The Website:

Aiming to be an informative and interesting resource for pupils and parents, prospective pupils and parents, the wider community and prospective employees, this website contains:

  • a statement from the Headteacher, Mrs Catherine Abbott, setting out the School’s approach to supporting and developing children

  • up to date news about the School’s activities

  • information on all aspects of the day to day running of the School

  • recent correspondence from the School to parents

  • and links to the websites of individual departments.

We hope you’ll find all you need.

The School:

The largest school in the UK and oversubscribed year on year, Great Barr School is a Group 8 11-19 comprehensive school situated some five miles north of Birmingham city centre. It is a co-educational Foundation School based on a single site on Aldridge Road with one large main building, gymnasia, a Sports Hall, Sixth Form Centre (incorporating an Open Learning Centre), Technology Centre and its own playing fields alongside the recreation ground which is also used by the School. The School is continually upgrading its facilities and has recently built a Science & Maths Learning Centre and a state of the art Music Block with purpose-built practice rooms.

In 2005, we were successful in our bid to become a Specialist Science College. We aim to be the most forward thinking and progressive Science College in the country. Indeed, we strive for excellence in all we do and have achieved recognition with a School Achievement Award and an Eco-School’s award.

Our extensive school community includes more than 2,400 pupils and post-16 students, and around 300 staff which includes 160 teaching staff. Our annual intake exceeds 400 pupils, each of whom is assigned to a tutor group in one of our four Houses. The School is led by the Headteacher, Mrs Catherine Abbott, and a Leadership Team which includes four Deputy Heads and six Assistant Heads. The School is supported by a wide range of non-teaching staff with specialist skills in Learning Support, Finance, Human Resource Management, ICT, Catering and Facilities Management.

Many of our pupils choose to remain at the School, transferring to the Sixth Form on completion of their GCSE’s. The fact that we have a large number of staff who were also pupils at the School is a testament to the School’s success in positively shaping the lives of our young people.

We Aim To:

  • Create a community of mature learners where the dominant and common experience will be of young people who want to make progress and be successful.

  • Motivate pupils to learn from their teacher and others, giving them the skills and confidence to extend their learning through research, investigation, practice and persistence, and to help them understand that learning never ends.

  • Create an environment in which pupils understand that teachers and other adults are helping them to be successful.

  • Give pupils regular feedback so they understand the progress they are making and can identify their future learning goals and assessment targets.

  • Focus on achievement, progress and rewards to accentuate the positive while dealing firmly with the disruptive.

  • Provide a diverse curriculum which is flexible enough to meet the differing needs of individual pupils.

  • Maintain a well-ordered community and reinforce responsible, mature conduct, an intolerance of bullying, and an appreciation of the needs of other developing learners.

  • Continually review and develop the School’s activities in line with developments in education and ICT, exploiting technology to provide our staff and pupils with the very best teaching and learning resources.