Message from the Head
St. Wilfrid’s is a highly successful school. Our students make outstanding progress
and are well supported in a caring Christian environment. Visitors to the
school frequently comment on the special atmosphere, made visible
in our pupils, who behave with respect and tolerance to all members of the community.
We welcome applications from people of all faiths who wish to benefit from, and are
able to support, our Catholic ethos.
Our most recent OFSTED report, in 2003, described us as “a very good school
with many excellent features”. In fact, our results have continued to improve
since then and we believe we are one of the country’s top-performing comprehensive
schools. This was recognised by the Chief Inspector of Schools, who named St.
Wilfrid’s as an “outstanding school” in his 2004 report. The recent Wakefield-wide
Strategic Area Review by OFSTED identified us as a “consistently excellent”
post-16 provider, a judgement confirmed by several other external agencies,
which place us in the top 12% performing sixth form colleges nationally.
We offer an outstanding curriculum, which has received a number of national
awards. Students choose options one year earlier than in most schools and are
able to choose from a very broad range of subjects while still studying a meaningful
core. We offer something for everybody in an enviable extra-curricular programme
that includes numerous clubs, sports teams, trips and other activities. Our
Chaplaincy team organise a wide range of liturgical events that students of
all faiths find thought provoking and supportive. There are also many opportunities
to participate in fund raising for charities.
St. Wilfrid’s has been a specialist Language College since 1999 and has
just been awarded Vocational specialist status as a result of our strong performance
in recent years. We have links to over thirty countries and offer a wide variety
of languages, including French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Russian
and Dutch. This dimension is celebrated in March, when we host visitors from
around the world in our International Week. Our Vocational specialism means
we offer a distinctive range of courses that provide even more opportunities
for students to gain valuable qualifications. Our links to local employers
are second to none.
Pastoral care is especially strong. We are a truly inclusive school that
helps pupils of all abilities and backgrounds become confident, caring young
men and women. We attribute this to the opportunities presented to students,
together with the support of dedicated staff who take an interest in developing
the whole child. A form teacher monitors students’ academic progress and ensures
that they are happy at school.
Facilities at St. Wilfrid’s are very good and still improving. We have
just opened a multi-million pound block of over forty classrooms and a new
sports hall. We also invest heavily in new technology; at present every classroom
has an interactive whiteboard and we have some eight hundred computers on site.
Staff are also well supported. We encourage professional development and
lead the way with workforce reform. All teachers are provided with a laptop
and a huge investment has been made in providing support staff to undertake
cover and reduce the administrative burden. We are an “Investors in People”
school.
Should you take the next step and visit St. Wilfrid’s, you can be assured
of a warm welcome and I am confident you will be impressed. We are very proud
of our community, all of whom benefit from the experience for the rest of their
lives, being developed spiritually, morally, academically and physically.
I look forward to welcoming you to the school in the future.
Michael Pyle
