Form is hugely over-subscribed.

The Sixth Form is friendly, busy and purposeful and the majority of Sixth Form students (about
85/90%) progress to higher education each year. Currently, thirty subjects are offered at AS and A
Level and across the major curriculum domains.

Exam results in the Sixth Form are consistently above national averages. In 2006 the A Level pass
rate was 99% with an A - B pass rate of 58%. The school adds value across all groups at post -16
level.
The school is an inclusive community and as many students as can possibly benefit from post-16
education are encouraged to stay on to the Sixth Form. The school is perhaps especially proud of the
achievements of those of our students who may not even have been offered a place on an AS or A
Level course elsewhere.

The general success of the Sixth Form and the standards achieved by Sixth Form students were
described as follows by Ofsted in March 2006: “This is an outstanding sixth form. Its profile,
reputation and performance are excellent, and it is a popular choice for students from other schools.
Teaching is consistently good and often outstanding. Students know clearly what they need to do to
improve because they are set challenging individual targets and are monitored effectively. As a result,
many achieve very well given their prior attainment, with the significant majority of students
successfully gaining a place at university. The school makes excellent provision for care and
guidance, and for students‟ personal development and future economic well-being. Sixth form
students make major contributions to the positive ethos of the school by acting as role models and
mentors to younger students. (...) The progress made by those who join the sixth form with lower
overall GCSE grades is particularly good. (...) The students are proud of their school, not just of its
examination results, but as a supportive, harmonious community. Students celebrate the
contributions of other cultures and faiths, especially in the multi-faith sixth form. Sixth form students
make major contributions to the positive ethos of the school by acting as role models and mentors to
younger students.”

The chance to make a contribution to young people‟s achievement at post-16 level is a strong feature
of the teacher‟s role at Trinity and all new teachers to the school are extremely well supported in this -
both by their departments and by the Sixth Form team.

2006 Examination Results

Trinity Catholic High School has very high expectations and as a consequence achieves outstanding
results at all key stages.

At KS3 all core subjects exceed national pass rates by over 20%. In Maths 94% of pupils at KS3
achieved level 5 and above in 2006. In English 97% of pupils achieved level 5 and above and in
Science 93% of pupils achieved level 5 and above. In all other subject areas the results are at least
16% above national values.

At GCSE the pass rate in 2006 was 84% A*-C (girls 90% and boys 77%) and 78% A*-C including
English and Maths. All subject areas at GCSE exceeded national pass rates. Pass rates in English
and Maths at GCSE are well above national values:

The A-level pass rate at Trinity in 2006 was 99%. Of the 26 A-level subject areas 21 gained 100%
pass rates. The pass rate at A – B grades is 58%. At AS level in 2006 88% of students gained
grades A - E.

The exams data for the school is available on our website.

Trinity Catholic High School became a Science College in September 2002. As a high performing
specialist school we were invited to apply for a second specialism and have now been designated as
a Sports College as of April 2007. We believe that as a Specialist School we are bringing about
whole school improvement in performance in addition to raising the educational standards of adults in
our community. Adults can enjoy a programme of half-termly public lectures, to enhance the public
understanding of sciences and short courses in Health related fitness. We have become active
partners in a learning society with a family of schools and their communities, sharing resources and
developing and sharing good practice. In addition to outreach teaching in Science and Maths, Year 5
and 6 students are now spending a significant amount of time on site.
We are promoting an educational culture which is scientific, technological, enterprising and
vocational. As a Science College we have been able to extend the curriculum to offer additional
GCSE subjects such as Astronomy, Food and Nutrition, Statistics and the separate Sciences, in
addition to AS-level Geology, Electronics and Science for Public Understanding. Trinity is a
Specialist Schools and Academies Trust leading practice hub for the teaching of Triple Science at
GCSE in the region. It has a role in developing and disseminating innovative methods of teaching
and learning at GCSE, supporting other schools in the region. This is separate to the school‟s role as
a hub for the Association of Science Education. We have also been strengthening links with industry
and higher education institutions. Students now have opportunities to work alongside scientists in the
classroom, for example with Queen Mary, University of London Engineering students, or in the
Researchers in Residence programme run by the University of Edinburgh. Our students have been
involved in real research and have had opportunities to see how learning benefits our community and
our environment. An increasing number of students are opting for A-level Sciences each year, and
many go on to further study and eventually Science -related careers. We are particularly excited and
motivated by the fact that our family of schools is inspiring young people to become the future
generation of scientists.

Spiritual, social, moral and cultural development. The school has highlighted this as a priority for
many years. We have invested in the construction of two Chapels, and in the provision of a
Chaplaincy service to promote the spiritual life of the school. As a result there are a number of
voluntary prayer groups that meet on a daily basis. There is an annual programme of Retreats and
school Masses. The life of the school is characterised by daily prayer and daily Mass. The school
promotes pupils‟ moral development via an emphasis on respect for each other, staff, and their
responsibility to work hard as students. In addition on an annual basis the school adopts a range of
charity projects for pupils to respond to. The school is also currently involved in the work of TELCO
(The East London Community Organisation) which has involved sixth form students in particular. In
addition Year 12 / 13 students have a programme of RE days, and enrichment studies that include
ethics. The school also hosts an annual Medical Ethics Conference. Pupils commence Key Stage 4
studies with a series of induction days that have an explicit spiritual and moral content.

Trinity Catholic High School is very proud of its successes and the achievements of the pupils and
staff. We are looking for highly qualified and dedicated professionals who wish to support us to
maintain and build upon the vision and successes of our school.