ProsPectus 2014

Watford Grammar School for Boys

FouNDAtIoN

the Watford Grammar schools grew from the Free school, a charity school for 60 pupils founded by Dame elizabeth Fuller in 1704, on ground next to the parish churchyard in the centre of Watford. the schools became separate foundations for boys and for girls in 1881, and the boys’ school moved to its present site in 1912.

From 1997, Watford Grammar school for Boys was a voluntary aided school. on 1 september 2010, along with Watford Gram-mar school for Girls, the school became one of the new Aca-demic Academies, mainly so that its tradition of independence within the state system could be maintained. the school has kept its traditional uniform and name, and will eventually have around 1300 students with over 350 of these in the sixth Form.

the school draws on a catchment area that reflects its historical commitment to the education of students from Watford and the ‘traditional’ surrounding areas. the school community compris-es students from a rich variety of cultures and backgrounds and is academically diverse, with an all-ability intake. there is here a proud tradition of success and high standards in academic study; in games, drama, music and in a host of other activities.

our aim is to provide an education of the highest quality to meet the individual and collective needs and aspirations for every student.

We aspire to be the best in all that we do

Develop a sense of personal worth for all students

ensure that every student thinks, learns, is caring and has the opportunity to progress

Develop the strengths and skills needed to meet the challanges in life after school

Provide and maintain an environment where staff can develop their skills and career path and work to the best of their abilities.

Watford Grammar school for Boysrickmansworth road

Watford WD18 7JF

tel: 01923 208900Fax: 01923 208901

Website: www.watfordboys.orgemail: office@watfordboys.org

twitter: @WBGsexcellence

Mr L Arlow51 rugby WayWatfordWD3 3PD

Mrs s Branch1 saxton MewsDellfield closeWatfordWD17 4De

Mrs L Wood56 Bushey Grove roadBusheyWD23 2JJ

Dr r speel26 central AvenuePinner MiddlesexHA5 5Bs

Mrs A Dawkins109 Hagden LaneWatford WD18 7sr

Prof J HoppitDept of Historyuniversity college LondonGower streetLondonWc1e 6Bt

Ms J callowWatford Grammar school for Boys

rev t rindlVicar of Watford14 cassiobury DriveWatfordWD17 3AB

Prof D ritchierobinson collegecambridgecB3 9AN

Mrs s scott60 the AvenuePinnerHA5 5BJ

Mr P shearring (chairman)124 Abbots roadAbbots LangleyWD5 0BL

Dr J Whiteleyuniversity of oxforduniversity officesWellington squareoxfordoX1 2JD

Mrs o WallisWatford Grammar school for Boys

Mrs c coxWatford Grammar school for Boys

clerk to the GovernorsMrs c BrownWatford Grammar school for Boys

GoVerNING BoDY

LeADersHIP GrouP

Acting Headmaster Mr M Allchorn MA NPQH (selwyn college, cambridge and university of London)

Deputy HeadmasterMr r carr Bsc (university of surrey): curriculum

Assistant HeadteachersMr G curwen MA (st. catherine’s college, cambridge): Pastoral Years 7-10Mrs MJ Hill Med MA (Ioe, university of London & open university):external Affairs & staff DevelopmentMr J Macleod MA (Mansfield college, oxford): Pastoral Years sixth FormMr K thorold BA csBM (Birmingham school of Music): Finance

AcADeMIc stAFF LIst

teAcHING stAFF *Heads of Department

eNGLIsH AND DrAMA* Miss Js callow BA (university of exeter)Mrs G Aitken BA (university of Manchester)Mr c chapionni BA (Polytechnic of central London)Mr t Glass BA (university of York)Mr s Howe BA (university of Leicester)Mrs eJW Marshall MA (christ’s college, cambridge)Mr sJ Moore BA (university of Warwick)Mrs Lc rafferty MA (Aberdeen university) Mr A roy BA (university of reading)

MAtHeMAtIcs * Mrs c Groves BA FIA (university of Birmingham) Mr J Budarkiewicz Bsc (Leicester Polytechnic)Dr Ps Buckley Bsc PhD (university college swansea)Mr rG chapman Bsc Fss (university of Hull and Brunel university)Mr I corbridge BA Phys ed HDe (rhodes university)Mr J coren Bsc (university of Manchester)Mr s evans (university of sheffield)Miss r Farham (university of London)Mrs H Hartley (sheffield Hallam university) Mrs LM Hill Bsc (university of sheffield)Mr P Matthews (Merton college, oxford)Mrs cJ Netscher Bsocsc (university of Birmingham)Ms Je Parr Msc (Imperial college, London)Mr A scott B eng (university of Warwick)Mr M Vijendra (university of Hull)

cHeMIstrY*Dr cGD sykesud Bsc PhD (university of Birmingham)Dr t Boorman Ph.D (university of London)Mr MJ collins Bsc (university of York)Miss o Hockin Bsc (university college, London)Dr tG Purcell PhD (university college, Dublin and university of Bath)Mrs rV uberoi Bsc (Queen Mary college, London)Mrs o Wallis Bsc (university of Nottingham)PHYsIcs*Mr JP Hensman Bsc (university of sheffield)Mr Jc croft Bsc (university of Durham)Mr J De Groot Bsc (Kings college, London)Mr PD Jelski Bsc (university of Durham)Fr IG Page BA Bsc (university of exeter)BIoLoGY*Mr DJ cochrane Bsc (university of York)Mrs LA Bocancea Bsc (university of Bristol)Mr GM Parry Bsc (university of east London)Miss K Watson Bsc (university of Nottingham)Mrs sJ Weston Bsc (university of Bristol)Mrs LM Williamson Bsc (university of edinburgh)

HIstorY AND PoLItIcs*Mr J McDermott BA (university of Newcastle)Mrs AG Barnes MA (universities of exeter & Durham)Ms s Griffin BA (Queen Mary college, London)Miss H Jones BA (university of Liverpool)Mr rW Panter Bed (st. Luke’s college, exeter)Mr e russell Ponte MA Msc (univerities of London and edinburgh)Ms t ramzan-Hussain BA (King’s college, London)Ms s riaz MA (Lse and school of oriental & African studies)Mrs J Welch Bed (Hons) (st Luke’s college, exeter)

GeoGrAPHY*Mrs J Lloyd BA (university college, swansea)Mr J carrera BA (open university)Mr MJ Grinham BA (university of Loughborough)Mr M talbot Bsc (university of reading)

MoDerN LANGuAGes*Miss rA comb BA (royal Holloway, university of London)Mrs eJ Foord BA (university of Birmingham)Mrs F Graham Licence, Maîtrise, capes (université Paris VII)Mrs AM Hensman BA (university of sheffield)Miss eV Hensman BA (university of Bristol)Mr s King BA (university of Manchester)Mrs F simons BA (university of Liverpool)Ms s Webster BA (university of North London)

cLAssIcs*Mr AW Pegler MA (university of Newcastle)Mr r Davies BA (university of Bristol)Dr c Harvey Ph.D (universities of sunderland & cambridge)

MusIc*Mr sM Hussey MA LtcL (Pembroke college,cambridge)Mrs cL cox GrsM DiprcM (royal college of Music)Mr s Quinlan BA (Kingston university)

PsYcHoLoGY*Mr AJ McGinty BA (Bedford college of Highereducation)Mrs N twyford BA (university of Pretoria)

Ict & coMPutING*Mr s thurgood Bsc (university of Loughborough)Mrs P Hewgill Bsc (university of Leeds)

PHILosoPHY, reLIGIoN & etHIcs*Mrs t charlton BA (university of Manchester)Mr s costi BA (London school of theology)Miss N Jehan (Middlesex university)

DesIGN tecHNoLoGY*Mr N Brookes BA MDes (Manchester Metropolitan university and edinburgh college of Art)Mr N creaic (university of Portsmouth)

FooD tecHNoLoGY*Ms ut Beveridge Dip Homeec Bsc (Queen’s college, Glasgow and open university)

Art*Mrs GM Woods BA (Nottingham trent university)Miss MJ Dreiser BA (university of Hertfordshire)

PHYsIcAL eDucAtIoN*Mr G Wallis Bsc (st. Mary’s college, university of surrey)Mr A Beere Bsc (university college, Northampton)Mr A Dawson BA (university of Bath)Mr J Dyson BA (university of Durham)Mr L samarasinghe Bsc (university of Wales, cardiff)Mr Ge Welch Bed (Hons) (st. Luke’s college, exeter)Mr s Williams BA (Brunel university)

LeArNING suPPort*Dr GD Gunton Bed (Hons) MA PhD uKcP (university of Leeds and city university, London)Mrs A Dave Bed MA (Gujarat university)Mrs K Krishnaswamy Msc (university of Mysore)Mrs H rayat Dip spLD Dip esL Bsc (university of sheffield) Mr s trundle BA cert spLD (university of Keele and open university)

“This is a really friendlyand supportive school.I made friends really quickly and the olderboys are so cool.” Year 7 student

“Watford Grammar School for Boys is an outstanding school” ofsted

“We would have sent our son to a private school but when he was offered a place at Watford Boys we had no hesitation in accepting the place” Parent

the sutton trust recently named Watford Grammar school for Boys as one of the top state schools for entrance into oxbridge and russell Group universities.

resuLtsGcse resuLts No of students % 5+ A*-c % entered achieving inc english + % english for 5+ Gcses % 5+ A*-c Maths Baccalaureate %5+ A*-G

school 2014 100 92 86 76 100england 2013 81 61 23 98

56% achieved 5+ Gcses at A*/A grade32% achieved A*/A grades in nine or more subjects

A LeVeL resuLts %A* grades % A*/A %A/B %A-c %A-e

school 2014 18 52 82 95 100england 2013 7 26 52 77 91

80% of students achieved A*/B grade51% of students achieved A*/A grade34% achieved 3 or more A levels at A*/A

Gcse resuLts entries A* A B c D e F G u

Additional Maths 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Art & Design 9 2 3 2 2 0 0 0 0 0Biology 149 54 37 30 12 10 6 0 0 0chemistry 149 57 35 24 17 10 4 1 1 0classical civilisation 44 4 13 11 10 4 2 0 0 0computing 35 15 5 11 4 0 0 0 0 0Drama 19 2 4 5 0 6 2 0 0 0D&t Graphic Products 10 0 3 1 2 1 1 0 0 0D&t resistant Materials 13 1 6 8 2 3 0 0 0english Language 171 43 47 38 28 13 1 1 0 0english Literature 171 43 54 42 28 3 0 0 0 0French 72 16 26 9 10 4 6 0 1 0Geography 95 24 31 21 5 8 2 3 1 0German 72 17 22 14 14 5 0 0 0 0History 144 37 46 29 24 7 1 0 0 0Information technology 22 4 10 4 4 0 0 0 0 0Latin 15 13 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Mathematics 180 88 41 28 14 7 0 1 1 0Music 17 1 11 3 1 1 0 0 0 0Pe 34 3 6 10 10 3 2 0 0 0Physics 148 48 39 23 25 7 3 3 0 0religious studies 45 6 16 12 9 1 1 0 0 0science single Award 30 0 3 5 10 8 2 2 0 0science: Additional 28 0 4 3 8 9 4 0 0 0spanish 64 17 16 14 10 6 1 0 0 0

entries A* A B c D e u

Art and Design 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0Biology 43 0 13 12 9 6 3 0chemistry 56 4 24 19 4 5 0 0classical civilisation 9 1 1 3 4 0 0 0computer studies/computing 4 0 2 1 1 0 0 0economics 69 10 30 23 4 1 1 0english Language & Literature 11 2 4 3 1 1 0 0english Literature 17 5 6 5 1 0 0 0French 8 0 5 2 1 0 0 0Geography 17 2 6 8 1 0 0 0German 9 0 1 4 4 0 0 0History 48 5 15 20 7 1 0 0Information technology 5 1 3 1 0 0 0 0Latin 5 1 1 2 0 1 0 0Mathematics 105 34 33 23 10 3 2 0Mathematics Further 27 13 7 4 3 0 0 0Music 6 0 1 3 1 1 0 0Physics 43 11 16 4 9 3 0 0Politics 29 5 11 4 7 1 1 0Psychology 15 1 5 4 3 2 0 0religious studies 10 0 1 5 2 2 0 0sociology 5 0 0 1 2 2 0 0spanish 11 0 3 5 0 2 1 0sport/Pe studies 13 3 3 4 1 1 1 0

A LeVeL resuLts

the curriculum reflects the aims of the school and seeks to promote the intellectual, personal, aesthetic, moral, social and physical development of students and to prepare them for the opportunities and responsibilities of adult life. At all levels of the school, students are carefully monitored in every subject through a system of target-setting. Attainment targets, generated using prior attainment data, are shared with the students and progress is monitored and measured against those targets through the marking of assignments and homework and the formal assessments conducted by departments each half term. Progress in these assessments is reported to parents via our online reporting system and checked regularly by Heads of Departments, Heads of Year and the Leadership team. Key stage 3the Key stage 3 curriculum is based on the subjects of the National curriculum.on entry to the school in Year 7 all pupils study the core subjects of english, Mathematics and science together with History, Geography, technology, computing, Art, Music and Physical education. In addition, all students have an afternoon of Games and lessons in Latin and cookery. Philosophy, religion & ethics is taught following the Hertfordshire Agreed syllabus. All students begin a first Modern Foreign Language (MFL). Boys begin French, German or spanish according to the Form in which they are placed on entry to the school. In Year 8, most boys begin the study of a second MFL or can opt to continue with Latin. A special course is available for those students for whom the study of a second MFL

or Latin is considered inappropriate. this is run by the Learning support Department in conjunction with the Mathematics and english Departments and is focussed on the core skills of Numeracy and Literacy.In addition to the academiccurriculum, all boys follow a course in Personal, social, citizenship and Health education. this is delivered through a series of half-day- or day-long sessions by teaching staff and specialist outside speakers and facilitators. topics covered include healthy lifestyles, e-safety, staying safe, puberty and sex education, environmental issues and politics.

AcADeMIc orGANIsAtIoN

Key stage 4the majority of pupils sit 9 or 10 Gcse subjects at the end of Year 11. these comprise a minimum of english Language and english Literature, Mathematics, a first Modern Foreign Language, a Humanity (either History or Geography), Biology, chemistry and Physics. A minority of students sit core and Additional science instead. this group of subject forms the ‘english Baccalaureate’. A further two subjects are chosen from the following range of options:

HistoryGeographyArtDesign technologyLatinMusicInformation technologycomputingclassical civilisationPhysical educationreligion Philosophy & ethicsA second Modern Foreign Language: French, German or spanish.

choices are made following extensive consultation and guidance. For the small number of boys for whom 9 Gcses is felt to be too demanding, a special course is run. this is under the management of the Learning support Department and in conjunction with the english & Mathematics Departments and the focus is on core skills. specialist help is given with planning coursework and essay preparation.

All students follow a core course in Physical education and a period of Games. the ethical and Personal studies (ePs) course taken by all students combines religious studies with Personal, social, Health and sex education, careers and Work Based Learning; all students in Year 11 take part in a week’s Work experience.

careers advice, information and guidance is available on an individual basis from Key stage 3 through the connexions service and the school’s well-resourced careers and Higher education Library, as well as through the consultation evenings held when students choose the next stage of their education and career pathway.

tHe sIXtH ForM

each year we welcome between 180 and 190 students into the Lower sixth to pursue a wide variety of Advanced Level courses. Amongst this number there are usually around 35 new entrants to the school and it is a time for meeting and making new friends. the sixth Form centre is the focus for study and socialising throughout the day.

the sixth Form presents exciting and demanding new challenges which provide important steps in the process of preparing for Higher education and employ-ment. students entering the Lower sixth will follow As (Advanced subsidiary) courses in 4 subjects, taking As examinations at the end of the Lower sixth. It is expected that they will continue with all of these subjects in the upper sixth leading to full A Level qualifications at the end of the year. students are given the opportunity to develop their independence and take on much greater respon-sibility for their own work, developing skills of organisation and time manage-ment, whilst being supported and guided by staff as they tackle the Advanced Level courses.

the sixth Form is an opportunity for students to enhance not only their aca-demic cV but also wider personal skills that are so vital for success today through the large range of extra-curricular duties and activities which our students have established over time. there is a highly developed prefectorial system that assists the staff and supports younger pupils, helping to cement the school as a community.

tHe sIXtH ForM

the upper sixth team of senior Prefects are appointed by a process ofapplication and election which is open to all. In the Lower sixth students are given the opportunity to develop leadership skills through applying for prefect roles as Heads of House, Form Prefects, or as Workshop Prefects organising the Workshop programme which is held before school, where younger students can receive support with their learning.

Lesson support is another area in which the sixth Form students contribute to the school by helping staff improve the learning experience of younger students in their lessons. this may take the form of individual or small group support, depend-ent upon the demands of the subject and the lesson. Beyond these important areas of curriculum support, there is a wide range of clubs and societies which are managed by sixth Form students. this is in addition to the sports teams, for which we maintain a full fixture list; drama, with productions in the James theatre, and the flourishing musical life of the school through its bands and symphony orchestras. In all of these activities students learn important skills of leadership, management, discipline and commitment, as well as providing important role models for younger members of the school.

those who accept the challenges of this new learning environment and commit themselves to make the most of their sixth Form career will be well prepared to move on successfully to Higher education and employment.

“The Sixth Form here is excellent. The teachers are supportive and the lessons are fascinating. The transition to university will be an easy one.” Year 13 student

the sixth Form academic curriculum is essentially designed to meet the needs of students intending to enter Higher education on leaving the school. At present the following range of A level subjects is offered:

In some cases, courses are run in collaboration with Watford Grammar school for Girls.

ArtArt HistoryBiologychemistryclassical civilisationcomputer studieseconomicsenglish Language & Literatureenglish LiteratureFrenchFurther MathematicsGeographyGerman

HistoryInformation technologyLatinMathematicsMusicPhilosophy and ethicsPhysicsPoliticsProduct DesignPsychology sociologyspanishsports & Physical education

PAstorAL cAre

the ethos of the school is based on high expectations of work and behaviour, and the pastoral system underpins these expectations.

on entry to the school each student is placed in a House form group and remains with this House group throughout their school career. the House system, led by sixth Formers, fosters links vertically between boys in the school through House competitions and fundraising for charities.

our pastoral care is built on a strong form tutor system. the form tutor is responsible for students’ progress and welfare and provides the primary link between the school and parents, who are encouraged to make contact at any time. Heads of Year co-ordinate the work of form tutors and report to the relevant Assistant Head (Pastoral). the form group is also the basis for much academic teaching in the earlier years as well as for sporting activities and some of the provision of personal, social and health education (PsHe). students with special educational Needs are supported by staff within the Learning support department.

the school day begins with a form tutor period. In addition to matters of routine administration, such as the regular checking of student planners, this time provides an opportunity for guidance for students from the tutors and for reflection on topics introduced in the regular assemblies which are sometimes taken by students or by outside speakers.

every student is expected to maintain a high standard of appearance. Details of the uniform worn for the first five years and then of the separate sixth Form uniform can be found in student planners and on the school website. regular and punctual attendance, the requirement for students to take responsibility for their own behaviour in school and the need to show consideration for others are some of the other expectations which are outlined in the school and classroom codes, published on the school website. the example set by the sixth Form is epitomized in the work they do to help younger students, through their roles as Form Prefects, House Prefects, senior Prefects and academic mentors involved in morning workshop or lesson support schemes. the sixth Form also run the school council which gives a voice to all students through their form and year group representatives. the council reports regularly on their deliberations to both the school Management and the Governors.

the school believes that good discipline is a prerequisite of success and operates a clear system of rewards and sanctions in line with the published Behaviour Policy and Discipline Framework at the centre of which lie courtesy and respect

ActIVItIes

the school offers a wide range of activities and societies in which students are encouraged to participate. some of these societies and activities are held jointly with Watford Grammar school for Girls. space permits only a brief reference to some of the opportunities here. Full details can be found ont he school website and in the The Fullerian - the annual school magazine.

MusIc• almost 300 students take instrumental lessons in the purpose built and award winning Clarendon Muse Music centre• performances by the School’s 15 musical groups and choirs take place throughout the year in and out of school• the School holds an annual music competition.

DrAMA• productions take place in the fully-equiped James Theatre• there are two major productions per year, with other events directed by students.

sPort• major sports are Rugby, Hockey and Cricket, along with Cross Country, Athletics and tennis• there is an ambitious programme of fixtures in these sports against the strongest school teams• excellent facilities, including a full-sized all-weather Hockey pitch, a Fitness suite, brand new Pavilion and sport centre• a range of other sports are played and coached, including Badminton, table tennis, Basketball, Judo, sailing and Fencing• success and participation are fostered by competitions within School and at county and National level.

cLuBs AND socIetIesthere are many opportunities for participation in lunchtime and after school clubs, including:• Debating Society • History and Politics Society• Literary and Arts Society• Chess Club, which feeds talent into the School Chess Teams• Maths Club, which supports the School Maths Team• BAYS (Young Scientists)• Jewish Awareness Society, Christian Union and Gujarati Club• Young Engineers Group• Duke of Edinburgh Award Group• Book Clubs• The Programming Club

VIsIts AND eXPeDItIoNsoutings and trips include:• Annual Biology and Geography Residential Courses• Annual History visits to World War I Battlefields• Annual French and German Exchanges• Annual Year 7 Residential Activity Week• Regular Sailing Trips• Classics Trips to Italy, Greece and Egypt• Annual Skiing Trips• Sports Tours (most recently, Rugby to Canada, Australia, Fiji and New Zealand; Hockey to India, Holland, Australia and Malaysia, and south Africa and cricket to Barbados and sri Lanka)• World Challenge Expeditions (recently to Malawi and Tanzania, Kenya, Venezuela, Argentina and Peru)• History Trips to St Petersburg and Berlin• Politics Trip to Washington• Art Trip to New York

Parents’ evenings are an important part of the school year. It is expected that the students will be present at these consultations. Additional evenings are arranged in order to offer advice and guidance over choices for students’ study at Gcse, A level and application to Higher education. For residential trips and visits briefing meetings are held for parents.

reports on individual student progress are provided every half-term via our online reporting system. Your son’s progress against his target grade in each subject will be shown. Additionally, staff will report on your son’s behaviour in lessons.

throughout the year students are encouraged to track their progress as they work towards their targets and potential grades and there are two formal review weeks for such reflection. It is very helpful for parents to take an informed interest in this process.

Parents are welcome to contact Form tutors, Heads of Year or the relevant Assistant Head should they have any concerns about attendance, behaviour or performance.

Most of our communications, including the termly Headmaster’s newsletters to parents are sent in electronic format via ParentMail. Details of all major events, including school plays, concerts and sports fixtures are included in the calendar, available on the school website. the website also provides useful background information about the school as well as weekly notices and news.

coMMuNIcAtIoNs

WIDer coMMuNItY LINKs

the Friends of the schoolthe school attaches great importance to its strong links with parents, bothindividually and as a body. the parents’ association is known as the Friends of Watford Grammar school for Boys and supports the education of the students through a variety of fundraising activities and social events. the Friends have assisted in the provision of many facilities, including the exten-sion to the sports Hall with its Fitness suite and Dance studio, the clarendon Muse, the sixth Form centre, minibuses, the new Mathematics suite, as well as funding new lockers and It equipment. the Friends also provide direct financial assistance for clubs and societies and support school events such as Parents evening, concerts and plays throughout the year. their significant contribution to the school is the result of a strong partnership between the parent group and the school.

Alumni office the Alumni office (the Fuller Network) aims to help old Boys stay in touch with the school and other Fullerians wherever they are in the world. the Alumni office organises events and tours of the school for old Boys as well as managing a growing database of old Boys.

Business Linksthe school has a flourishing and expanding programme of Business Links. these links help students learn about the world of business and provide opportunities for them to bring their academic skills to bear on real life situations. Business Days are organised throughout all Key stages with the involvement of many local businesses across a variety of industry sectors. recently, sixth Form students have been able to participate in the Young enterprise competition, adding to a long-established Young engineers Programme which has been very successful in problem-solving activities in association with local companies. Indeed, they have won national competitions. the school has a developing database of business contacts and parents of new students who can offer such contacts are urged to make themselves known to the Business Links co-ordinator.

community & school LinksWe work in partnership with a number of local primary schools, supporting their staff and students in the teaching and learning of science and Mathematics. students from these primary schools are also involved in the Gcse Drama theatre in education projects, as well as with our sports coordinator scheme whichencourages participation in sport. this scheme is guided by our studentsparticipating in the sports Leaders Programme.

In 2012 Professer Lord robert Winston launched the WBGs steM Lab. the Lab is a collaboration between the school, the reach out Lab at Imperial college, London

and exscitec. It provides hands-on and engaging steM activities and programmes for our students and teachers, as well as for those in other local schools. the aim of the steM Lab is to raise aspirations, improve attainment and increase participation in Higher education and steM related careers amongst young people. Annually, the Lab is used by over 2,000 students aged between 9-18 in south West Hertfordshire. In addition, the school is the hub school for the ogden trust Watford Partnership which promotes the study of Physics.

the school runs the climbing Higher club in collaboration with sHINe to help boost the attainment of students in the local community at risk of failing to achieve 5A*-c grades at Gcse. We also work in collaboration with Mencap and the Peter Harrison Foundation offering a weekly structured programme of sport and Fitness activities to young people with learning disabilities. our seN Department has recently supported two local secondary schools in collaboration with the rayne Foundation.

the school hosts a number of weekly community Language schools including the Watford chinese school, the Al Amanah Muslim supplementary school, and the Gujarati school. these schools provide a vital link with community groups in Watford.

each Form and House is encouraged to take part in fundraising activities for charities in order to help foster awareness and links locally, nationally and globally. our rewards scheme, which promotes positive behaviour and achievement, enables students to earn money for donation to chosen House charities.

ADMIssIoNs ProceDureFor entry in september 2015the school is an Academy and its own Admission Authority and the Governors have total responsibility for admissions.

entry to Year 7All admissions information is correct at the time of publication (september 2014).to apply for admission, two application forms must be completed:

• The School Information Form [SIF] (returned to the School). • The online form to your Local Education Authority [CAF].

Applications can only be considered if both forms are completed.

Decisions on allocation of places will be made in accordance with published criteria. they will be notified to parents by their Local education Authority.

Very careful attention should be paid to the Admission Arrangements and the accompanying notes.

the final date for receipt of applications is 31 october 2014. First round offers of places will be posted on 2 March 2015.

entry to Lower sixth (Year 12)Application forms and the sixth Form Prospectus can be obtained online from the school website at www.watfordboys.org

successful applicants will be offered places conditional on their performance at Gcse.

entry to Years 8, 9 and 10Very occasionally, casual vacancies may appear for september in these years. Applications should be made by contacting the Admissions office.

ADMIssIoNs stAtIstIcsApplications for september 2014(i) 701 applications for 190 places(ii) there were 46 Appeals heard - 3 were successful.

Year 7 195 Year 8 190Year 9 190

PuPILs IN tHe scHooL

Year 10 190Year 11 189

september 2014

Lower sixth 190upper sixth 171

terM DAtes: AcADeMIc YeAr 2014-2015

Autumn term: tuesday 2 september (Years 7 and Lower sixth) Wednesday 3 september (all years) to Friday 19 December 2014 Half term: Monday 27 october to Friday 31 october

spring term: Monday 5 January to thursday 2 April 2015 Half term: Monday 16 February to Friday 20 February summer term: Monday 20 April to Wednesday 15 July 2015 Half term: Monday 25 May to Friday 29 May

tHe scHooL DAYeach day consists of 8 or 10 lessons, arranged as follows:

8.30 registration8.40 Assembly9.00 Period 19.35 Period 210.10 Morning Break10.30 Period 311.05 Period 411.40 Period 512.20 Period 612.55 Lunch1.45 end of lunch1.50 registration2.00 Period 72.35 Period 83.10 end of school (Mon. Wed. & Fri)3.15 Period 9 (tues & thurs)3.45 Period 10 (tues & thurs)4.20 end of school (tues & Fri)