Ethos & Aims
Welcome to Coppice Performing Arts School
Coppice Performing Arts School is an 11-18 mixed community comprehensive school.
Coppice experienced a major rebuild/refurbishment under the Building Schools for the Future programme, with building work having totalled £17million. Our final phase of building was opened in January 2013 and included exciting new Art, Technology and ICT teaching areas. Previous phases included new teaching areas for all subjects, a brand new Sports Hall, state of the art Theatre, Drama, Dance and Music recording studios. We are now further developing the school site with new Science labs and a much improved dining room, near completion. Our 4 learning zones ‘Discovery’, ‘Performance’, ‘Creative’ and ‘Communication’ provide bases for our tutor groups and bring together related curriculum areas and resources.
We are exceptionally proud of every Coppice student, all of whom consistently strive to achieve their personal best and are rightly rewarded for their commitment. At Coppice we are committed to continuous improvement and are constantly developing ways to improve standards across all areas of the school.
Currently we have over 950 students are on roll, and there are over 100 members of staff (including teaching and support staff). Coppice is over-subscribed – in recent years there have been far more first preference choices for Year 7 than there are places, which has resulted in an increased admission number since 2015 of 180. The atmosphere in school is supportive but has an underlying orderly and disciplined structure; the students are therefore well behaved, focused and hardworking.
Coppice works closely with partner primary schools with which there are strong, extensive collaborative ties. Formal collaborative links also exist at 16-19, where the school works in partnership with other local providers to offer a broad range of opportunities.
The curriculum at Coppice provides opportunities for students to develop a set of attributes, skills and attitudes that will enable them to move on through the educational journey with confidence and success. Our aim is to develop active and independent learners with a capacity to take control of their own future and impact the future of the world around us.
Our two year Key Stage 3 curriculum is an example of our innovative approach to teaching and learning. The thematic curriculum is underpinned by the acquisition of skills and competencies, with the aim of creating a more autonomous learner, better equipped to maximise the opportunities that the remainder of their formal education will provide and, more importantly, face the challenges that ‘life long learning’ will present.
At Key Stage 3 (Years 7 & 8) students follow a broad curriculum in English, Maths, Science, Music, Drama, Dance, PE, Art, Modern Foreign Languages, Geography, History, ICT, and Technology, with PSHE, SRE & RE delivered cross-curricular.
At Key Stage 4 (Years 9, 10 & 11) students follow a core programme of English Language/Literature, Maths, Science, PE and 4 option choices including GCSEs, BTECs and Cambridge Nationals.
Many Post-16 students continue their studies into Sixth Form, leading to Higher Education and Higher Apprenticeships. A wide range of courses are available, leading to certification at A Level and BTEC Level 3. We work in collaboration with other local high schools. Progression rates are very strong and NEET figures are minimal due to proactive ongoing IAG within school and with other agencies.
Georgetta Holloway OBE
Chief Executive – Central Learning Partnership Trust
Joanna Thomas
Head of School
