Cross College Activities
| An overview of the college | Community service | Enrichment | Key Skills |
| Duke of Edinburgh's Award | Work Shadowing | ||
Structure of the College
Teachers
- Each member of teaching staff teaches 4 groups (2 AS & 2 A-level) each of 4.5 hours spread over 4 lessons.
- The college timetable is of 6 blocks, therefore each teacher teachers 2/3 of the timetabled lessons.
- In addition two one hour activities are also taught as a combination of enrichment and general studies.
- Various staff volunteer for other activities for example, workshadowing in June.
- Teaching staff do not have tutor groups.
Tutors
Each tutor teaches two groups and has 4 tutor groups.
Students
We expect almost all students will follow 4 AS courses in the first year and 3 A-levels + General Studies in the second year.
Senior management team
Consists of a Principal, two Vice Principals and five Assistant Principals.
Monitoring student's progress
A point score for each student is calculated from their GCSE grades. This will allow staff to predict the potential A-level grades.
Each student is monitored in November and March each year which involves a discussion with each subject teacher of between 5 to 10 minutes.
The progress grade of A, A/B, B/C, C/D, D/E, E/U, U is agreed between the member of staff and the student. The progress grade follows the rubric:
"the impression I have at this moment of this student's work, attitude, ability, skills and knowledge from all the evidence she/he has produced in class and out of class, leads me to say at this stage that I would expect her/him to gain a grade x/x in her/his A-levels at the end of the course"
Every time that monitoring approaches the Principal sends a note to each member of staff reminding them of the principles of the system, this way all staff discuss progress with students and award grades consistently. Each member of staff is aware of the students GCSE points and the potential of the student based on them. The timetable across college is not collapsed. Staff set appropriate work and monitor students during two lessons prior to the 'progress report day' at their own convenience. On this day the students collect a blank report form and take it to each lesson during the day where their teacher completes the progress grade and the attendance figure. Teaching staff do not write reports. The report is returned to the personal tutor who interviews the student and writes the report to go to parents. The tutor uses the ALPS system to decide whether or not the student is achieving their potential and this will be reflected in their report.
During the course if a member of staff is concerned about a student they will send a 'P' form (problem) to the student's tutor who will see if it is a common problem across subjects. If a student does not respond to the tutor's counseling they may be put on a contract. Similarly if a student deserves recognition a 'star' form is sent to tutors. Teaching staff on full timetables do not have tutor groups. Tutors are a specialist team who are on half teaching timetable and have 4 tutor groups each. This time allows them to hold tutorials, interview students and chase any problems.
Each department has its own style of monitoring; most use a questionnaire to focus the student on their progress. Various staff use different databases/spreadsheets for student's records.
Non-academic study
In addition to the A-level courses the college is proud of its enrichment activities. A full list and details of enrichment can be found in the electronic prospectus on this site. (Access from the bottom bar of this page). The main thrust of this is music, sport, drama, work shadowing, the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, community service along with many other activities including web page design, chess and first aid.
The College Library and Resource Area
The Library and Resource Area occupies a central place in the college in more ways than one. It acts as an impressive educational support service for all members of the college, whatever subject they are studying. The book stock stands at 14,000 volumes, with magazines and newspapers providing up-to-date information. Computerised technology has streamlined cataloguing and book-issuing, and enables students to identify relevant material more easily. Books are borrowed from the University and Kirklees libraries as the need arises. Utilising the CD-ROM facilities and the Internet and Intranet connections, students can tap into a vast and readily accessible fund of ideas and information to help them carry out a wide variety of course and project work. As a multi-media resource, the Library has built up a large stock of audio-cassettes, video tapes and CDs, all of which are available for students to use in the college or at home. Our qualified librarian, Mrs Ros Moors, together with her assistant, Mrs Jean Cliffe, is always willing to show students how to use the Library to its best advantage and runs introduction sessions for all new students each autumn term. Finally, the Library and Resource Area, which is open from 8.30 am to 5.30 pm daily, provides a quiet and comfortable working environment, with 200 study spaces.
Information Technology
The college regards Information Technology as very important for all students and is therefore determined to make IT facilities widely available both for individual use and for teaching/ learning. The college operates a PC computer network using industry standard software including Microsoft Office. There are 269 computers for student use across college. The IT skills department offers enrichment courses as well as Kys Skills IT lessons. The vast majority of departments now have their own computer facilities enabling students to exploit new teaching and learning strategies, such as CD ROMs and the Internet, in lesson time and during private study. There are three interactive white boards across college and a further six projectors for the use of ICT in the classroom. The college has a link to the Internet which can handle a large number of simultaneous users. We also have an Intranet on which departments publish their own material. All students have access to e-mail facilities.
cross college| Community Service introduction| The Community Service Scheme