The Senior School

The Senior School here at St Joseph’s is a warm, welcoming and vibrant community where every child really does matter and every child knows themselves to be a valued member of the school community. It is both the ideal next step for pupils after completing their time in our Junior School, and the perfect destination for those looking for a unique place to begin their secondary school journey. It is a place where character is built, where children can remain children for longer than in many secondary settings, where excellent behaviour is the norm, not the exception and where children of all abilities, and all talents, can flourish.

While the standard entry point into the Senior School is Year 7, we have children joining St Joseph’s at non-traditional entry points and visits are welcomed and encouraged from pupils from Year 7 to Year 11. We need just to know we can meet the needs of any new member of our community, and that if they join into the GCSE years, particularly Year 10 or, in exceptional circumstances Year 11, that they will make the most of the opportunities St Joseph’s provides.

Small class sizes are fundamental to the nature of the school, and it is the relationships that form in an environment where the children are really known as individuals that develops the school’s ethos where care, compassion and community are key.

Senior School entrance is two form, with class sizes up to 15 in year groups of a maximum of 30 in Year 7 and Year 8. With DT, Food and Computer Science classes are smaller than this with the year group split 3 ways for timetable purposes in Year 7 and 8. By Years 9, 10 and 11 GCSE classes in Option Blocks can be from three or four pupils, and only on occasion will the reach double figures outside of Core subjects.

GCSE option choices are introduced in Year 8, with bespoke option blocks for each year group created based on the choices pupils make each year to maximise their chances of studying the 4 options subjects they most want to take. In Year 9 these are studied alongside non-examined courses in Humanities, Cultural Awareness, Music and Drama and PE, before timetabling for Options subjects picks up an additional hour a week in Year 9. 

While the core subjects of English, Maths and Science are a demonstrable strength of any pupil’s time at St Joseph’s, these are not timetabled at the expense of music, the arts, drama, DT, MFL or any other curriculum areas. We know children are not data sets, and excellent results are achieved by allowing children of all talents and passions to find areas of the curriculum where they can flourish, and that this then leads to further success across the breadth of the curriculum.
Prospective parents invariably comment on the family atmosphere present in both Junior and Senior schools, and this is very much to the children’s credit. The children are not just at the heart of the school, they are the school and this is reflected in their young people who leave us at the end of Year 11 and of whom we are so proud.

Specialist staff work very closely with the pupils in their care to ensure they feel known, valued and respected, and that their talents will be allowed to come to the fore, in whichever fields they may lie. It is a fundamental part of life at St Joseph’s that pupils feel their voice matters, that they are a part of the school, that they are happy and content. It is from this that they are able to gain the excellent GCSE results of which the school is justifiably proud.
The non-selective nature of the school is key to understanding what makes St Joseph’s the school it is. Pupils from a range of backgrounds come together to gain the confidence, self-belief and sense of self that allows them to gain the Firm Foundation for Life that is the school’s motto. What is important to note is that these words really do inform our daily practice in the classroom and beyond, and it is evident in the number of pupils who return to visit the Senior School and who have really benefitted from their time in the school.

School begins at 8:20am, and the day is split into 6 teaching periods, morning break, lunch and a rich variety of Extra-Curricular, or Co-Curricular, sessions that students can select from. These commence at 15:45 and run until 16:40, with buses departing at 16:45. No additional charges are applied for the many and varied co-curricular clubs that do not require optional private tuition, although parents have the option of these in areas such as individual music lessons and tennis coaching from our affiliated LTA coach.

Supervised Prep time is available from 15:45 until 17:00, while a member of the school’s Senior Management Team will remain at school after this to look after any pupils whose parents may be running a little late on any particular day.
For several years we have focused on making sure that pupils understand their place as digital citizens with the 1:1 devices that all pupils in the Senior School are required to have and which enhance their learning. We have operated our 1:1 programme since 2014, and this experience has been invaluable in the development of our students’ digital learning. This augments, and does not replace, both the traditional and the innovative off-line modes of learning and teaching that the children encounter every day as part of a full and varied timetable of lessons.

Sitting alongside this has been our mobile phone policy: have long operated a no mobile phones policy, and all Senior School pupils hand their phones in at morning tutor time and they are not returned until pupils are leaving the school site. This has been hugely beneficial to the children, and very well received across the school community. As with so much of what we do, we find where we lead, others follow. 

While we hope this gives you a taste of life in the Senior School, the only way to really sense what makes us different is to visit, either during one of our open events, or at any time that suits you best. We can arrange an opportunity for you to have a tour of the school with pupil tour guides - they are always keen to show off their school and will answer all of your questions from their perspective – and then you can meet with Headteacher Mr Oliver Scott, our Registrar Miss Rebecca Walker and any other key staff.

If you would like to arrange a visit to explore our Senior School please contact Rebecca Walker on 01566 772580 or email registrar@stjosephscornwall.co.uk