About us
St Cuthbert’s provides everything you would expect from a 21st century comprehensive but here are the things you may not expect. These key points make us different to other schools.
Catholic School
First and foremost St Cuthbert’s is a Catholic school and the vast majority of pupils (>80%) are baptised Catholics. Other “Catholic” schools are 50% catholic by intake. This is fundamental to our ethos. We welcome pupils of other faiths and are keen to promote a cohesive community.
Ability of intake.
90% of our pupils in Year 7 are at or above national average in Core subjects.
The academic reputation of the school is well founded. Your son will be in a class with other able pupils.
Improvement in any discipline comes from practising that discipline with people who are at least as able if not better than you. Your son may have been disadvantaged at Primary school by being taught with pupils much less able than him.
Classes are streamed because boys thrive on competition. Within the streams we aim to set pupils so they are not taught in identical groups all of the time. Promotion and demotion are key features.
14-19 Agenda
St Cuthbert’s agrees with government initiatives to continue education or training to the age of 19 for all pupils. We are less concerned about league tables for GCSE and more concerned about the achievement of our pupils at the end of Year 13.
We are also concerned about the numbers of pupils studying STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths). It is success in these areas that will drive technical industries to lead us out of recession. Britain is still a world leader in innovative design and technology. There is already a shortage of skilled labour in these areas from technician grade to professional, presenting opportunities for all our boys.
In the region, One NE and Newcastle City Council have established Science City.
A city centre site is being developed to provide the infrastructure to turn scientific research from our local universities into industrial reality. In order to do this we will need people with the relevant skills. This means we need increased numbers in Science courses in university which means a greater numbers needed post 16. At St Cuthbert’s we have 100 pupils (45%) taking STEM subjects.
St Cuthbert’s is the lead school in this initiative. In fact DCSF have designated us as a lead school nationally for Triple Science.
Curriculum
St Cuthbert’s curriculum is pretty unique. It is the closest to an independent school in the state sector. Indeed we work with the independent sector through RGS to provide a post 16 Science Program for all pupils in Newcastle schools, both state and private.
Since Triple Science and MFL stopped being compulsory, most state schools dropped these subjects in favour of easier alternatives such as Media Studies. We did not. Our curriculum offers subjects boys like whilst ensuring that a broad range of challenging subjects is studied.
Science Specialism
Triple Science is taught to all pupils from Year 7.
Physics, Chemistry and Biology are taught by subject specialists rather than “Science” which is the norm in most schools.
Triple Science is the best preparation for study of Science at AS and A2 level.
At KS4, around 50% do separate Physics, Chemistry and Biology leading to a Triple Award GCSE.
In other schools only 10% of pupils are afforded this opportunity. We also offer Geology.
At SCCHS boys of average ability do Triple Award Science, not just the elite. This is very challenging but we believe it to be in the best interests of our boys’ education.
For less able pupils we have a vocational science route including relevant work experience. In the past 2 years we have produced 20 Young Science Apprentices in association with the training provider TDR (Training Development Resources)
Engineering
Pupils of all abilities have access to Engineering either through the new Diploma or the BTEC Diploma. Both courses are successful and offer a more vocational route into the profession.
In addition we offer 3 other Technology Subjects: Resistant Materials; Graphics and Electronics.
To help us deliver work related learning on these more vocational courses we have signed agreements with leading companies including Rolls Royce, Siemens and Sir Robert MacAlpine. Other current links are with Price Waterhouse Coopers and British Airways.
MFL Specialism
At KS3 most pupils do 2 languages including French and either German or Italian. At KS4, we insist that 70% of pupils continue MFL as part of a broad and balanced curriculum.
In addition, last year we entered pupils for public exams in Chinese, Cantonese, Mandarin, Polish, Persian, Russian and Spanish!
UN and Newcastle University
St Cuthbert’s is very proud of its outstanding links with both Newcastle University and the United Nations University. In 2007, the school and Newcastle University held a major regional conference looking at the sustainability of Science education. This resulted in the selection of the school as the lead player in the education strand of Science City. Subsequently we played a role in the redevelopment of Moorbank Botanical Gardens which was used as the location for Plant Physiology Master classes involving 100 pupils from 9 schools over 3 years.
Newcastle University is now a Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) for the United Nations University. This has allowed us to obtain UN backing for a lot of our activities and has made a real difference to our community program. We have been able to create and enhance education projects including extra-mural activities and experiences which expand our core curriculum at all Key Stages.
One exciting development is our Parental Program. Hundreds of parents have benefitted from Science classes at St Cuthbert’s with their sons. We now aim to spread this to the region in association with the University RCE and the Museums Service.
Through RCE we have developed a strong working relationship and are able to keep direct links with Newcastle University and scientists there. Our work with the Open Air Laboratories (OPAL) project gives us access to facilities which further enhance the opportunities for our students to develop deeper and broader portfolios in biological and earth sciences.
