What are the Aims of the School?
The School Curriculum
Finding out about your childs progress
Sport and sporting facilities
Abuse of drugs

What are the Aims of the School?

IT IS THE AIM OF COOKSTOWN HIGH SCHOOL -  

• To develop the full potential of each pupil by promoting a sense of personal achievement and enjoyment in the pursuit of academic and vocational excellence through the challenge of problems of a practical and intellectual nature, enabling them to gain qualifications relevant to further education, higher education, employment and adult life in a rapidly changing world.
  
• To create a caring school community in which staff and pupils live and work together in mutual respect and in which the personal problems of individuals receive a sympathetic and understanding hearing.
  
• To set high expectations for learning behaviour and dress.
  
• To help pupils acquire self-discipline, self respect, self confidence and a wide range of knowledge and skills.
  
• To help pupils communicate by effective use of language, written, spoken and electronic.
  
• To create awareness and develop an understanding and tolerance of other ways of life.
  
• To help pupils, through their studies, to an aesthetic appreciation of human achievements in the arts and sciences and to encourage exploration of their own personal creativity.
  
• To help pupils appreciate the importance of physical and intellectual pursuits outside the classroom.

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The School Curriculum

Cookstown High School follows the statutory requirements of the Northern Ireland Common Curriculum and through it offers pupils the opportunity to gain qualifications which will equip them for higher education, jobs skills programmes and further education.

In years 8,9 and 10 i.e. Key Stage 3 pupils study a broad and balanced curriculum.

At Key Stage 4, more academically gifted pupils will have opportunities to study nine or, in some instances, ten GCSE subjects and most pupils will study at least seven subjects at GCSE level.

A highly academic, Advanced Level GCE programme is offered in sixth form with the aim of preparing students for entry to the universities and courses of their choice including Cambridge and Oxford.

Lower sixth form pupils may study up to 4 AS levels selected from those on offer and will also be expected to participate in non-examination Physical Education and Careers Education.

Pupils will normally sit external AS level examinations at the end of their lower sixth form year.

In the upper sixth form pupils will normally continue to study 3 subjects at A2 level leading to 3 full A levels, although other arrangements may be possible.

At the time of writing sixth form pupils do not take the Key Skills programme but if university requirements change then this situation will alter.

At the present time the school follows syllabii offered mainly by CCEA at GCSE and Advanced Level GCE. A few subject areas follow syllabii offered by EDEXCEL. The syllabii followed are regularly reviewed with the aim of maximising the grades achieved by pupils.

The school is currently involved in the Department of Education approved Disapplication Scheme at Key Stage 4 through which a small selected number of pupils follow a modified curriculum without the need to study a modern foreign language.

These selected pupils currently attend a skills sampling course at East Tyrone College of Further Education in year 11 and spend two days a week on work experience in Year 12.

While in school a modified curriculum will develop literacy, numeracy and ICT skills and offer opportunities to sit examinations mainly at Entry Level.

Children with moderate learning difficulties and also with statements of special need are mainly catered for within the Learning Support Centre where there is a family atmosphere with a much higher staff to pupil ratio and the curriculum is varied to more appropriately meet the learning needs of these young people.

The Learning Support Centre has its own specialist teaching and support staff with a Head of Department managing the provision.

Pupils with specific learning difficulties are catered for within the mainstream as far as available resources permit. This is managed by the school SENCO. Further information about special needs provision is available upon contacting the school.

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Finding out about your childs progress

There is a parents’ evening every year for all year groups. This is an opportunity for parents to meet with teachers to discuss the progress of their child.

As well as this the school will be very happy to meet parents at any time during the year, by appointment, (please see ‘Contacting the School’) to discuss progress and any other matters of mutual interest or concern.

The main school examinations are currently held in January/February after which parents will receive a written report on progress. (year 14 reports are usually sent out before Christmas)

Class tests are held before Christmas and in June. Your child will have information at these times about how well they are progressing.

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Sport and sporting facilities

Cookstown High School has a long tradition of sporting success. Much of this achievement is due to staff and parents giving their time voluntarily and the continuation of sport at an inter-school standard will depend on this support continuing into the future.

Year 8 boys currently have the opportunity to participate in hockey, soccer, rugby, athletics gymnastics, dance, basketball, swimming, rounders and cricket.

Year 8 girls may participate in hockey, swimming, netball, athletics, gymnastics, dance, tennis and rounders.

The programme for year 9 pupils is the same with the exception of swimming.

In year 10, as well as this programme, pupils may also participate in badminton, table tennis and volleyball.

In years 11 and 12 the school offers the major games of hockey, soccer, rugby, netball, athletics, cricket along with fitness and aerobics.

Sixth form students have the opportunity to play hockey, soccer, rugby, netball, athletics and make extensive use of the leisure centre. They may also participate in aerobics and use the fitness suite.

Timetabled Sport and PE

Most pupils have one period of PE and one period of games each week up to year 12

Sixth form students have two periods of games. A period is 50 minutes long.

N..B. This programme is for mainstream pupils. It should be noted that not all sports can be offered to both boys and girls and that while every attempt has been made to set down what is on offer coaching resources may mean that this may vary from time to time.

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Abuse of Drugs

Cookstown High School is a caring, health promoting school which will not tolerate the misuse of drugs.

A drug is a substance which when taken has the effect of altering the way a person behaves feels, sees and thinks.

As well as everyday substances such as tea and coffee, drugs include alcohol and tobacco, over the counter medicines, prescribed drugs, volatile substances like glue, solvents and fuels, illegal drugs.

The school recognises that drug misuse is affecting many communities in Northern Ireland including our own and so is never complacent about the risks to health and learning of young people.

The school endeavours to educate and inform young people of the risks, promote respect for self, self reliance and self discipline leading to a drug free life style. This is done within our own pastoral care programme and by involving appropriate outside agencies specialising in this. The programme is matched to the age and maturity of the pupils involved.

Where this fails, misuse will be firmly handled as part of our behaviour procedures.

Any parent seeking more information about school policy on this matter should contact the school.

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