Altrincham Grammar School for Girls (Trafford) URN: 137289
Updated 10 December 2020
Applies to England
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Fair access and partnership plan summary
Altrincham Grammar School for Girls has made a commitment to deliver the following fair access and partnership plan by the school year 2021 to 2022 (and in subsequent years) as part of its successful Selective Schools Expansion Fund bid.
Admissions
Altrincham Grammar School for Girls has increased its year 7 published admission number (PAN) by 30 places to 204 from 2021 to 2022.
It gives second priority for admission to girls eligible for the pupil premium living within the catchment area into both years 7 and 12.
As a lower admission priority (after siblings and other children living in the catchment area), it prioritises students eligible for the pupil premium for admission into years 7 and 12.
For 2021 admission, it has lowered its selection test pass mark for girls eligible for the pupil premium by 10 marks compared with 2020. There will also be a reduction in the selection test pass marks for pupils seeking in-year admission to years 7 to 11.
It will give special consideration for entry to students in receipt of pupil premium who fail to meet one of the entry requirements for the sixth form, accepting one grade lower on any one of the GCSE criteria.
Outreach
To avoid duplication, Altrincham Grammar School for Girls is working closely with Altrincham Grammar School for Boys on wider outreach strategies.
Initially, outreach partners will include the following primary schools in the most disadvantaged areas of Trafford Borough but will extend to schools serving other disadvantaged populations:
- Broadheath Primary School
- Broomwood Primary School
- Firs Primary School
New activities to support the admission of disadvantaged pupils
Altrincham Grammar School for Girls will appoint a member of staff during 2020 with responsibility for primary outreach work. It will be his or her responsibility to carefully monitor the impact of the familiarisation programme and to identify primary schools in areas of deprivation with whom to develop closer partnership working.
From September 2021, Altrincham Grammar School for Girls’ sixth form students will regularly go into partner primary schools to offer mentoring and support in areas such as reading or maths. This is aimed at raising attainment in core subjects as well as introducing pupils to Altrincham Grammar School for Girls role models to raise aspiration.
From 2020, the school’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) lead will liaise with partner primary schools to offer engaging STEM-based activities, for example, a ‘Saturday STEM school’ event. This aims to increase pupils’ knowledge both of the school’s curriculum offer and their interest in applying for a place at Altrincham Grammar School for Girls.
From 2020, the maths department will develop a series of maths masterclasses for able students in years 4 and 5. Four to six masterclasses will run on an annual basis. These will be run by Altrincham Grammar School for Girls’ staff and students in identified partner primary schools. The aim is to provide appropriate extension activities for able mathematicians, thereby increasing attainment in maths and aspirations of students for a place at Altrincham Grammar School for Girls.
Current and continuing activities
Since 2019, staff and students have attended information events at primary schools to break down barriers that stand in the way of disadvantaged families applying to grammar schools. The school has committed to continuing attending these events.
The design and technology department offers workshops at Altrincham Grammar School for Girls to enable primary pupils to experience the use of its workshop facilities. This activity focuses on primary schools with higher numbers of pupil premium children. The aim of the activity will be to introduce pupils to the facilities at Altrincham Grammar School for Girls, thereby increasing knowledge of the school’s offer and raising aspiration. This began in 2019 and will continue.
From 2019, a free 5-hour familiarisation programme for girls in receipt of pupil premium funding living within an 8-mile radius of the school began. The programme includes an introduction to Altrincham Grammar School for Girls for both pupils and their parents, as well as supported familiarisation sessions focused on the 3 skills assessed in the entrance exam (verbal and non-verbal reasoning and mathematics).
Support for pupil premium children admitted to the school includes:
- Altrincham Grammar School for Girls meeting the cost of school uniform, school trips, equipment for music, speech and drama, and other extra-curricular activities
- homework and revision support
- extra tuition in English and maths
- funding to support breakfast and lunch items
- the school paying a contribution to the costs of home-to-school transport for any pupil in receipt of pupil premium who lives more than 2 miles from school
Altrincham Grammar School for Girls’ sports leaders (students) with the support of staff or coach run sports days for pupils in partner primary schools. This activity will extend to include schools with higher numbers of pupil premium children on roll. The aim is to raise aspiration through engagement with current Altrincham Grammar School for Girls students and communicate the school’s vision for pupil wellbeing through sport.
Partnership
Altrincham Grammar School for Girls’ partnership work focuses on school improvement, continuing professional development and self-development amongst clusters of schools and will build upon existing work to draw in further schools as need is identified. The school is ideally placed to deliver a wide range of partnership activity as a:
- leading improvement partner in a multi-academy trust (MAT)
- teaching school
- maths hub
- school-centred initial teacher training (SCITT) hub
Current and continuing activities
School improvement
Since 2017, Altrincham Grammar School for Girls has supported 2 schools judged to require improvement by Ofsted within the same trust (Cedar Mount and South Shore), seeking to raise attainment through a focus on:
- continuing professional development
- middle and senior leadership development through coaching and mentoring
- support for curriculum design and delivery
- support with assessment and tracking
Oswald Road Primary had RE identified as an area for improvement in recent Ofsted (2018 Ofsted Good). Altrincham Grammar School for Girls’ head of religious studies is supporting the school to support teachers to improve in the delivery of this subject.
Working on school improvement and raising attainment through peer review to identify issues and take appropriate action to address these issues. The following schools have self-identified as wishing to access such support:
- Lostock High School
- Wellacre School
- Sale High School
- St Ambrose College
Altrincham Grammar School for Girls will look to extend this to other schools.
Leadership support
Development to improve leadership capacity to improve outcomes for children at:
- Wellacre Academy
- Elmridge Primary
- Flixton Girls’ School
- Trafford High School
- Lostock College
One of the activities, a ‘leadership residency’ aims to develop senior leaders’ capacity by giving them an opportunity to experience a short placement in another school, to carry out a project with a leadership focus.
Altrincham Grammar School for Girls also runs National Professional Qualifications (NPQ) in partnership with Ambition Institute which is accessed by these and other schools.
Teaching and continuing professional development support
Sharing teaching and learning in a number of programmes using a cluster of schools. The cluster enables schools to meet termly for professional development and training, sharing best practice and resources. This will support schools in their curriculum design and delivery to ensure that pupils, including pupils in receipt of pupil premium funding, benefit from high-quality personal, social, health and economic (PSHE).
Schools involved include:
- Blessed Thomas Holford Catholic College
- Flixton Girls’ School
- Manor Academy
- St Anthony’s Roman Catholic School
- Altrincham College
- Ashton-on-Mersey School
- Broadoak School
As a teaching school Altrincham Grammar School for Girls will:
- continue to support teacher continuing professional development, including extending the offer to support all early career teachers, this will be tailored to the (self) identified needs of partner schools
- evaluate local schools’ use of the pupil premium grant, reporting back to schools on the effectiveness of their interventions
- work to develop transition from primary to secondary education for looked after children to ensure personal education plans are sufficiently robust and challenging
- continue to deliver mental health first-aid training to schools to ensure appropriate support is in place
- continue to roll out PE teacher training (this is related to the mental health first-aid training as disadvantaged pupils often experience barriers due to poor mental health and a lack of wellbeing and resilience)
Schools which have self-selected for this programme are:
- Manor High School
- Sale High School
- Trafford High School (alternative provision)
- Wellacre Academy
- Acre Hall Primary School
- Lime Tree Primary School
- Elmridge Primary School
- Lostock College