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King Edward VI Handsworth School for Girls is an 11-18 selective girls’ school, forming part of the King Edward Foundation. The King Edward’s Foundation is responsible for the running of the five grammar schools (all of which converted to academy status on the 1st August 2011), two independent schools, and the King Edward VI Sheldon Heath Academy in the City of Birmingham. We currently have 901 pupils, 261 in the Sixth Form. We are very popular and have approximately nine applicants for every place given. We are a Performing Arts specialist college and gained High Performing School Status in 2010, as a result, our second specialism is Science. We are a busy, caring, and supportive school that values praise, enjoyment, respect, and honesty in all we do. A rich program of extracurricular provision provides chances for the girls to develop outside of the classroom, particularly in skills of confidence, teamwork, and leadership. We aim to develop young ladies who leave the school with a secure sense of identity, respect, tolerance for and understanding of difference and diversity, academic success, and as well-rounded, confident young women who are ready and able to embrace the challenges and opportunities of adult life. Our five Ofsted inspections have been outstanding, nonetheless, we are not complacent and review and plan for further development to strengthen our school. We are an ambitious and forward-thinking school, we are firm believers in Building Learning Power, a strategy pioneered by Guy Claxton, and we have spoken at national and local conferences promoting the approach. The vast majority of our lessons are graded outstanding or good. Our facilities are excellent and provide a 21st-century learning environment. Our school is built on a pleasant, enclosed campus, close to the center of Birmingham. The main building was constructed in 1911 and contains some excellent specialist teaching rooms and a beautiful Hall. Considering the selective nature of our school, academic achievement is important and we are anxious to provide our pupils with the widest possible choice within and beyond the framework of the National Curriculum. We follow a 50 period fortnight with three hour-long lessons in the morning and two in the afternoon. All our staff is well qualified and very able. All girls in KS4 take at least 11 GCSE subjects. Lower Sixth girls take four AS subjects plus AS Citizenship or Critical Thinking and Upper Sixth girls three A2 subjects in addition to General Studies or the Extended Project. We encourage each girl to participate in the life and activities of the school and we try to provide opportunities for everyone to take on real responsibilities within our community. Meaningful conversations with pupils and feedback on the curriculum are important. Academic standards are very high – in 2012 41.1% of all GCSE entries passed at A* grade and 80.3% at A*/A. At A Level 53.3% were passed at A*/A and 85.6% at A*/B. The school achieved its best contextual value-added measures for Key Stages 2 – 4 in 2012 (1031). The school features prominently in national league tables. We pride ourselves on the variety of lunchtime clubs with intellectual, social, sporting, and creative activities organized by both Staff and Sixth Form girls. We have a strong musical tradition with choirs, orchestras, and numerous instrumental lessons. Drama flourishes and we have several clubs run by the Sixth Form as well as our school production and joint ventures with King Edward VI Aston School (boys). Teams represent us in all the major sports. A contribution to the life of the School is expected from students and staff alike. We enjoy a reputation for our friendly atmosphere and our Form Tutors take a special interest in the progress and welfare of the girls in their care. Serious problems are referred to the Pupil Achievement Leaders (PALS) of each year group. It is our policy to involve parents immediately a need arises since we wish to emphasize our belief that education is a partnership between home and school. We have an experienced, talented, and committed staff. Teaching is lively and standards of preparation and marking are extremely good. We believe in offering opportunities for professional development through in-service training and opportunities for leadership and personal initiative. We are committed to the nurture and development of all those who learn here and seek to inspire all to be their best. We embrace the transformative power of education and value a love of learning and intellectual curiosity. We support all within the school to find, develop and enjoy their interests and passions. Our school offers vibrant extracurricular opportunities and participation is both valued and celebrated. We are a happy and caring school that values and takes pride in diversity and celebrates individuality. Our purpose is to develop students with empathy, understanding, and appreciation for other views and opinions. We support the girls to develop friendships that will last long beyond their time here and empower them to grow into independent, strong women who are equipped with the flexibility and moral courage to deal with the challenges of the modern world. View full school

Handsworth Wood Girls’ Academy is a comprehensive school that caters to girls of all abilities from the age of 11 to 19. The academy is very diverse, of which we are very proud and which reflects our local community in Handsworth. Our ethos is based upon mutual respect and students are supported to develop respect for themselves as individuals, for others, and for the studies and activities in which they are engaged through our excellent student welfare system. Our motto of “Aspiring for Excellence” embraces the idea that all our students can achieve success in all that they do during their time here and we make every effort to ensure that each student achieves good grades in relevant qualifications. As a comprehensive academy, our overriding aim at HWGA is to ensure that our students achieve everything that they are capable of – their ‘Personal Best’ - from Year 7 through to Sixth Form and beyond. We are very proud of our excellent reputation in the local community, and pride ourselves on the quality of education we provide to our students. Our GCSE, AS and A-Level results have shown continual improvement over the years and our last Ofsted inspection in May 2014 judged us as “Outstanding” in all categories and overall. We are celebrating another great set of A Level results this year with 38 students gaining a place at university to study a wide variety of courses. Equally, our GCSE results revealed some outstanding achievements for our students. Yet again, our Year 11s managed to achieve some very good individual student results. Our students have worked hard and we are proud of their success. They are fantastic young women who have a very bright future. Hard work is an expectation of all and we strive for continual improvements year on year by challenging our staff and students to excel. It is also important to us at HWGA that students enjoy their time here, and we have a caring and supportive school environment, as well as a diverse range of academic and enrichment opportunities available to all. This is supported by excellent career education, information, advice, and guidance to help students make informed choices for KS4, the Sixth Form, and beyond. Our vision is To provide an outstanding education in a creative and aspirational environment for all our students. Our Aims: To continue to improve teaching and learning and raise standards of attainment. To develop students into disciplined and successful independent learners. To develop the academy as a thriving, resilient, and successful organization that engages effectively with the community of Handsworth and beyond. The aim of the Special Educational Needs (SEN) team is to provide support for any student who needs additional support to help them make progress. This is in line with the purpose of our academy which is for every student to fulfill their potential, in terms of academic, personal, and social. Students who, through assessments, teacher referral, or prior schooling are identified as having particular needs will be accommodated to ensure these needs are met. Equally, our academically weakest students will have extra support in the core subjects of English and Maths. Individual Education Plans (IEPs) will be used to identify the target areas an individual needs to work on to help them make progress. These IEPs will be referred to by teachers and teaching assistants to ensure students have the opportunity to work on their targets. Subject teachers and teaching assistants will liaise to ensure students have learning opportunities that are best matched to their targets. Our Aim is simple that every student can leave Handsworth Wood Girls’ Academy having realized their full potential, having ‘Aspired for Excellence’. Driven by our ethos and values, our curriculum enables students to study the subjects important to them, develop the skills they will need to shape them as citizens ready for a prosperous future in modern Britain or globally. We have very high expectations for every student, with challenging, aspirational, and shared potentials. Students at Handsworth Wood Girls’ Academy are supported academically and emotionally developing skills, attitudes, and abilities which will enable them to achieve their life goals. Within the curriculum, we at every point encourage learners to help shape their learning. Our curriculum is designed so that each student has access to a curriculum that will enable them to make the most possible progress guiding choices while offering a broad and balanced curriculum. High-quality teaching enables students to enjoy their learning and ensure they are well prepared for future success in all aspects of their life. Our curriculum aims to develop in all students: A sense of inquiry, the ability to question, solve problems, and argue rationally. A willingness to apply themselves and an aptitude for learning. Knowledge and skills are relevant to adult life and employment in a changing world. Literacy, numeracy, and competence in the use of information technology. To develop their creative, critical awareness, empathy, and sensitivity. A recognition of their own and others’ achievement, in school and beyond. Self-esteem, self-worth, and self-confidence. The skills of working as an individual and as a member of a group or team. Appropriate moral and spiritual values and tolerance of others. To value each individual in an atmosphere of mutual respect. View full school

We are not sure how many headmasters/headteachers there have been since the school opened in 1940. Also, it is not clear dates for each headship. Below is what we know/think the dates are. Those in black we are sure of, those in grey we are less sure. Strangely we know most about the first two as they kept headteachers' logbooks. We also know quite a bit about the last three, but little is known about those in between. More definite, preferably documentary evidence would be much appreciated. We believe the values expressed in the list below best sum up the spirit and ethos of the school and act as a set of guiding principles steering the school in the right direction. We aim to: Remain a fully comprehensive mixed 11-18 local school providing a broad and balanced curriculum Ensure high standards of work, behavior, dress, and achievement for all pupils Develop cheerful, hard-working, honest and well behaved, fit and healthy young adults Ensure a safe learning environment where all are valued Ensure equality of opportunity for all Produce people willing and able to play an active and positive role in a rapidly changing world Develop pupils' sense of respect for themselves and others Provide opportunities for pupils to develop their own spiritual and moral capacities Promote pupils' appreciation of their own and other cultures Encourage pupils to accept their responsibilities to themselves, the school, and the local and wider communities Continue to develop as an important part of the local community Develop continually as an organization committed to learning for pupils, staff, and the local community. At Highams Park School, students broadly follow the National Curriculum in Key Stage 3 (years 7, 8 & 9) and in Key Stage 4 (years 10 & 11). The National Curriculum fills almost all of the pupils’ time in Key Stage 3 and most of their time in Key Stage 4.We endeavor to retain a broad and balanced curriculum whose primary objective is to equip all students for further study and employment, this will be done with careful consideration and reference to the government’s policy and reforms. There are 25 taught one lesson in the normal timetabled week. Some children in Key Stage 4 have an extra taught lesson to accommodate their curriculum. View full school

Handsworth Grammar is part of the Grammar Schools in Birmingham, the King Edward VI Foundation, and the King Edward VI Academy Trust. We provide a stimulating and educationally successful environment for our pupils – accepting Boys from age 11 to 16 as well as Boys and Girls at the Sixth Form level. We were rated as Outstanding in every category in our latest Ofsted review and with excellent examination results demand places is high. The School educates students from all over Birmingham and beyond, with a significant proportion living within three miles of us, thereby helping to maintain a strong community aspect. This is the oldest surviving selective school in Birmingham, but at the same time, we are forward-looking. It could be said that HGS reaches for the future from the basis of solid foundations. The foundations manifest themselves in the emphasis given to the importance of work, self-discipline, behavior, and achievement. From that foundation, we can help our students face and meet the needs of this rapidly changing world, by seeking to embrace new technologies and recognizing the importance of links between education and the world of work. At HGS we understand that while academic qualifications are important, education must be broader than that alone. Through the ethos and activities of the School, we strive to have a positive impact upon the students’ spiritual, moral, social, cultural, and academic development and values. We seek to confirm the School as a center of excellence, retaining the traditional values of its foundation, while embracing the opportunities offered by the technological developments of the modern world and serving the locality and the wider Birmingham conurbation. We Aim To: Provide a balanced curriculum, serving the needs of each student. Challenge our students to give their best in all areas and support them in this endeavor. Develop self-respect, independence and initiative promote a climate of trust, openness, and cooperation. Develop a sense of community at the School and amongst those associated with the School. Enable our students to move confidently into the next phase of their education or the workplace. Education must be more than the classroom and collection qualifications. One way in which education is broadened is through the School’s extracurricular activities. An exact listing of the opportunities provided can never be given since some are seasonal and others come and go. At any one time, they range from the sporting and musical activities of the School to the Technology club and inter-firm quiz. Students are encouraged to fill the gaps they spot, although a friendly member of staff is needed to support the activity. The school puts on several concerts each year, helping to encourage the students to gain confidence in themselves by performing in front of an audience or working behind the scenes. Many students partake of instrumental tuition at the School, learning instruments ranging from the guitar to the trombone and from the piano to the Dhol. As a result, we can boast a big band, brass group, string quartet, guitar ensemble, and other groupings. Students are supported through tutorial and careers advice, directed private study, access to our Learning Hub and extensive ICT facilities, a variety of study trips and visits, high-quality help with higher education applications, work experience, and the opportunity to continue with or experience new sport and leisure activities. An active school council representing students’ views is well run by members of the sixth form. There are also many opportunities for extracurricular activities and taking on roles of responsibility within the school. Lessons have a dual focus on Learning Habits as well as learning the content of courses and topics. Learning habits are the routine ways in which we think when are faced with life’s experiences and challenges. As a school, we will focus upon building the 10 habits of Collaborating, Questioning, Listening, Noticing, Planning, Revising, Making Links, Resilience, Capitalising, and Distillation. We want our boys to know what to do when they don’t know what to do by referring to the habits of mind that they have acquired. Dual learning objectives, engaging starter activities, a balance between collaborative and independent learning, activities to assess understanding and progress, creative use of resources and ICT, feedback, and reflective activities will be common features of lessons at Handsworth Grammar School. Handsworth Grammar School aims to make a real and significant difference to the lives of every student that we educate. The extensive opportunities available are created by a School that has acknowledged excellence in a range of areas but which can balance the academic, pastoral, and extracurricular needs of the community with that of the individuals that form its student body. The School provides this purposeful environment with the support of staff who are talented and motivated to nurture the best from each student. View full school