Complaints about the Curriculum                                               Top
A lot of time and thought is devoted to ensuring that our curriculum really does meet the needs of our students. If you do have a complaint about the curriculum, however, the first step would be to arrange a meeting with the Deputy Headteacher Curriculum at which time it may well be possible to resolve any problems. If matters are not resolved at this point then a meeting with the Headteacher should be arranged and if further recourse is required, then you may ask the Governor's Curriculum Committee to explore matters further.

Homework                                                                                          Top
Homework is an important part of learning at The Derby High School.
   

Through its homework policy The Derby High School aims to:

• Enrich learning in all subject areas by giving students the opportunity to widen their experience, or to explore, in greater depth, work they have enjoyed in class.
• Help students to prepare for the next stage of their work by giving students the opportunity to review what they have learned or to research new ideas.
• Help students to develop effective organisational skills and encourage independent learning. These become especially important as students move through the school and approach examinations at the end of Key Stages 3 and 4.
• Develop good study habits that can lead to high personal achievement.
• Encourage students to extend their learning beyond the classroom. Every student is set homework, and in addition, students are expected to enter their homework in their own personal organiser, and parents and guardians are encouraged to look at this at regular intervals. We recommend that, as far as possible, homework is done at home in peace and quiet with your encouragement. If you are in any doubt as to whether your child has homework to do, please contact the school - we will be pleased to let you know!

Extra Opportunities at The Derby High                                       Top
We believe that extra-curricular activities can add a great deal to a child's enjoyment of school and can help them to develop their own unique targets. We offer an especially wide range of extra curricular activities including:
Basketball, Football, Netball, Cricket, Rugby, Drama, Art Club, Choir, Jazz Band, Wind Band, Photography, Science Club, Homework Club, ICT, Young Enterprise. This is not a comprehensive list; in any given year there will be additional opportunities such as chess, fencing or street dance.
Our active involvement in the Youth Sports Co-ordinator Programme allows us to provide additional sporting opportunities.
The school holds the Artsmark and Sportsmark Awards in recognition of the range of opportunities which we offer.
Our major School Productions and Summer Schools are further examples of our efforts to make learning exciting and we also offer a variety of outings and visits, including trips abroad.

Citizenship                                                                                          Top
At The Derby High we believe that a good education is not only about gaining good examination results, important though this may be. We place great importance on the development of 'good character'. What do we mean by this?
At The Derby, we mean trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, integrity, kindness to others, in short: good citizenship.
We are very proud of our program of Citizenship Education, lead by our Advanced skills Teacher in Citizenship. Students learn about Citizenship through a planned programme taught in PRSE and a number of other subject areas. Most importantly, they also have plenty of opportunity to develop the qualities of a good citizen - by raising money for charity, taking part in the Student Council, attending the Youth Forum or gaining the Junior Youth Sports Leader Award. All students can gain Citizenship credits as they progress through the school and build up these credits to gain Gold, Silver and Bronze Citizenship Awards.

Enterprise                                                                                           Top
As well as leading the way in citizenship education, The Derby High School is a pathfinder School in Enterprise Learning.
We want to do our very best for our young adults and to help them to make their mark on the world.
To do so, they need certain skills - creativity, flexibility, teamwork, resilience and initiative.
As an Enterprise pathfinder, we aim to provide every opportunity for students to develop these capabilities and for them to gain active experience of the world of work. We have excellent links with industry and we are a Young Enterprise School. In a parallel scheme to our Citizenship Awards, our students are encouraged to gain Enterprise credits which they build up year on year.
In Year 7 they might be demonstrating their development of the key skills we have mentioned above whilst in Year 10 they might be actively demonstrating teamwork and initiative by gaining an excellent work experience report or by developing their own 'business' as part of Young Enterprise.
Our Citizenship and Enterprise Awards are presented annually by leading citizens and industrialists at our annual Prize giving Ceremony in June.

Careers Education                                                                            Top
Every child at The Derby High has the benefit of a full program of careers guidance. The teaching of careers is given special prominence in Year 8 and beyond in PRSE/Citizenship many speakers and lecturers are invited into school. We have an excellent program of work related education involving work shadowing in Year 9 and work experience in Year 10.
We frequently receive glowing accounts of our students when out on placements. All of our students in Year 11 have the opportunity to gain COMPACT accreditation for this aspect of their work and for their good attendance and punctuality - so important to the world of work.
The Connexions Service work closely with the school throughout Years 8-11 and offer specialist advice.

Examinations                                                                                      Top
When compared with similar schools, our record of examination success is very good indeed. Our curriculum is designed to provide plenty of choice at KS4 and it is our policy to enter students for examinations in as many subjects as they can be expected to gain success. The vast majority of students will take at least 9 GCSE examinations in Year 11. Our very able mathematicians (usually around 15 students per year) are entered for their Mathematics GCSE one year early and have traditionally gained excellent results. We then provide opportunities to study AS level work in Year 11 allowing excellent preparation for mathematics post 16 and beyond. Our approach to the teaching of Science also allows very able students to undertake suitably advanced levels of study.

Destinations Post 16                                                                         Top
At The Derby High we regard education up to 16 as the stepping stone to further training and learning. We do everything possible to encourage our students to continue learning in the way that is best for their particular aspirations and talents.
We have excellent links with Bury College and Holy Cross Sixth Form and visitors from both institutions visit our school to talk to our students and make them aware of the many pathways open to them post 16.
Our form tutors have dedicated time on the timetable to assist our students in their college applications and to help them complete their Progress Files in a thoughtful and professional manner.

Special Needs at The Derby High                                                 Top
At The Derby we know that children develop at different rates and that some students may have experienced past difficulties in reading, writing or with mathematics. Our Special Needs Department will assess the special needs of those children who have statements and allocate resources and staffing so that help is provided.
Some of our students for whom English is a second language may also need additional help.
This is provided by the Bury LEA Language Support Service who have a base within our school.

Personal, Social and Health Education                                        Top
Your child will benefit from a course in PSHE which encourages positive attitudes and helps our children to make properly informed decisions in order to live a healthy and fruitful life.
This course includes an appropriate program of sex education which complies with national regulations and has been drawn up in line with Bury LEA guidelines and the school's own policy.

Religious Education                                                                          Top
Religious Education at The Derby High is taught as a separate course for one hour per week to all students in Years 7, 8 and 9.
In Years 10 and 11, Religious Education is taught through PSHE by specialist teachers.
The school has no affiliation with a particular religious denomination. The Derby High is proud of the rich and diverse nature of its school community.
Students from a wide variety of religious backgrounds and their beliefs are recognised and respected.

Assemblies at The Derby High                                                         Top
Assemblies are an important part of life at The Derby High. Each year group assembles once a week and larger assemblies take place to mark certain special occasions. We feel this time in the morning is very important because it reminds us all that we are part of a wider school community with shared values and a shared sense of responsibility towards one another. The themes of our assemblies are chosen to have a moral content and most especially to help us to explore how we can develop the right values and demonstrate good character. Assemblies are also a time to reward some of our students and to publicly celebrate their successes in many areas of school life.
Parents wishing to exercise their right to withdraw their child from religious education or worship should notify the Headteacher in writing and make an appointment to discuss the matter in full.
In practice, very few parents have found the need to exercise this right.