SPECIALIST SCHOOL STATUS

Beaumont School was designated as a Language College in September 2003. In May 2007 we were named as a High Performing Specialist School and invited to take a second specialism, Mathematics and Computing. This complements our first specialism, Languages.

In common with all other Language Colleges, we aim to:

• raise standards of achievement in modern foreign languages, mathematics and ICT for all students across the ability range, leading to whole school improvement in performance;

• be active partners in a learning society with our local family of schools and our community, sharing resources and developing and sharing good practice;

• promote an educational culture which is international, technological, enterprising and vocational;

• raise the post-16 participation rate in modern foreign languages, and provide young people with the skills needed to progress into employment, further training or higher education according to their individual abilities, aptitudes and ambitions.

All students continue to receive a broad and balanced education. They also enjoy the enriched curriculum opportunities which a Language, Mathematics and ICT College is able to offer. In particular, they will benefit from:

• better language, maths and ICT facilities and resources;

• ICT lessons for all students throughout KS3 and 4;

• a wider range of languages on offer;

• more opportunities to take part in extracurricular activities in Maths and ICT;

• more study visits abroad and foreign exchanges;

• opportunities to make contact with other students worldwide using ICT;

• whole school improvements made possible by the extra funding;

• the opportunity to gain accreditation in their heritage language where it is other than those taught in the curriculum

We collaborate closely with our consortium partner schools to develop a programme of community activities, each school offering opportunities related to their specialism. This will mean that in languages, children at our linked primary schools will have theopportunity to begin a language as early as Year 3.

As part of our commitment to our community schools, students from primary schools visit Beaumont for timetabled lessons in mathematics taught by our teachers.

Parents and members of the local community have:

• the opportunity to take recreational language courses;

• more opportunity to use our premises and facilities;

• the opportunity to benefit from family learning experiences.

Our specialisms help us to ensure that Beaumont School continues to be a stimulating and challenging environment in which each student can develop his or her potential.