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Organisation and Activities

Oversight and Pastoral Care

Trinity receives students from up to 100 different primary schools. It is therefore important that we create an atmosphere of belonging and security. Before their arrival, students will have normally visited the school on several occasions (see New Intake Arrangements page).

The team of Year 7 Form Tutors and Senior Tutor is led by a senior member of staff, the Assistant Head (Inclusion), in organising a structured programme of activities to achieve this end.

The staff are concerned that students should live and work in a happy environment and that everything possible be done to provide a secure and stable way of life, free from stress. The prime responsibility for pastoral care belongs to Form Tutors who are assisted by Senior Tutors and other senior staff. Students have every opportunity to share their difficulties and problems with their Form Tutor and have easy access to senior members of staff, including the Head.

Parents are welcome at the school, by appointment. They should feel free to contact the Head or other Senior Staff if they believe it will be helpful for any matters concerning their child’s interest to be discussed.
So that staff can be available, appointments should be made. Such appointments will generally have to be at times which will not interfere with the teaching commitments of staff.

Special evenings are arranged to provide opportunities for all parents to consult subject teachers. School reports will be issued at regular intervals. Careful internal assessment procedures are maintained to assist staff to keep a close watch on students’ progress and to identify any problems in their early stages, whether they are emotional, social or academic.

The school rules are kept to a minimum; expectations of courtesy and consideration towards others being regarded as preferable whenever possible. Copies of the rules are, nevertheless, issued to students and explained to them. In the event that established procedures for dealing with students seem unsuitable, parents may be invited into school to consider other possible courses of action.

House System

Constantly evolving, the school instituted a House System with the purpose of giving each individual greater opportunities to identify with other students across the school, to be involved and participate in a range of events and to offer the chance of service.

The four houses, Maple, Springbok, Tiger and Wallaby, are named after emblems of countries who had notable success in the Manchester-held Commonwealth Games.

Special Educational Needs

We are committed to creating a learning environment where all students are regarded of equal worth and where all can experience a broad curriculum. Learning Support is organised across the whole school and can involve all subjects.

We provide specialist staff, rooms and resources, but involve all staff in making the curriculum accessible to students with special needs. We are concerned with the whole learning environment and give support to students in a variety of ways. This may be through team-teaching and in-class support, production and modification of materials or, where necessary, through individual or small group tutorials.

We are also able to draw on the expertise of specialist and outside agencies. We seek to extend those students regarded as extremely able with material offering extra breadth and depth, as well as helping those with learning difficulties. We have implemented the Revised Code of Practice for Special Educational Needs.

Excellence in Cities

Through the Government’s Excellence in Cities programme, Trinity is currently receiving additional resources to support our work with our ablest students and to give further assistance to those students who find progress in school most difficult.

This initiative builds firmly on Trinity’s tradition of extending our ablest whilst supporting our least able. It will further enhance our work as a learning centre for the community and our advanced state in using information technology in the teaching and learning of all subjects.

Religious Education and Worship

All members of staff are expected to promote the well-being of the school by active support within the area of pastoral care, careers guidance, academic guidance and worship. The form staff in their tutorial time, and the Religious Education department in its courses, each has a special role to play. The attendance of students at Religious Education lessons and worship is expected, in that parents have asked for their children to attend a Church school.

The aim of Religious Education is to help students to explore life at the deepest possible level. Although the Christian religion is naturally the most prominent feature in the background against which the work proceeds, it is not the only one.

Respect for the traditions and beliefs of other faiths extends to the promotion among the students of a greater awareness of the multi-cultural and multi-religious nature of contemporary British society.

Child Protection Procedures

Because of daily contact with children, schools are particularly well placed to observe outward signs of abuse, changes in behaviour or failure to thrive. Parents should be aware, therefore, that where it appears to a member of staff that a child may have been abused the school is required, as part of local Child Protection Procedures, to report immediately their concerns to the Social Services Department.

Chaplaincy

With many staff involved in worship, counselling and the giving of advice, we effectively run a ‘chaplaincy team’. Certainly the warmth of relationships in the school is such that all of our students would feel confident in speaking to a member of staff about issues that concern them. However, some young people have worries of long standing; perhaps, for example, regarding bereavement or abuse. Trinity therefore has a Chaplain who is able to offer experience and time and has a special role in any matters that are particularly sensitive.

Complaints Procedure

In the first instance, all complaints should be directed to the Head. In the event of the complaint not being resolved, it should then be addressed to the Chair of Governors, c/o the school.

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