A shared vision with an emphasis on high aspirations and high expectations

' As a leadership and management team we have a strong vision and high expectations. If you preach something you have to do it '

All the head teachers articulate a clear vision for school. There is a 'can do'
culture   that,   while   acknowledging   challenges   within  the  school  and
community, displayed a determination not to use pupils' home backgrounds
as an excuse for low standards or lack of aspirations.

' The key to the school is expectations, an ethos of success, a belief
in possibility, a vein of belief and pushing '.

Our ethos? Rigour and fun, a caring school and an achieving school. Raising
aspirations  isn't  any  one  thing. There are lots of things from the moment
they get through the door. It's about knowing every individual so they can be inspired, encouraged, cajoled, bribed, pushed, supported. Whatever it takes for that individual. We're constantly saying, 'You can do it.'

The school leaders have worked to ensure that the vision is shared throughout the school and understood within the wider community.

I meant it when I consulted them (the staff) about what our vision should be. When the consultation came in, it went out to them again so they could see what was said and that it was their vision. We also consulted parents/careers and students. Every student in the school can repeat ASPIRE (aspiration, sharing, pride, initiative, responsibility, enjoyment) and tell you about it.

This is a place pupils want to be. There is a sense of pride and the ethos is clear and known to pupils and community. They believe in the school.

There are no invisible students in this school.

The vision is not merely a series of high-sounding ideals but is implemented throughout the curriculum and threaded through other aspects of the life in the school. This will be illustrated in the sections that follow but, as an example, specific initiatives to raise pupil aspirations includes:

• providing positive role models, such as ex-pupils returning to talk to current pupils
• inclusion in 'Aim High' programs
• opportunities for involvement in high-status local and national events
• widening horizons programs with educational visits, sporting, cultural and leisure opportunities

We get to places and see things and we all see 'I could do that'.