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In the weeks leading up to Remembrance Day, Ridgeway Secondary School has been deeply engaged in honoring the memories of those who have served in the armed forces. This year’s preparations have been especially meaningful as students, staff, and families have come together to share stories of loved ones lost in service and celebrate the bravery of family members who have been or are currently part of the military. These heartfelt memories remind us all of the sacrifices that have been made and the importance of remembering those who served to protect the freedoms we enjoy today.

One of the highlights of Ridgeway’s Remembrance preparations has been a school-wide house competition focused on the theme of “Remembrance.” Students across all year groups were invited to create artwork or write poems reflecting their personal interpretations of remembrance. The response was outstanding, with powerful pieces that captured everything from personal stories to symbols of peace and hope. This competition not only gave students a platform to express themselves but also allowed them to explore how art and poetry can be powerful ways to connect with history and honor those who served.

Additionally, Ridgeway Secondary was proudly represented at the Astwood Bank Remembrance event by four students: Jacob, Ava, Hugo, and Sofia. These students were selected for their dedication and understanding of the importance of this day, and they represented our school with pride and respect. They joined members of the community in a moving ceremony, laying a wreath and taking part in a minute of silence to honor fallen soldiers.

At Ridgeway Secondary, remembrance is not just about looking back; it’s about teaching young people the values of resilience, respect, and gratitude. These past few weeks have helped us all pause, reflect, and understand the powerful legacy of Remembrance Day. We are proud of our students and the whole Ridgeway community for their dedication to making this year’s commemoration meaningful and heartfelt.

After applying to join the Diana Award Anti Bullying Programme back in January this year, we were successful in being offered a place for Ridgeway students to attend the initial training in Leicestershire in June 2024.

All students in current years 7, 8 and 9 were given the opportunity to apply for the role which consisted of completing an application form where they had to give an example of a time, they have shown they possess the core values that we were looking for. 45 students applied for the position with 25 being selected for Round Two!

The next part of the recruitment process was to us on what anti bullying meant to them.

Some students created a poster and talked about their ideas, others a PowerPoint presentation on one year 9 even showed us a video on his phone and involved his friend in the interview.

All were amazing and we only had 10 spots! After lots of deliberation between us we came to our decision. It wasn’t easy because everyone showed how much passion they have for the cause.

A MASSIVE congratulation to Alex, Immy, Freya, Layla, Felix, Dolcie, Darcey, Freddie, Archie and Sam!

Our ambassadors will begin their training on 25^th June whereby they will learn the skills they need to run our anti bullying campaign. After we get back to school, we will decide which badges we will start to work towards, for example online safety or Respect.

Its super exciting!

It was an exciting morning for Ridgeway Secondary students on Friday 7th June. Labour’s Parliamentary candidate for Redditch, Chris Bloore, visited the school to meet with Headteacher, Mr Ball and a student panel.  

Ted and Poppy (Year 9) and Scarlett, Lachy and Rhys (Year 11) were excellent ambassadors for the school, asking Chris tough questions and exploring many important local and national issues, including: 

• Labour’s position on climate change 
• The importance of NHS funding 
• Education funding and how to recruit and train the very best teachers and support staff for school 
• Gender equality in the workplace 
• Tackling child poverty 
• Local issues such as the town centre, support for young people locally and the Alexandra Hospital challenges. 

Chris left our Year 11s with the sentiment of this – making real change calls us to be brave – an important message for our young people to hear. 

Chris also shared his experiences of the local community and the importance of Redditch to him personally through the morning. 

His visit concluded with a school tour and he was able to see our amazing community even further, commenting on the ‘calmness’ he felt while walking around and meeting our students and staff. He also stated how polite and respectful our students were and he was impressed by the significant improvements the school has made and the bold ambition to make this school the very best for all of our students. 

Headteacher, Mr Ball said that ‘He was delighted that Mr Bloore could spend so much of his time visiting Ridgeway and talking to our students about the issues that will impact their lives now and in the future.’ He added that, ‘We look forward to Rachel McClean’s visit later this month and the preparation for our own ‘in-school’ election across the week of the 1st July.’  

Watch this space! 

This week, we have been fortunate to be joined by ‘Worcester Apprenticeships’ who have been leading assemblies across years 8-11. Although apprenticeships are open to students who are 16 years +, we firmly believe in the important of early careers information and guidance so that all students can start thinking about their options beyond secondary school. The assemblies provided students with an introduction to apprenticeships and the different pathways they can take and gave them an insight into what it would be like to be an apprentice! Massive thank you to Worcester Apprenticeships for joining us each morning. Their feedback about our students was incredible stating how attentively and actively they listened and the mature questions they received following the assemblies.

Further information about this group can be found here: Home – Worcestershire Apprenticeships (worcsapprenticeships.org.uk)

Thinking about transition to secondary school can be an incredibly stressful and worrying time for both students and their parents. At Ridgeway Secondary School, we have already begun work on preparing those who are arriving in September.

At Ridgeway Secondary School, we prioritise the seamless integration of our new students, ensuring that each child feels supported, welcomed, and part of the Ridgeway Family from the very beginning.

In the next few weeks (starting April 22nd), we are opening our doors for welcome mornings – aimed at any family looking for a secondary school place. Please contact the school office to arrange a tour!

Our comprehensive transition programme is designed to ease the anxieties of both parents and students alike. Key conversations with staff from both the primary and secondary schools are a fundamental aspect of this initiative. This ensures that important information is shared, concerns are addressed, and a clear understanding of each child’s needs is established, creating a foundation for a successful transition.

To further acclimate our new students, we organise three key dates where they visit the school before the academic year begins. These visits allow them to familiarise themselves with the surroundings, meet their future teachers and classmates, and gain a sense of comfort within the school environment. These intentional steps foster a smooth transition and help students build a sense of belonging.

For students with additional needs, we provide extra transition support, tailored to their unique requirements. Our dedicated team works closely with both parents and external specialists to create personalised plans, ensuring that every student, regardless of their challenges, has the resources and support necessary to thrive at Ridgeway Secondary School.

Please click here for our transition support booklet that you may find useful:

RSS Student and Families Handbook 2024

Rest assured, our commitment to your child’s well-being and successful integration is unwavering. We look forward to welcoming your child into the Ridgeway Family, where they will find not just an academic institution, but a supportive community invested in their growth and development.

Dates to remember:

1) 3rd July 2024 SEND and Additional Needs Transition Day
2) 10th and 11th July 2024 – School Transition Days
3) 11th July 2024 6-7pm Parental Welcome

In-year transfers

We have places in Years 7-9. Please contact us for further information or to arrange a school tour and come and see our special school community!

The end of term is an important point in the Ridgeway calendar as it gives us an opportunity to celebrate the achievements and successes of the school community. This end of term assemblies were no different! Subject teachers nominate students that have displayed efforts, progress and achievement in their department areas. Alongside these, we also recognise students who have demonstrated our ‘Ridgeway 360’ values:

Academic – This award is given to the students in each year group that has made exceptional academic progress, this will be a student that shows the school values at all times. They go above and beyond in the classroom and regularly achieve exceptional outcomes. This person has a thirst for learning and shines in all subjects.

Social – This person is a credit to their year group for what they offer socially, they are a good friend, polite, well-mannered and confident in front of others. They are welcoming to guests and may have represented the school at whole school events. They perhaps take leadership roles at school and make everyone feel valued in their company.

Physical – For this award, the person needs to have demonstrated exceptional physical qualities, this could be in the arts and practical subjects such as PE. This person may have represented the school in a number of different ways and gets involved in the wider school life: extra-curricular clubs, fixtures, competitions and events to represent the school are an area where this person thrives.

Mental – This person is resilient, they show courage every day and regularly overcome barriers in front of them. They have worked tirelessly to ensure they are in school no matter what is in front of them and approach things with a positive attitude. This student may not always get it right or may sometimes need support, but their grit and determination make them a success.

A massive well done to all our winners, especially those who achieved a ‘360’ award!

As our work continues, as part of the Shires MAT, Ms Page led NPQ development this week hosted by North Bromsgrove High School. One of the most valuable benefits of joining a Multi-Academy Trust is gaining access to a vast collaboration network between schools. This network is an invaluable resource! The National Professional Qualification for Leading Teaching (NQPLTD) is a 12-month qualification, led by Shires MAT and facilitated by Ms Page and Mrs L Wakefield (North Bromsgrove High School), in which colleagues from the local area develop their skills in supporting other teachers in their contexts. Ms Page commented that ‘it has been an absolute privilege to be approached to be involved in the leading of this qualification and I look forward to working with colleagues from across the area’.

In the last week of the Spring term, students across Years 7 -10 have been competing in a House rowing challenge in PE lessons. It was great to see this new skill learnt and developed across the week and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive from them! Mrs Sandell commented that ‘all year groups really row-ed (?!) to this challenge! Every year group put 100% into completion and it was lovely to see them cheer each other on’. Attenborough remain victorious! We can’t wait to see more like this over the coming months…

Over the last few weeks, our students were challenged to design and make a historical event – in egg form! There were some CRACKING entries and students clearly did not YOLK around! We had entries that explored Rosa Parks famous ‘stand’, Neil Armstrong and his moon landings, the trial of Charles I, Albert ‘Eggs-stein’… and many many more!

Once again, we’re are so impressed with the efforts put into this! They’ve really SCRAMBLED our minds!

Over the last few weeks our incredible Design & Technology department have been running Stem Club at lunch times for KS3 students. It has been great to see their ideas transform! Here, Alex and Hollie show-off their design!

We are delighted to announce that we, Ridgeway Secondary School, have achieved the School Games GOLD Mark Award for the 2023/24 academic year.

The School Games Mark is a Government-led award scheme launched in 2012, facilitated by the Youth Sport Trust to reward schools for their commitment to the development of competition across their school and into the community, and we are delighted to have been recognised for our success.

Our sporting achievements this year include:

• Increased variety of sporting activities provided to our students
• Increased numbers of students’ participating within extra-curricular clubs at lunchtime and after school
• Taster sessions for pupils to experience alternative activities such as Boogie Bounce, Tennis, Archery,
• House competitions completed every half-term; cross country, dodgeball, rowing and Sports Day
• School games attendance in all inter school competitions such as the Indoor Athletics.
• From these events the girls have reached the School Games finals for Dance and Tag Rugby
• Links with the community to allow students to access sport outside of school; Alcester Rugby Club, Birmingham Rockets, Astwood Bank Cricket Club, Redditch Tennis Club, Redditch United Football
• U13 County Cricket finals for both boys and girls
• Area tournaments attended in Netball, Football, Cricket, Rounders, Rugby, Athletics
• Southern Region Rugby finals at Hemel Hempstead
• U13 County Cricket finals for both boys and girls
• Mass participation events such as the Colour Run, Sports Day and regular House Competitions
• Sporting trips for students to experience Elite and World class athletes, Rothesay Womens Tennis, Worcester v Surrey Cricket

With a number of our young people competing in local inter-school competitions this year, we are extremely proud of our pupils for their dedication to all aspects of school sport, including those young volunteers, leaders and officials who made our competitions possible. As part of our application, we were asked to fulfil criteria in the areas of participation, competition, workforce and clubs, and we are pleased that the hard work of everyone at our school has been rewarded this year.

We look forward to applying once again in 2025!