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< Back Lisa Fincher Receptionist lisa.fincher@rugbyfreesecondary.co.uk lisa.fincher@rugbyfreesecondary.co.uk

< Back David Isles SENDCO david.iles@rugbyfreesecondary.co.uk david.iles@rugbyfreesecondary.co.uk

< Back Joedie Bradgate Deputy Safeguarding Lead joedie.bradgate@rugbyfreesecondary.co.uk joedie.bradgate@rugbyfreesecondary.co.uk

< Back Gabriela Maxim Teacher of MFL gabriela.cles@rugbyfreesecondary.co.uk gabriela.cles@rugbyfreesecondary.co.uk

< Back Pete Moss Director of Learning - English peter.moss@rugbyfreesecondary.co.uk peter.moss@rugbyfreesecondary.co.uk

< Back Lynsey Cassidy Head of House - Ali lynsey.cassidy@rugbyfreesecondary.co.uk lynsey.cassidy@rugbyfreesecondary.co.uk

< Back Robyne Owen Teacher of Science robyne.owen@rugbyfreesecondary.co.uk robyne.owen@rugbyfreesecondary.co.uk

Meet Lizi Towle Anchor 1 Back to Our School Anchor 2 core_values2 kind2 endeav3 core_values2 1/18 Learn a Little more about Lizi Towle Lizi is a dedicated educator with a wealth of experience spanning 15 years in both primary and secondary education settings. Her primary expertise has been instrumental in instilling a passion for learning in students, facilitating a smooth transition as they move into secondary education. Lizi's transition work has garnered an 'outstanding' rating from Ofsted, reflecting her commitment to student success. Upon relocating to the area in 2023, Lizi pursued and completed her SENDCO qualification while working at an inner-city secondary school. Here, she established herself as a formidable advocate for students with Special Educational Needs, showcasing her unwavering dedication to inclusive education and support. With over 8 years of experience as a valuable member of a highly successful Senior Leadership Team (SLT), Lizi has consistently demonstrated a deep commitment to ensuring the best possible outcomes for all students. Her leadership roles in various subjects, including Geography, Music, English, History, Social Sciences, and French, underscore her versatile skill set and passion for fostering academic excellence across disciplines.

PSHE & RSE PSHE education at RFSS helps our students stay healthy, safe and prepared for life and work in modern Britain. PSHE education also helps our pupils to achieve their academic potential. Our Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) curriculum has been produced in consultation with parents, teaching and pastoral staff and ensures all students receive RSE with an appropriate moral framework in accordance with Relationships Education, Relationships & Sex Education and Health Education guidance (publishing.service.gov.uk) Encouraging positive and healthy personal development is one of the central roles of children’s education in England (Children’s Commissioner, 2023). The importance of teaching children about life skills, finances, healthy relationships, how to keep safe amongst many more areas is of the upmost importance and ‘The Big Ask’ (2021) survey found that children want their education to prepare them for life. Anchor 1 Anchor 2 core_values2 kind2 endeav3 core_values2 1/18 A comprehensive programme of RSE provides accurate information about the body, reproduction, sex, and sexual health. It also gives children and young people essential skills for building positive, enjoyable, respectful and non-exploitative relationships and staying safe both on and offline." PSHE Association & Sex Education Forum, (2014) PSHE Curriculum in Context: Encouraging positive and healthy personal development is one of the central roles of children’s education in England (Children’s Commissioner, 2023). The importance of teaching children about life skills, finances, healthy relationships, how to keep safe amongst many more areas is of the upmost importance and ‘The Big Ask’ (2021) survey found that children want their education to prepare them for life. Along-side this the need to empower our students with the skills to be able to manage and maintain their physical and mental health in an integrative way, to help prevent escalations is something that needs addressing within schools in a more explicitly taught way. The need to introduce social and emotional learning has risen post pandemic with mental health referrals having risen 96% since 2019 (LGA, 2022), we know we need to address the importance of empowering students on mental health and helping them to understand coping mechanisms of how to navigate life during a time where there is an unhealthy emphasis on perfectionism, a lack of connection between individuals due to the increased use of technology and social media as well as pressures from daily life. Our curriculum aims to develop, empower and be thought provoking for our students in order for them to reflect, debate and challenge themselves and others on perspectives in a supportive and safe environment. We have built our lessons to develop a wide range of skills for our students including resilience, effective communication, team work, empathy and reflection to help them to see and hear things from differing perspectives enabling them to make informed choices about their life, next steps and future, having more of a positive contribution to the school and wider community. Students will develop knowledge through a spiraling curriculum with themes repeated across the key stages with age-appropriate lessons and content. They will learn about how to prepare themselves for life now and preparing for life outside of education in all aspects of their life; careers, RSHE, financial skills, physical and mental health, safety, British Values, human rights and the running of the country. Curriculum Aims: Our curriculum aims to: Empower all students to feel confident to ask questions Equip students with the skills to be able to understand the perspective of many different view points in order to form their own opinions Give students the permission to feel, recognise, understand, label, express and regulate their emotions in a safe and non-judgmental way Teach students how to recognise and understand safety risks in all walks of their life including how to minimise these risks Empower our students to know how to make healthy and safe choices now and in their future life. Our broad and balanced curriculum concentrates on developing our students’ key knowledge and skills, and enhances their understanding of the world around them. We do this by: Stimulating intellectual curiosity by introducing them to a broad range of topics whilst contextualising the reasons behind why they are learning it, so they understand how it is relevant to them. Facilitating collaboration through group projects, discussions and learning from one anothers experiences Promoting challenge for all through challenging their ethical approach to the world and getting them to reflect on their own moral compass. Enabling creativity by supporting them to be independent and expressing their own identity which in return will boost their own self concept Sequencing learning so there is age-appropriate context which is reviewed regularly based on the individual year group's needs. Revisiting previous learning to always check and gauge knowledge of the group already, to ensure knowledge is built on and not repeated, ensuring depth is developed at the right age. Our curriculum is focused on the development of communication, character and cultural capital of each individual student, so they become: Confident in making their own choices and understanding the consequences of these choices Compassionate towards themselves and those around them Hardworking individuals who want to make a difference in their local and wider community Knowledgeable on how to manage their own health and wellbeing including where to turn for support if it is needed. Reflective and honest with themselves in order to overcome challenges they face. Confident in their own identity. Curriculum Outcome: As a result of our curriculum students will leave RFSS having developed many of the skills and abilities needed for modern life. Kindness We regularly give ‘shout outs’ for staff who have gone above and beyond and demonstrated an exceptional display of one of our values We encourage and try to support flexible working requests and promote ‘family values’ as something that makes the workforce distinctive. We try to ensure staff have the opportunity to attend personal events or celebrations when requested and within agreed time frame. Collaboration We have an active Staff Wellbeing committee who meet regularly to discuss staff wellbeing and workload. We provide all new staff with a ‘buddy’ to provide support and advice. We plan a variety of staff social events across the year. We provide staff with a free lunch on the day of their duty. We have regular staff breakfasts, provide food on all CPD days and occasional treats such as Pizza! Curiosity We invest heavily in staff CPD and both promote and support opportunities to develop staff. We provide opportunities for all staff to network and visit other schools to improve their practice and share great ideas. Respect We have a Staff Room, where staff can meet, work and even socialise Each faculty has its own staff work room We have regular appraisal conversations to discuss career progression Resilience We promote resilience through our reflective CPD pathways. We have an area in the staff room dedicated to wellbeing which is used to promote health and wellbeing. We share weekly health and wellbeing information. Endeavour Promote a work life balance by being considerate when sending emails and holding meetings. We will endeavor to celebrate our staff and their achievements on a regular basis, for example; a black tie celebration evening.

< Back Rodger Eadon House Coordinator, Boys Achievement roger.eadon@rugbyfreesecondary.co.uk.co.uk roger.eadon@rugbyfreesecondary.co.uk.co.uk

SEND Rugby Free Secondary School is committed to providing a positive and engaging learning experience for all students. In the SEND department, we develop individual and tailored support to build resilience, and ensure that every child has equal access to the diverse opportunities our school offers. Teaching Assistants provide in-class support, small group and 1:1 interventions across a range of areas including literacy, numeracy and social skills where appropriate. Anchor 1 Anchor 2 core_values2 kind2 endeav3 core_values2 1/18 Parents & Carers Inclusive education is essential because school is enhanced by inclusion, diminshed without it. D avid Iles SENCO David.Iles@rugbyfreesecondary.co.uk Open Evening Presentation September 24 SEND T&L Principles 24-25 RFSS SEND Waves 24-25 RFSS SEND Overview 24-25 What is Warwickshire's SEND local offer? Warwickshire’s SEND local offer brings together information about the local services and support available across education, health and social care for families with children and young people aged 0 to 25, who have special educational needs and/or disabilities You can read more about the offer at: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/send Kindness We regularly give ‘shout outs’ for staff who have gone above and beyond and demonstrated an exceptional display of one of our values We encourage and try to support flexible working requests and promote ‘family values’ as something that makes the workforce distinctive. We try to ensure staff have the opportunity to attend personal events or celebrations when requested and within agreed time frame. Collaboration We have an active Staff Wellbeing committee who meet regularly to discuss staff wellbeing and workload. We provide all new staff with a ‘buddy’ to provide support and advice. We plan a variety of staff social events across the year. We provide staff with a free lunch on the day of their duty. We have regular staff breakfasts, provide food on all CPD days and occasional treats such as Pizza! Curiosity We invest heavily in staff CPD and both promote and support opportunities to develop staff. We provide opportunities for all staff to network and visit other schools to improve their practice and share great ideas. Respect We have a Staff Room, where staff can meet, work and even socialise Each faculty has its own staff work room We have regular appraisal conversations to discuss career progression Resilience We promote resilience through our reflective CPD pathways. We have an area in the staff room dedicated to wellbeing which is used to promote health and wellbeing. We share weekly health and wellbeing information. Endeavour Promote a work life balance by being considerate when sending emails and holding meetings. We will endeavor to celebrate our staff and their achievements on a regular basis, for example; a black tie celebration evening.

< Back Bethan Austen Deputy Head Teacher bethan.austen@rugbyfreesecondary.co.uk bethan.austen@rugbyfreesecondary.co.uk

< Back Lucy Mercer Teacher of Humanities lucy.mercer@rugbyfreesecondary.co.uk lucy.mercer@rugbyfreesecondary.co.uk

< Back Gareth Campion Teacher of Food Technology gareth.champion@rugbyfreesecondary.co.uk gareth.champion@rugbyfreesecondary.co.uk

< Back Helen Ward Director of Learning - Humanities helen.ward@rugbyfreesecondary.co.uk helen.ward@rugbyfreesecondary.co.uk

Meet John Harris Anchor 1 Back to Our School Anchor 2 core_values2 kind2 endeav3 core_values2 1/18 Learn a little more about John Harris John has been a qualified teacher of English for 21 years. He has taught the full range of students from Years 7-13 in five different schools across Warwickshire and Northamptonshire. John has previously been Head of English at three different schools as well as part of the Senior Leadership Team in three schools, too. John has worked in a range of contexts. He has worked in big town schools to leafy suburban schools, from outstanding schools to those that require improvement. John led a school subject review that Ofsted rated as Outstanding and was also part of a leadership team that moved a school from 'Inadequate' to 'Good' in just nineteen months. John values enjoyment in learning above all else, appreciating that relationships at all levels in school are vital. John was appointed as Deputy Headteacher for Behaviour and Attitudes earlier this year and is looking forward to developing an ethos at Rugby Free School where students love their learning and their hard work is appreciated. When John is not in school, he loves to spend time with his family. If he's not with his family, he's sure to be found on the golf course or at a sporting event.

Meet Bethan Austen Anchor 1 Back to Our School Anchor 2 core_values2 kind2 endeav3 core_values2 1/18 Learn a little more about Bethan Austen Bethan has been a qualified Science Teacher with a Chemistry specialism for 7 years, and has experience teaching across all secondary years and sixth form. She is originally from Manchester and relocated to Rugby 5 years ago at which point she joined the team at RFSS. Initially employed as a Classroom Teacher and then promoted to Science Second in Department, she was then appointed as the first Head of Year 7 in 2019. She has been integral in the development of the Year 6 Transition programme as well as helping to lead and develop the Pastoral Team in her promotion to KS3 Raising Standards Leader in 2021. She has seen and contributed to the school's progression through two Ofsted inspections and as a result was appointed as Assistant Headteacher in January 2023. In September 2023 she will take on the role of Senior Assistant Headteacher, supporting the Headteacher in the triangulation of Behaviour & Attitudes, Quality of Education and Personal Development. Bethan completed her NPQSL in 2021, which focused on improving the engagement of students through the implementation of a relationships focused behaviour strategy. Throughout her roles at RFSS, Bethan has always strived to ensure both students and parents feel supported and that students leave being fully 'set for life' ahead with the challenges and opportunities this can bring. Outside of RFSS, Bethan lives with her husband and their mischievous tree-climbing cat Murph! She enjoys reading, walking and spending time with family and friends back in Manchester whenever possible.

< Back Sophie Hartwell Director of Learning - Social Sciences sophie.hartwell@rugbyfreesecondary.co.uk sophie.hartwell@rugbyfreesecondary.co.uk

< Back Joanne Griffiths Teacher of Science joanne.griffiths@rugbyfreesecondary.co.uk joanne.griffiths@rugbyfreesecondary.co.uk

Core PE The PE curriculum not only looks at the physical requirements of students but addresses health and wellbeing aspects that students may face. This combines with the development of lifelong skills that are so important in modern life. Within PE we will be looking to develop student’s competence and confidence to take part in a range of physical activities that become a central part of their lives, both in and out of school. Our new curriculum is designed to help students become healthy, happy and successful in whatever they want to do. Anchor 1 Anchor 2 core_values2 kind2 endeav3 core_values2 1/18 Back to Subjects Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. Nelson Mandela At Rugby Free Secondary School we want students leaving core PE at the end of KS4 feeling confident to continue physical activity in their own free time, and make it a regular part of their lives. This could be recreationally or competitively, and we know our programme of study will help students to follow pathways that suit them best. Our high-quality PE curriculum will enable all students to enjoy and succeed in many kinds of physical activity. They develop a wide range of skills and the ability to use tactics, strategies and compositional ideas to perform successfully. When they are performing, they think about what they are doing, analyse the situation and make decisions. They also reflect on their own and others’ performances and find ways to improve them. As a result, they develop the confidence to take part in different physical activities, and learn about the value of healthy, active lifestyles. Discovering what they like to do, what their aptitudes are at school, and how and where to get involved in physical activity, helps them make informed choices about lifelong physical activity. PE helps students to develop physically, cognitively, emotionally and socially. They work as individuals, in groups and in teams, developing concepts of fairness and of personal and social responsibility. They take on different roles and responsibilities, including leadership, coaching and officiating. Through the range of experiences that PE offers, they learn how to be effective in competitive, creative and challenging situations. PE also helps tackle mental health and wellbeing, encouraging students to communicate with others, to get support from teams, and physically, they will release serotonin when participating in exercise which will make them feel happier. Kindness We regularly give ‘shout outs’ for staff who have gone above and beyond and demonstrated an exceptional display of one of our values We encourage and try to support flexible working requests and promote ‘family values’ as something that makes the workforce distinctive. We try to ensure staff have the opportunity to attend personal events or celebrations when requested and within agreed time frame. Collaboration We have an active Staff Wellbeing committee who meet regularly to discuss staff wellbeing and workload. We provide all new staff with a ‘buddy’ to provide support and advice. We plan a variety of staff social events across the year. We provide staff with a free lunch on the day of their duty. We have regular staff breakfasts, provide food on all CPD days and occasional treats such as Pizza! Curiosity We invest heavily in staff CPD and both promote and support opportunities to develop staff. We provide opportunities for all staff to network and visit other schools to improve their practice and share great ideas. Respect We have a Staff Room, where staff can meet, work and even socialise Each faculty has its own staff work room We have regular appraisal conversations to discuss career progression Resilience We promote resilience through our reflective CPD pathways. We have an area in the staff room dedicated to wellbeing which is used to promote health and wellbeing. We share weekly health and wellbeing information. Endeavour Promote a work life balance by being considerate when sending emails and holding meetings. We will endeavor to celebrate our staff and their achievements on a regular basis, for example; a black tie celebration evening.