Meopham School Prospectus

Contents

Welcome to Meopham School
Our Vision
Our Curriculum
Teaching and Learning
Excellence through Character
Student Support
Enrichment
Meopham Sixth Form
Transition
Next Steps

Welcome to Meopham School

Meopham School is a vibrant and inclusive rural school with a clear focus on aspiration and success. Our mission is academic excellence, delivered through a traditional curriculum.

Our ethos creates a supportive, energising and inspiring climate for success. Students at Meopham School are trusted, valued and nurtured as individuals. We offer an environment rich in learning where positive relationships underpin the positive culture.

Our standards are exceptionally high. We value the hard work and good behaviour which make it possible for every student to fulfil their potential. We are proud that visitors to our school often comment on the mature and courteous manner in which our students present themselves. Their pride in our school can be seen in the way they wear their uniform, for example, and in the way they confidently guide parents around the school during our Open Days.

In April 2023 Ofsted awarded Meopham School a ‘Good’ grading, We were particularly proud of the following in our inspection report:

“Pupils are proud to attend this inclusive and positive school. They value the supportive and nurturing relationships they have with staff." Ofsted 2023

Mr G Prebble, Headteacher

At Meopham School we measure success not just in terms of excellent academic outcomes, but also in the development of emotional intelligence and strong character. Our traditional academic curriculum combines with our Excellence Through Character curriculum to ensure that every student is nurtured to uncover their talents and aptitudes. We recognise that excellent examination results are only a part of the story. Qualifications and personality open doors initially, but it is strength of character with a solution focussed, growth mindset which keeps those doors open and allows our young people to lead happy, successful and healthy lives.
We are proud that Meopham School students are curious in their learning, resilient in overcoming difficulty, and are confident in evaluating their own progress. As a consequence, they are ambitious to achieve academic and personal success, both in school and in the world beyond.

In partnership with parents and local businesses, we provide sound guidance and unwavering support so that our young people can meet the demands of today’s world.
We hope that this prospectus provides you with a flavour of what Meopham School has to offer. You are very welcome to join us for a tour, or join one of our open events for prospective parents and students. The best way to discover what life is like at Meopham School is to visit us during the school day, and speak with both our students and staff.

Our Vision

Distinctive Features

We are a village school with a warm community feel, where each individual is well known and supported;
We offer inspirational lessons in all subjects through the Meopham House Style of teaching.
We offer a traditional academic curriculum with a strong focus on the core subjects.
We are proud of our environment built on mutual respect, and our Meopham mantra.
We nurture the individual to develop a solution focussed, growth mindset, with a strong, resilient character.

Our mission is academic excellence, delivered through a traditional curriculum. We measure success not just in terms of excellent academic outcomes, but also in the development of strong character through a solution focussed growth mindset.

“Leaders have high aspirations for pupils and make sure that all experience effective teaching overall." Ofsted 2023

Academic Excellence
At Meopham School we understand that every child is unique and so we tailor our teaching and curriculum to help all students reach their full potential. Our aim is to ensure each student makes the greatest possible progress from their own individual starting point. To this end we use students’ targets as floors to help raise aspirations, not ceilings to limit their ambitions.

Our teachers demand high expectations, build positive relationships and support effective learning. Staff use a range of teaching and learning approaches to ensure all students experience challenging and engaging tasks, which are matched to their learning stage.

The unique Meopham House Style focuses on our four underlying principles; Feedback, Inclusivity, Retrieval and Engagement (FIRE).

Feedback - we believe in the importance of providing high quality diagnostic feedback to students in a variety of ways. This might be ‘in the moment’ in lessons, or through more structured written feedback.

Our assessment of students’ work is centred on identifying the “what went wells” and the “even better ifs”. We expect students to take an active part in their assessment, giving guidance and time to improve and refine their work following feedback from their teachers.

Inclusivity - we want to ensure all students can actively engage in the lesson, and make progress in line with their ability. Teachers employ a range of strategies to ensure lessons are inclusive for all. Where extra support is needed, adaptations will be provided to enable this. The House Style is an inclusive framework, which supports effective learning; encouraging every student to challenge themselves.

“Leaders identify well the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These pupils are supported well through the adaptations that teachers make for them in lessons” Ofsted 2023

Retrieval - there is a limit to the amount of information we can hold at any given time, and therefore we deliberately teach students how to retain and retrieve information so that they can remember it over time. Opportunities for retrieving prior knowledge take place in every single lesson.

“Across subjects, staff have strong subject knowledge and give clear explanations of lesson content.” Ofsted 2023

Engagement - students learn best when they are actively engaged in their learning, and as such our curriculum is built around activities which will support this. We want Meopham students to become engaged and self-aware learners. We foster a sense of resilience and self-reflection to ensure that our students are active ‘drivers’ of their own learning, rather than passive ‘passengers’.

“Out of choice, my eldest stays to do extra Science and Maths after school. How they have instilled this love of learning into him so solidly I will never know. I am very grateful, keep up the great work.” Year 11 parent
“My daughter has a brilliant rapport with all teachers at the school. This is a great contribution to her achieving above her targets. Thank you!” Parent

Curriculum

Our Traditional Academic Curriculum
The Meopham School curriculum has been designed to meet the needs of today’s students, and to help them thrive amidst the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow’s world. As well as studying the core subjects of English, Mathematics and Science, students joining Meopham School at Key Stage 3 will learn a modern Foreign language, as well as History, Geography, PE, Computer Science, Drama, Art, Design Technology, Music, Food Technology, Personal Development and Philosophy. The essential core skills of literacy, oracy and numeracy are woven through lessons across the curriculum.

Careers education is integrated into the curriculum. Students are given regular opportunities to explore and access unique opportunities to engage with and learn from specialists across the breadth of the working world. Personalised support and guidance is given when students are choosing from the broad range of GCSE options we offer.

The Sixth Form curriculum has breadth and depth, offering a wide range of academic and vocational qualifications which ensure that the unique talents and abilities of each student are developed. Our continuous investment in careers supports our students in choosing the best next steps for them and our individualised approach sends students on to a wide range of future pathways including universities, apprenticeships and industry placements.

“Leaders have carefully constructed a curriculum that sequences the knowledge and skills that all pupils need to know, including for pupils with SEND.” Ofsted 2023