thomas tallis school

everystudentmatters

prospectus

As you walk through the gates of Thomas Tallis

School and are struck by its grey, breezeblock

exterior, you could be deceived by appearances.

The saying, ‘you can’t judge a book by its cover’

could not be more appropriate. Our school is not

about our building, but what is happening inside it.

Our philosophy is that everyone matters. The staff

work hard with the students; we all share a love of

learning.

It’s all about mutual respect. We treat the students

with respect, and we expect the same in return. All

staff share these values. Obviously, it sometimes

breaks down. Then we listen, get to the bottom of

the issue and work to resolve it. Much hinges on

effective communication - we are a community

where everyone has a voice and their opinion is

valued.

We want everyone to be proud to be a part of our

community. We want our students to feel safe and

that they belong. We also want to support them in

becoming independent learners. Our academic

success is rooted in this approach but that is not

the whole story. We want our students to achieve

the very best results they can but we also

recognise that becoming a rounded and confident

young person is equally important.

Thomas Tallis is a place where we take risks. We

want to make learning fun and are constantly

looking for new ideas. I think this is why staff like

working here. They know that they belong to a

thriving school.

In my opinion, it’s a great school and I love being

the head - but I recognise that I might be a little

biased! If you want to find out more, come and visit

us on any Wednesday between 9.00 and 11.00

am. Tour the school, either with a guide or on your

own, and meet with me. When you see us in action

you will know whether we are the school for you.

As I said at the beginning, every picture tells a

story. The faces of our students show how they

feel about our school - I feel the same way.

Rob Thomas, Headteacher

““

the achievements of

an organisation are

the results of the

combined efforts of

each individual.VINCENT THOMAS LOMBARDI

every picture tells a story...

3

enjoy and achieve

““

success is getting

what you want;

happiness is

wanting what you

get.DALE CARNEGIE

If lessons are stimulating and engaging, then

students will love learning; not an easy challenge

but certainly one we believe we are up to. We

spend many hours planning and reviewing

schemes of work to ensure they are well

differentiated and meet the needs of all. Lessons

are structured to enable all students to access the

curriculum and to develop as independent

learners.

We constantly review our curriculum to make sure

it offers the best choices for all. Full details are

contained in our fact sheets at the back. Some of

our students take 5 GCSEs and receive a lot of

additional support whilst others take 10, 11 or 12

subjects and, of course, we have a variety of

pathways in between.

We set all students challenging targets and report

on their progress each term. In addition, each year

group has an annual parents’ evening and termly

Academic Review Days. During these, students

meet their tutor, discuss their progress and set

themselves targets for the term ahead.

All this, combined with regular homework, helps us

to support all our students in adding value to the

progress they have already made. It is one of the

reasons why we regularly appear in the top 500

comprehensive schools for our achievements in

the Sixth Form and at GCSE. We are very proud

of this but prouder still that our young people leave

us as successful, well-balanced individuals, ready

to face the challenges of the 21st Century.

As an Arts College, we celebrate success in the

arts and all students study at least one arts subject.

We believe this helps stimulate other areas of the

curriculum and allows other faculties to explore

their creative side.

Our next challenge is planning our new school

building. Students, staff, governors, parents and

carers have all been involved and we hope that by

2009 we will have a new school which will be the

pride of the community.

being up to the challenge...

make a positive contribution

““

with every

experience, you

alone are painting

your own canvas

thought by thought,

choice by choice.OPRAH WINFREY

Everyone in our community can make a positive

contribution and that’s why we believe we are an

inclusive school.

Regular lively debates take place at School

Council meetings; its members bring a variety of

issues to the forum. These ideas are often

progressive and sometimes radical and we value

these meetings as a very important part of school

life. We are a school that listens and we believe

that people feel valued if they have a voice and can

make a difference. After all, our students are

encouraged to become independent learners and

thinkers. That’s why, when they have something to

say, it’s generally worth listening to. For instance,

our students like wearing their school uniform

because they helped to design it.

We receive students from many different

backgrounds and cultures: we have students who

are deaf or hearing impaired, students with speech

and language delay and students with a variety of

other needs. There is one common factor which

unites them all: they are all Thomas Tallis students

and we want the very best for all of them. Here

everyone is valued equally. Inclusion isn’t just

about the students though. We want parents and

carers to feel that they are part of Thomas Tallis by

signing the Tallis Agreement and by checking the

student planner regularly. The planner is a very

important document; it is our first means of

communication with you and is used to record

homework and other important information. In

addition, we welcome any thoughts about how we

can make the home-school link stronger.

We are fortunate to have an extremely committed

and helpful group of governors who work closely

with the school, supporting us but also asking us

those questions which keep us on our toes.

everyone has a voice...

stay safe

““

all our dreams can

come true, if we

have the courage

to pursue them.WALT DISNEY

Safety and belonging are very important in our

community. We find out quite a bit about our

students before they arrive here by visiting their

primary school and meeting their Year 6 teacher.

We also have our Headstart Day in July when all

new students spend a day at Thomas Tallis, meet

their tutor and get to know the rest of their tutor

group. It gives them an insight into life at Thomas

Tallis. It helps to provide them with an excellent

start.

We realise that some students may find the

transfer difficult and we invite them into school with

their parents or carers before Headstart Day. They

are able to meet support staff and are teamed up

with a mentor, a Year 8 student who also faced

difficulties on transfer but has overcome these

initial problems. We also give a number of them

the opportunity to come to the Summer School.

Our Year 7 students settle so quickly that we even

use them as guides on Open Days to reassure

visiting Year 6 students about the transfer process.

Some students are less confident about using local

transport and we have a “Travel safe” programme

in place which allows them to develop their

confidence in travelling to school.

Our pastoral system is excellent. Heads of Year

and tutors normally remain with their students for

five years and the relationships which they develop

with students, parents and carers are very

important ones.

We have our own ‘Beat Bullying’ Campaign where

every member of the school community is invited to

sign a ‘beat bullying’ petition. We constantly

monitor the success of our initiative by asking the

students to evaluate its effectiveness. The

response has been overwhelming and a brochure

is available if you would like more information

about our campaign. We like to work together to

ensure our students remain happy and safe.

looking out for one another...

be healthy

““On that memorable November day when Jamie

Oliver first came into Thomas Tallis, it caused a

certain amount of upheaval. However, the benefits

have far outweighed the problems caused by those

chaotic first few days and we now have a healthy,

well-balanced menu on offer. It’s great to see

students at lunch with plates filled with healthy

food.

With all this healthy fare and regular drink breaks,

we know their bodies are well looked after but we

haven’t forgotten that their brains need to be

exercised as well and that’s where ‘Brain Friendly

Learning’ comes in. We get them thinking about

their learning - the how as well as the what and, in

turn, this has made us think about how we can be

better teachers: a win-win situation.

However, we’re not just excellent classroom

teachers. When I hadn’t been at the school very

long and I had been stuck in my office all day, I

thought I would take a stroll around the school and

see how things were going. It was great to see all

the students involved in various activities: art,

basketball, dance, drama, choir, orchestra, signing,

creative writing, yoga, samba band and steel pans

to mention just a few. It was only when I looked at

my watch that I realised it was 4.30 pm and

everybody could have gone home an hour ago! It

speaks volumes that Thomas Tallis is a place that

people don’t want to leave.

From the Empire State Building to our Activities

Centre in Wales, our diverse range of school

journeys provide our students with positive

experiences with immeasurable benefits. They

learn team building skills which they are also able

to develop at the school using our own trim trail

and low ropes course. Visitors could be forgiven for

thinking they were in a circus at times when we

have our juggling, diablo and unicycle practice. It’s

just one of the many extra-curricular opportunities

that we provide.

We try to make learning fun both within and beyond

the classroom.

food for thought...

education’s purpose

is to replace an

empty mind with an

open one.MALCOLM FORBES

achieve economic wellbeing

““

it is the supreme

art of the teacher to

awaken joy in

creative expression

and knowledge.ALBERT EINSTEIN

We want our students to become lifelong learners

and successful members of the community but we

know this won’t happen overnight. There are a

number of themes that we revisit throughout their

time with us which help students along this path.

Even in Year 7, we work with students to make

them aware of all the possibilities that lie ahead of

them. This is part of a careers programme which

supports students throughout their time at Thomas

Tallis.

As they progress we help them select their options

in Year 9. We work closely with the Connexions

service at Greenwich who provide further guidance

and we have a range of alternative pathways to

stimulate and engage all our students.

In Year 10 students experience the world of work

when they complete two weeks work experience.

This insight into life beyond school often helps

students identify where they are heading. Work

related learning and enterprise are two more

themes which are woven into the curriculum.

These allow students to make connections with the

world outside and link up their learning.

After their GCSEs, many of our students - and a

large number of students from other schools, join

our Sixth Form, taking advantage of the extensive

range of courses on offer. Our Sixth Formers are

an integral part of the school: many mentor

younger students or run extra-curricular activities.

Most of our Sixth Formers leave us to go on to

university. We have specialist members of staff

who take students through the UCAS process;

another member of staff is responsible for our

Oxbridge applicants.

Citizenship is another theme which runs through

the curriculum and beyond. We offer students

opportunities which help them become thoughtful,

helpful and proactive members of the school and

wider community.

By the time they leave Thomas Tallis, we know we

have prepared our students for all the challenges

they will face as citizens of the future.

preparation is the key...

““

i see my path but

don’t know where it

leads; not knowing

where I’m going is

what inspires me to

travel it. ROSALIA DE CASTRO

it’s where we’re at...Buses and trains Buses 286, 178 and B16

South Eastern trains

London to Dartford/Gravesend

(Kidbrooke Station)

Thomas Tallis School

Kidbrooke Park Road

London SE3 9PX

Tel 0208 856 0115

Fax 0208 319 4715

www.thomastallis.greenwich.sch.uk