Specialist Status
Bishop Thomas Grant School has been designated a Specialist Mathematics and Computing College by the Department for Education and Skills.
In keeping with our Catholic and comprehensive mission we seek to nurture, encourage and respond fully to a desire for learning, developing a sense of ambition and achievement, and improving the life chances of students and adults in the local community. We will use maths and ICT as the driving force to achieve this and to raise standards across the whole curriculum. The main areas we will address are:
- improving attainment of students whose first language is not English and any underachieving more-able students,
- better addressing the needs of students in transition from primary to secondary schools,
- exploiting digital media to enhance teachers’ continuing professional development,
- improving teaching, and
- providing a training centre and educational resources to support targeted lifelong learning in the local community.
The maths and the ICT departments will engage students in their subjects, not only in lessons and while they are at school, but outside and for the rest of their lives.
Businesses and community groups will be working with us to raise the workforce and community life skills base and employability through
- training in basic numeracy and ICT skills for employees,C
- training in numeracy for everyday maths including personal financial management, V
- accredited maths and ICT courses, particularly at higher levels to provide for learners without access to such qualifications in the local area,
- training in ICT skills for adult learners with English as second language providing a resource not otherwise available and supporting employability and individual skills bases, also developing English.
- training in ICT skills to access learning in other subject areas exploiting the potential for personalised learning and making use of ICT equipment outside school hours.
- support for adults with special needs in using ICT in terms of skills development and in recording physical and psychological progress enhancing life skills and providing tracking and monitoring for individuals and carers, and
- developing and implementing e-learning for adult groups giving opportunities to citizens with limited mobility and for mothers with young children.
Our successful application has been substantially supported by the School Governing Body, The Walcott Educational Foundation (Lambeth Endowed Charities), The Sutton Trust, The Allied Irish Bank and an additional sponsor through the Specialist Schools Trust. We will be working closely with Lambeth Local Education Authority, St. Andrews, Woodmansterne, and Christ Church Primary Schools, Elm Court and Norwood Secondary Schools as well as the ADAIR centre and L’Arche Community. A number of businesses have been involved in our planning and will continue to work with us, these include Your-Move and Thomson Vales, Estate Agents, Computec, Computer Solutions LTD, Balham Leisure Centre and the national charity Oxfam GB.
As a Specialist Mathematics and Computing College we will accelerate and extend developments in maths and ICT, in teaching and learning across the school as a whole and we will share expertise and resources with the local community including partner primary, special and secondary schools, parents of students at primary, special and secondary schools, business and employers and minority adult groups.
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