Atherton High School Brochure

RESPECT
RESPONSIBILITY
AMBITION
WELCOME TO ATHERTON HIGH SCHOOL

“From seeing teachers playing football
with the children on the yard, to staff
sitting with pupils at lunchtime, everyone
works together and there’s a strong
feeling of belonging to part of something
bigger than just a school.”

WELCOME TO
ATHERTON
HIGH SCHOOL
Welcome to Atherton High School. Our school sits
at the heart of the community and encompasses the
values and strengths of the town’s proud history.
Atherton High School is part of the Education
Partnership Trust (EPT), who are committed to
creating outstanding schools which transform
learning, lives, and communities.
Our school has a culture built around our values
of respect, responsibility, and ambition; these core
values underpin all we do. We promote our values
through a strong, knowledge rich curriculum, whereby
pupils develop depth of understanding across a wide
range of subjects, to enable an ambitious education
for all learners.
We are blessed with dedicated, talented, and highly
qualified staff who expect the highest standards and
academic effort from all our pupils. We encourage
our pupils to take responsibility for their actions,
decisions, and their future education and in doing
so, we are providing an education for life. We believe
every pupil is an individual that can achieve well; this
is their responsibility, but we will support them every
step of the way!
We are proud of our pupils and proud of our school.
We expect pupils to demonstrate the highest
standards of behaviour so that everyone can learn,
free from disruption or barriers. We want all our
pupils to feel safe and to develop into caring,
responsible, and confident young people. Pupils will
be given a wealth of opportunities to experience
culture beyond their experience so that they may
develop holistically.
Support for each other is a key component of any
thriving community. We are proud to serve our local
community. Our facilities are accessed by local
clubs and organisations to help deliver important
extracurricular opportunities to develop pupils beyond
school. We are also proud of the many pupils who
enrich local community groups and offer a great deal
to the wider community as a result. We are committed
to working closely with our pupils, families, partner
schools and the wider community to contribute
positively to the local area and ensure the best
possible outcomes for the young people of Atherton.
Mrs L Turner
Headteacher
3

VALUES
STUDENT
LEADERSHIP
What does it mean to belong to Atherton
High School?
Atherton High School is committed to providing
our students with a first-class education. We
aim to equip our students to be successful,
considerate and caring members of society.
We are united by our three key values:
RESPECT
We show respect for our school, our work, our
teachers, ourselves and each other. We embrace
our similarities and celebrate our differences.
We work well together and represent Atherton
High School in the best way every day.
RESPONSIBILITY
We take responsibility for our actions and
do what it takes to be successful at Atherton
High School. We set high standards and lead
by example. We support and encourage each
other and play our part in ensuring that we can
all achieve our goals. Whatever challenges
and barriers we face, we have a responsibility
to meet them head on, to make progress and
develop as people.
At Atherton High School we have a wonderful Student Leadership Team!
The Head Students work with our Prefects to ensure duties are assigned
and carried out correctly as well as acting as excellent role models and
ambassadors our school.
Our Student Leadership Team will attend our school events and be part
of the induction process for our Year 7s in September. Our students
went through a rigorous application process to ensure they would
be the best ambassadors for the school when carrying out duties for
Parents Evening, Open Day events and other events such as Celebration
Evenings.
They are passionate about ensuring the voice of our students is
represented and listened to through regular student voice. They are also
incredibly keen to ensure we are addressing local, national and global
issues such as poverty, climate change and equality.
They will be involved in key decisions for our students, such as rewards
programmes and trips! This year the Student Leadership Team will also
take an active role in supporting the Headteacher in leading the school
council. This way we can ensure the voice of pupils is really heard.
AMBITION
We have high expectations and challenge
ourselves to reach the most ambitious targets.
We work hard to maintain the highest standards
and strive to exceed every expectation.

CHARACTER
DEVELOPMENT
We believe that the development of character is an essential part
of a rounded education. Belonging to our community at Atherton
High School is a deeply formative experience and has a significant
impact on pupils’ personal development. Our values of Respect,
Responsibility and Ambition, underpin all we do here.
Pupils are encouraged to learn self-discipline, independence,
respect for others and how to cope with the ups and downs of life. A
structured programme of opportunities across all year groups helps
develop character and sound values. We believe that whatever talent,
aptitude or interest a pupil may have, they should be encouraged to
pursue and to develop that. We offer a wide range of opportunities for
pupils outside of the classroom as well as within. These include:
SPORT
We have a number of opportunities for students to develop in various
sports. Some even represent the school at fixtures against other
teams. Lots of our students then go on to develop a life long love of
fitness and physical activity.
AFTER SCHOOL CLUBS
These include a range of choices in different curriculum and noncurriculum
areas, both at lunchtime and after school. The list is too
long to include here! Pupils sign up at the beginning of term and
opportunities range from hair and beauty to STEM, from board games
to football club, from Eco Club to book club. There are so many
opportunities to develop outside our traditional curriculum offer.
PERFORMING ARTS
Pupil talents are showcased in our annual productions which
consistently meet very high standards.
DUKE OF EDINBURGH AWARD
Pupils are encouraged to complete the Duke of Edinburgh Bronze
Award, in school. This is a prestigious award scheme, with so many
physical, social and character-building benefits. We are very proud to
offer this opportunity to our students.
TRIPS
Pupils are given opportunities to travel both far and near, both inside
and outside of school hours.
CURRICULUM FOR PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
At Atherton High School, we believe all students deserve a wellrounded,
culturally rich, education. In practice this means:
• There are opportunities for students to develop an awareness of,
and respect for, themselves and others.
• Lessons which support the development of positive self-esteem,
which will help students to cope with the challenges of personal
growth.
• PSHE and Careers education that enables students to feel
confident in the personal choices they can make and prepares
them to make responsible decisions.
• Students are given the opportunity and support to explore their
feelings and emotions and promote confidence in their abilities.
• Students are actively taught ways in which to keep themselves
and others, safe.
• Students are provided with opportunities to explore and question
their own thoughts and feelings.
• Students have meaningful encounters with both employers and
Further Education providers to provide them with the right advice
and guidance to help them make informed choices about their
future pathways.
5

CURRICULUM
Our curriculum ambition at Atherton High School is to make
learning irresistible for all! We have designed a challenging and
ambitious curriculum to provide the best learning opportunities
for all our students to aspire and achieve.
Our core values that drive our curriculum are:
• Aspiration for all to improve life chances for every student.
• Excellence in learning through an ambitious knowledge and
literacy rich curriculum for all.
• Character and personal development to equip all of our
students to succeed in life.
• Culturally relevant curriculum to ensure students understand
the world through each subject lens.
CURRICULUM INTENT
Our curriculum intent is to engage our young people in learning
and to foster a culture of commitment to lifelong learning.
Our curriculum ambition is to challenge all our students to
be knowledge and vocabulary rich, to foster deep learning
opportunities, so our young people have a strong, conceptual
understanding of subject matter and a love of learning. We
believe our curriculum builds opportunities for our students
to develop a strong sense of character, and responsibility as
young citizens who are able to make positive contributions now,
and in the future, to the communities to which they belong. We
aim to promote a culture of aspiration through the principles
of balance and choice; hence, our young people can apply their
knowledge to challenges and experience an enormous sense of
accomplishment in their achievements.
CURRICULUM IMPLEMENTATION
Our philosophy puts the curriculum at the heart of our practice
through well-planned opportunities to review the scope and
depth of the curriculum and the delivery of the curriculum;
and to keep a relentless focus on the quality of education in our
school to secure an aspirational, knowledge and vocabulary rich
curriculum by reflecting on three key questions:
1. What is taught?
2. Why is it taught?
3. How is it taught?
Every subject discipline has a carefully planned ‘Learning
Journey’ from Year 7 to Year 11 with the components of learning
coherently sequenced, so that learning builds on learning.
Knowledge Organisers outline the essential knowledge and
vocabulary students will learn within a component of study.
CURRICULUM STRUCTURE
At Key Stage 3 (Year 7-9), learners study a broad and balanced
curriculum to ensure that all students experience the breadth
of subjects, delivered by subject specialists, before making
informed choices about Key Stage 4. There are opportunities for
students who need extra literacy support and numeracy support
to receive this.
At Key Stage 3 (Year 7-9), all pupils study the core subjects of
English, Maths, Science, History, Geography, RE, MFL (Spanish
& French), Computing, Design & Technology, Food Technology,
Art, Music, Drama, PSHE and Citizenship Education, and PE. We
aim to provide our students with a rich learning experience –
intellectual, artistic nourishment, the tools to develop physical
and mental health, to have opportunities to be creative and to
have an appreciation of the arts and culture.
Key Stage 4 (Year 10-11) offers students a wide variety of option
subjects alongside core subjects. We offer GCSEs and Cambridge
National Awards to support academic and vocational study.
We are committed to enabling every young person to aim high,
and study subjects that will help them to continue to achieve
long after they leave school. To guide students to make these
important choices we have a range of support sessions, from a
Guided Options Evening, one-to-one sessions, College Drop-in
Days, College Taster Days and an individual interview with local
colleges and/or people from the local business community.
CURRICULUM IMPACT
Students are supported to develop in-depth knowledge,
understanding and skills across the curriculum. Pupils produce
high-quality work, enjoy their learning and progress as they
learn, know and remember more.

BEHAVIOUR
Atherton High School believes for effective teaching and learning to take
place, good behaviour and high expectations in all aspects of school life
is necessary. We seek to create a calm and orderly environment in the
school by:
• Promoting high standards and expectations.
• Modelling good behaviour and sanctions where appropriate.
• Promoting self-esteem, self-discipline, proper regard for authority
and positive relationships.
• Ensuring fair treatment for all pupils and staff.
• Encouraging consistency of response to both positive and negative
behaviour.
• Promoting early intervention.
We pride ourselves on our high standards and expectations. We know
some children may struggle to meet those high standards sometimes.
We will work with those students in a variety of ways including reflection
time, sanctions and restorative conversations, so that they may learn
to conform. Sanctions and consequences are a fundamental part of our
behaviour system but we always combine them with some restorative
work, so that pupils can see the benefits of good behaviour too.
Positive and negative reward points are recorded on ClassCharts.
We love rewarding good behaviour! It is very important that parents
interact with ClassCharts so they can know how well their child is
behaving, progressing and achieving.
Staff including teachers, support staff and volunteers, will be
responsible for ensuring our behaviour systems are used correctly,
consistently and fairly. Staff have a key role in working with the
headteacher on the effectiveness of the policies and procedures. They
also have responsibility, with the support of the Headteacher, for creating
a high quality learning environment and teaching good behaviour.
Parents and carers have responsibility for the behaviour of their child
both inside and outside the school. They will be encouraged to work
in partnership with the school to assist the school in maintaining high
standards of behaviour and will have the opportunity to raise with the
school any issues arising from the operation of the policy. It is expected
that parents will support the school and uphold our school rules and
standards with their children.
Pupils will be made fully aware of the school policy, procedure and
expectations and will be expected to conform to them. It is expected
that pupils will respect the authority of staff. Pupils will be encouraged
to report any incidents of disruption, violence, bullying and any form of
harassment and staff will listen and act upon their concerns.
PROCEDURES AND COMMUNICATION
Our behaviour policy is on the website. Parents are kept informed about
their child’s behaviour via classcharts. Pastoral and teaching staff may also
phone home to talk to parents about their child’s struggles and successes.
7

TRANSITION
ADMISSIONS
As students move from Primary to
Secondary school, it can often be a very
daunting time, both for students and their
families.
We are committed to making this a
seamless transition and aim to be familiar
faces by the time your child starts with us
in September, through outreach work with
local primaries and through visits from
our staff and students. From the moment
you choose Atherton High School, we work
extremely hard behind the scenes with your
primary school to get to know your child.
The success of your child at here is
reliant on a positive working relationship
between you, the parents/carers and the
school. From the foundations of a positive
partnership, we will grow high aspirations
and resilience in our young children to allow
them to become the very best they can be,
both academically and personally.
We have strong values and very high
expectations, coupled with high academic
standards and expectations and we work
hard to ensure the young people in our
care feel empowered and successful,
with a toolkit to allow them to tackle any
challenges they may encounter.
Whilst we are committed to ensuring the
highest standards in the classroom, we
also want to ensure your child receives an
excellent education that extends outside
the classroom door, with opportunities for
extensive charity work, many educational
visits and our partnerships with local
colleges and universities.
We are compliant with Code of Practice
for Admissions. Atherton High School
generally admits 90 pupils per year but in
agreement with the Local Authority, we
have agreed to admit 120 in September
2025.
Parents can apply for a place at Atherton
High School via Wigan Borough Council’s
website. The deadline for applications
is 31st October. Parents are informed
on 1st March if their child has been
successful in securing a place with
us. All other details regarding our
admission arrangements, the process
of application, the right to appeal, our
oversubscription criteria, waiting lists
and in year admissions, can be found on
our website.
Atherton High School, Hamilton Street, Atherton, Manchester, M46 0AY
01942 885500 | enquiries@athertonhigh.com | www.athertonhigh.com