Transparency data

Stretford Grammar School (Trafford) URN: 106368

Updated 10 December 2020

This transparency data was withdrawn on 14 July 2023

The Selective Schools Expansion Fund is closed and there are no plans to run future rounds.

Applies to England

Fair access and partnership plan summary

Stretford Grammar School 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

The school has set itself a target for the school year 2023 to 2024 of there being 20% pupils eligible for the pupil premium in each year group within years 7 to 11.

The year 7 published admission number (PAN) increased by 32 places to 160 from 2020.

From September 2021, after the admission of looked after and previously looked after children, the 32 highest scoring children eligible for the pupil premium will be admitted.

If fewer than 32 children eligible for the pupil premium achieve the test pass mark of 334, then pupil premium children scoring more than 324 will be prioritised in order of test score until 32 places are filled.

Outreach

The school will work in partnership with other local grammar schools in order to avoid duplication. It has been agreed with the headteachers of Altrincham Boys’ and Girls’ schools (South Trafford) and Sale Grammar (Central Trafford) that the 3 schools will co-ordinate outreach work.

Stretford Grammar School’s outreach activity will focus on the following primary schools selected because most are located within some of the most disadvantaged wards of Trafford and are within easy travel distance:

• Victoria Park Junior
• St Matthews’ CE Primary
• Gorse Hill Primary
• St Hilda’s CE Primary
• Kings Road Primary
• Moss Park Primary
• St Teresa’s RC Primary
• High Field Primary
• Oswald Road Primary
• Manley Park Primary
• Seymour Park Primary
• Barton Clough Primary

The school has a transition co-ordinator whose role is to evaluate, expand and appropriately focus outreach activities.

New activities to support the admission of disadvantaged pupils

Stretford Grammar School aims to launch ‘Stretford Grammar application roadshows’ in the evenings at the school, well in advance of application deadlines so that those from disadvantaged areas are aware of deadlines and the process to follow. Stretford Grammar School will work closely with the feeder primary schools listed above to ensure invitations to the roadshows are directed towards students who are from disadvantaged backgrounds.

New onsite application support will be available so that those parents with limited online connectivity or who otherwise need help with the application can be supported with their application. This will be linked to the roadshows to ensure those parents who require support from disadvantaged backgrounds can access it within school.

Maths and English masterclasses are to be held once a week for gifted and talented students from a variety of local primary schools between January and April each year. These will be held after school to improve access for all parents and carers and to support students in being test ready by supporting literacy and numeracy skills. Students completing the spring term masterclasses will be invited to a ‘graduation’ with the aim of parents and carers from these schools having an opportunity to discuss their applications to a grammar school. Stretford Grammar School students will support in the running of the maths and English masterclasses and as such support students in being more confident and comfortable in applying to the school and thus viewing the school as a possible destination for themselves.

Stretford Grammar School will work in partnership with the schools in the outreach section to:

• provide disadvantaged children with access to music lessons
• run music workshops which will culminate in families being invited to winter and spring concerts

This will help to bring parents from more disadvantaged backgrounds into the school, thereby breaking down barriers so that they view Stretford Grammar School as a potential destination for their child.

This partnership will be further developed through the work of sport leaders who will work with local primary schools to run sport activities and school sports days. Stretford Grammar School will also hold sport festivals for primary schools on the school site for football, tag rugby, rounders and cross-country with a view to engaging students in the life of the school.

Current and continuing activities

Existing activities will continue and expand. They are aimed at creating greater access to the school and breaking down perceived barriers to applying and attending a grammar school.

Up to 10 free hours of test familiarisation activities is provided for children eligible for the pupil premium so that they are familiar with the exam environment and the materials. This will be provided to disadvantaged children through an online platform.

Students from Stretford Grammar School’s sixth form commit to a voluntary programme every Wednesday to tutor and support students in disadvantaged areas in order to raise their aspirations and ambitions and support their literacy.

The modern foreign languages and technology departments run activity days for a range of primary schools aimed at promoting science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects and languages respectively but which also inspire and support students, enabling disadvantaged children to view the school as a possible destination.

A summer literacy school for year 5 students from disadvantaged backgrounds will continue and expand to cover the above schools. This will help engage disadvantaged students in the life of the school, encourage them to consider the school as being a possible destination and help raise standards of literacy which, as well as being a good thing in its own right, will help students to be better placed to realise their potential in the selection test.

Partnership

The aim of the partnership activity is to

• collaborate with schools in similar disadvantaged communities in order to support social mobility and community cohesion and to establish strong links with the wider community
• improve the life chances of youngsters in some of the less affluent areas of Trafford and south Manchester, ensuring all students have the opportunity to enjoy and achieve regardless of their background or starting point
• strengthen pedagogy and practice within schools to support student attainment
• provide a highly skilled workforce for the economic challenges ahead
• develop a harmonious, tolerant and resilient society and to become a hub for best practice in this area
• provide school to school support to promote student progress and attainment in the north of Trafford and south Manchester
• ensure students have the tools to be mentally healthy and resilient

New activities

Stretford Grammar School and Sale High School are developing a partnership to serve the borders of Trafford and Manchester.

Stretford Grammar School and Sale High will share best practice and pedagogy (particularly in delivering education to children from disadvantaged backgrounds) develop strong governance approaches to support and challenge school improvement. The schools will work in partnership with schools in more disadvantaged areas. Pupils within these schools will benefit from additional support in accessing the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) suite of subjects. Part of the plan is to share best practice in providing support to all levels of attainment and ability.

Six masterclasses will be run in the spring term for able students in partner secondary schools for English and maths with a focus on attaining the grades 7 to 9 (currently some able students are not achieving these grades). All staff involved are trained examiners with a vast experience in identifying the key skills, knowledge and understanding to access the higher marks. In turn, this will support the development of a highly-skilled workforce for the challenges ahead.

Disseminate 3 workshops on developing class-based research to 10 local secondary and grammar schools in order to strengthen pedagogy and practice. The target is for 30 staff to be trained within Trafford and the surrounding authorities. There will be a focus on class feedback to reduce the time burden of marking, thus allowing more time to develop pedagogy and quality-first teaching.

Run half-termly lectures for students from disadvantaged backgrounds to provide them with up to date guidance on university applications, funding and courses. The programme will include inspirational talks from local ‘captains of industry’ in order to raise ambitions and aspirations to study higher-level apprenticeships and to encourage university applications.

Current and continuing activities

Stretford Grammar School works with the Bright Futures Trust as part of school-centred initial teacher training and also the teaching school. In this way, it has supported school to school support through releasing staff to be specialist leaders of education in order to develop curriculum design and delivery. At present 3 specialist leaders of education provide support to other schools. Each specialist leaders of education will provide support to up to 3 schools each academic year with a bid to improving outcomes of youngsters in a variety of educational settings.

Stretford Grammar School is part of the Oxford University ‘myriad programme’. Six teachers have undergone 6 months of training and are now trialling mindfulness materials in order to support students earlier in their development to be more resilient and address mental health issues at an earlier stage. The school aims to support Oxford University in disseminating best practice in developing character and resilience in education to the wider local authority area once the trial concludes in the summer of 2020. As a result of this work it is expected that, over the next 3 years, there will be a reduction in the number of referrals for mental health issues within the school and the wider community.

In addition, 30 students work with the local teaching school and the Youth Sport Trust to develop healthy minds and resilience in learners. They are students who are deemed vulnerable or are from disadvantaged backgrounds and this training will be used to support other students from disadvantaged backgrounds withing the feeder primary schools.

As a lead school within the local Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education, Stretford Grammar School will continue to provide area support for the development of personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education to 30 schools within the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities.

The history department has developed strong links with English Heritage. In collaboration with Manchester University, they have designed a local history project about Manchester and this has been showcased at national history conferences in order to raise standards in the delivery of local history. It also provides useful outreach work for Manchester University in accessing students from disadvantaged backgrounds. This work will continue with a focus on working with Manchester University and English Heritage to develop better local history.

Fifteen sixth form students have been trained to provide a term’s support of tutoring to students at Sale High School in order to raise ambitions and aspirations. They follow an assertive mentoring programme that intends to support students in the planning of their revision and disseminating strategies that have worked for them. The aim is to widen the tutoring programme to include a further 5 schools targeting students from disadvantaged areas in order to raise ambitions and encourage sixth form and university applications.