N10 Senior school prospectus

S T A F F O R D

GRAMMAR SCHOOL

WELCOME

Headmaster’s Welcome

At Stafford Grammar School we believe that children and young

people can achieve their full educational and personal potential

when they are happy, supported and cared for. That’s why the

individual, every individual, is at the heart of all we do.

Stafford Grammar School enables pupils to achieve excellence

– whether in the classroom, on the sports field, on the stage or in

our many music groups. We aim to find and nurture the best in

every pupil. We want every pupil to develop confidence and to

achieve success in the warmth of a family atmosphere.

“Stafford Grammar School

provides a supportive yet

challenging environment

with the opportunity for students

to reach their full potential.”

This prospectus can only give you a sense of what makes

Stafford Grammar School so special. The real essence of our school

has to be experienced first-hand. Please come and visit us. You will

be most welcome and I would love to show you around our school.

Mr L H Thomas

Mr L H Thomas

Headmaster

Stafford Grammar School

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www.staffordgrammar.co.uk


THE SCHOOL

“From their first day our

daughters have honestly

loved every minute of

their school life at Stafford

Grammar.”

Stafford Grammar School’s history, although short,

is quite remarkable and unique. A group of parents

met in 1981 to discuss the possibility of starting a

new independent day school. In September 1982,

the school was officially opened by its first patron

the Right Honourable, the Earl of Shrewsbury. Dr

Garrood, the founding Headmaster, began his first

day with 17 pupils. Since then, the school has grown

to its present size of around 500 pupils including

Stafford Preparatory School which opened in 2007.

The original school building is a fine Victorian manor

house designed by Pugin and originally owned by the

Whitgreave family. Set in almost 50 acres of attractive

grounds there are facilities for all major team sports

including a fully equipped Sports and Music Centre

and floodlit tennis and netball courts.

The school has developed a formidable academic

reputation as a centre of excellence. On the sporting

front, Stafford Grammar School pupils achieve

enviable local, county, regional and national success.

The school’s achievements in music and drama

are equally impressive and continue to provide

numerous opportunities for local and international

community links.


4

ACADEMIC LIFE

We provide a broad, balanced and stimulating

education which offers pupils the opportunity to

succeed in a wide range of subjects. Our aim is to

enable all pupils to develop their individual talents

fully. Inspirational teachers, small classes, a traditional

curriculum and enthusiastic pupils encourage

outstanding academic achievement.

We strive to foster a love of learning and encourage

all pupils to reach their full potential at GCSE and

A level. Along the way we focus on developing each

pupil’s skills and personal qualities in preparation for

their future careers.

“Stafford Grammar

School has given our son a

wonderful desire to achieve

and progress in life through

its hard work ethic and

focused approach to excel.”

Academic opportunities are not limited to the

curriculum. We encourage our pupils to look beyond

examination board requirements and provide

opportunities to participate in challenging academic

competitions including the prestigious Design and

Technology Arkwright Award, The Bank of England

Target 2.0 competition, UK Mathematics Challenge

and the Chemistry Olympiad, to name a few. Subject

departments also regularly organise visits to places of

interest throughout the UK and abroad.


5



ACTIVITIES

“Stafford Grammar School

is more than a school. It

is a place bursting with

opportunities and talent.”

We believe the development of a healthy body and a

sound character, the fostering of spiritual awareness

and sensitivity and the promotion of creativity to be

as important as academic excellence.

We are proud of our tradition of involving large

numbers of pupils in teams and building a healthy

team spirit. Rugby, hockey, football, netball, cricket,

rounders, tennis, badminton, basketball, volleyball,

athletics, gymnastics, health-related fitness, zumba

and Gaelic football are all taught within P.E lessons

and are available as extra-curricular activities. The

school has an excellent sports hall, fitness suite and

extensive sports fields enabling block fixtures.

Our pupils have an incredible record of competitive

success with teams often winning local, county,

regional and national competitions and individual

pupils regularly securing places in county teams.

Sporting excellence at Stafford Grammar School is

demonstrated by pupils achieving success at national

level in swimming, athletics, rounders, football and

cricket.


8

ACTIVITIES

Music and Drama flourish at Stafford Grammar School.

Choirs and instrumental groups, an orchestra, a concert

band and a very popular ‘big band’ perform regularly

in musicals and concerts in school and within the

local community. Music tours are also arranged, most

recently to Paris, Rome and Barcelona. Pupils have the

opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument with

tuition available from specialist peripatetic teachers. The

Drama and Music departments collaborate to produce

many school plays and major musical productions in the

Library Theatre. The latest production of Les Misérables

proved to be an outstanding success. Pupils can also gain

enormously from LAMDA tuition.

“We could not have asked

for more.”

“The school is a very

special place.”

The school’s Art and Design and Technology

department provides many opportunities for pupils to

further their creative talents both during lessons and

extra-curricular clubs. There are frequent competitions

and exhibitions of pupil work as well as major projects

such as the Year 9 Business and Industry event. The

Duke of Edinburgh’s Award enjoys immense success at

our school. Many pupils benefit from the expertise of

the team of teachers who train and guide them from

Bronze through to Gold award. Young Enterprise is also

very well established.


9



SIXTH FORM

“I would not swap the last

two years for anything.”

“There’s always help at

hand when students need

care and advice.”

We are incredibly proud of our Sixth Form students.

At its heart, the purpose of our Sixth Form is to give

students the necessary life skills to empower them to

make informed choices. Our students’ outstanding

success at A-level is never accidental. With graduate

teachers passionate about their subjects and excellent

staffing ratios, students are closely guided and

supported to gain the qualifications and study skills

necessary for Higher Education.

A team of specialist tutors guides students through the

entire UCAS process and professional careers advice

is available. The expertise of academic staff provides

the best possible support for students with their HE or

career aims. Individual student attention is at the very

centre of what we do. The extensive tutor programme

is tailored to the needs of our students and we aim to

develop self-confidence and encourage all students

to actively participate in the life of the school and

the local community. Sixth Form students develop

effective leadership and team working skills and are

encouraged to initiate their own groups and societies.

Recently, this has led to the development of a debating

society and a medical society. Students also volunteer

to lead various music and drama groups, as well as

supporting pupils in the Preparatory School.


12

PASTORAL CARE

Excellent teaching is not the only requisite for a good

education. In order to achieve their potential pupils

need to be healthy, feel safe, be happy and enjoy

learning. Pastoral care at Stafford Grammar School

is outstanding. Our small classes enable form tutors

and Heads of House to know each of their pupils

really well. Every pupil is valued and respected as an

individual. We place great emphasis on close contact

with parents, believing that issues are best addressed

together and as early as possible.

“During his time at Stafford

Grammar School, we have

watched our son grow into

a young adult of whom we

are very proud.”

Pupils become members of one of our three houses:

Anson, Fitzherbert or Talbot. The thriving house

system is at the heart of the school community and it

provides pupils with continuity and strong communal

bonds. Through this, pupils benefit from a large

number of competitions ranging from baking and

public speaking to the Polyathlon, in which houses

compete in a wide range of sports. The houses also

compete in our annual swimming gala. The emphasis

is on friendly rivalry, co-operation, building selfconfidence

and widening participation for all pupils.

The school nurse liaises closely with pupils, parents,

teachers and outside agencies to secure the well-being

of each pupil.


13


S T A F F O R D

GRAMMAR SCHOOL

Burton Manor, Stafford, ST18 9AT

Tel: 01785 249 752 Fax: 01785 255 005

Web: www.staffordgrammar.co.uk Email: headsec@staffordgrammar.co.uk

N10 Senior school prospectus

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