ESTYN Full School Inspection

St John's College warmly welcomes the outstanding report produced by ESTYN on its achievements, quality and standards, and especially the 'exceptional school ethos'.

The report can be found in full on the ESTYN website www.ESTYN.gov.uk
or simply follow this link: www.estyn.gov.uk/inspection_reports/St_Johns_College_Report.pdf

'An Exceptional Ethos' (ESTYN)

The teaching style throughout the school is modern and aware of current educational thinking and best practice, involving pupils in their own learning. It is also traditional in its quest for high standards, critical thought and curiosity for new learning. Modern scientific, technological and economic awareness, an outward view towards the languages of Europe, as well as to our own Welsh culture, and a strong interest in the arts and social sciences underpin our special national responsibility and contribution to the civic community, in providing the music for public worship in the Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral.

Major financial investments in exceptional indoor and outdoor sports facilities, judiciously assembled and created in recent years, have been enabled by consolidating our academic distinction as the foundation of the school's present and future success.

At the height of the development of our computing capability, we are also rapidly developing the library and research centres required of modern education, whether to encourage the young reader, or to provide resources for the advanced study of science or history, and the full range of other pre-university subjects at the very highest level.

The recent ESTYN Inspection Report identified the following outstanding features of St John’s College:

• ‘an exceptional ethos and sense of purpose throughout the school’.

• ‘pupils listen attentively and speak very well ... [and] behave well, are polite, confident and independent’.

• ‘good quality after-school care’.

• ‘outstanding features in the standards [that nursery] children achieve in language, literacy and communication and in their personal and social development’.

• ‘Pupils in Years 5 and 6 benefit immensely from a blend of the subject-based approach associated with secondary studies and teaching styles that are appropriate to younger pupils.  This well-structured programme has a marked impact on standards and attitudes to learning, and enables pupils to make a smooth and successful transition from primary to secondary level’.

‘As part of this ‘accelerated learning’ programme, pupils:
- begin to study modern foreign languages in the primary school;
- commence key stage 3 courses, based on the National Curriculum, in Year 6;
- start GCSE courses in Year 9.
- listen very attentively to other pupils’ views and opinions as well as teachers’ exposition, questions and instructions’.

• ‘[Sixth form & all key stages] speak with considerable confidence, using a wide range of vocabulary and displaying a very good grasp of subject-related terms’.                                        

• ‘an excellent college orchestra achieves extremely high standards of performance ... many pupils achieve very high standards of performance in a range of extra-curricular musical activities’.  

• ‘the [Cathedral] choir performs outstandingly well in a range of music from different historical periods’.              

Crown Copyright 2006

Teaching & Learning

We teach with the aim that all our pupils can

• achieve high standards in their knowledge, understanding and skills;
• achieve agreed learning targets and goals;
• reach appropriate levels in key skills and succeed regardless of their social, ethnic or linguistic background;
• acquire new knowledge and skills, develop ideas and increase their understanding;
• understand what they are doing, how well they are progressing and what they need to do to improve;
• make good progress towards fulfilling their potential, moving on to the next stage of learning;
• develop their personal, social and learning skills and show motivation, work productively and make effective use of their time;
• behave responsibly and show respect for others;
• develop the capacity to work independently, with the skills necessary to maintain lifelong learning;
• progress well in their personal, social, moral and wider development.

St John's College Lesson Plan:
/f/SJC_lesson_plan.pdf

Independent Study Information:
/f/SJC_Independent_Study.cwk_(WP).pdf

Internet & Computer Use:
/f/Internet_and_Computer_use_policy.pdf

Organisations & Links - Wider Community, Faiths, PSHE & Citizenship

An illustrative catalogue of organisations and guest speakers with which the school has forged links with the wider community, including parents, in the course of broadening Religious Education, enriching careers advice, PSHE and citizenship.
/f/SJC_links_with_outside_organisations.pdf