Headteacher’s Welcome

Welcome to our website, which I hope offers you a flavour of the wonderful community that is St Gabriel’s RC High School.

Our school holds a strong reputation within the local community and diocese for excellent pastoral care, academic success and a distinctive Catholic ethos. In our most recent diocesan inspection, St Gabriel’s was graded as ‘outstanding’ in all areas. Students receive a fantastic experience of Religious Education and celebrate phenomenal GCSE outcomes. Pupils benefit from opportunities for regular collective worship through Mass and prayer, and actively participate in the Catholic mission of our school. My vision for school has Christ at the Centre, and gospel values are integral to who we are and all that we do.

Having been inspected by Ofsted in March 2023, I am delighted to share with you that St Gabriel’s has been graded as ‘good’ in all areas. I am especially pleased that the report recognises the expertise and commitment of our teachers, the respectful behaviour of our students and the positive relationships between pupils and staff. St Gabriel’s has been on a successful journey of improvement, and has benefitted from strong and supportive leadership from the Senior Leadership Team, Local Governors, Trust Leaders and Diocese. This is an exciting time to belong to the St Gabriel’s family, and we are all incredibly proud of what we have worked hard to achieve.

Our school comprises of 1050 students and their parents/carers, as well as approximately 125 members of gifted teaching and support staff. Many of my colleagues are past pupils of St Gabriel’s and/or send their children to our school, which is a testimony to our strong ethos and culture. Our students are blessed to have talented and motivated subject specialists inspiring their love of learning. We are well supported by an experienced and committed Local Governing Board, and are proud to belong to the St Teresa of Calcutta Catholic Academy Trust.

We are looking forward to celebrating our 70th anniversary in 2024. Whilst we are rooted in tradition, we are an innovative, dynamic, outward-facing and forward-thinking community. We constantly review our policies, practices, procedures and systems in response to research, and welcome open and transparent collaboration with all stakeholders. We strive to provide our students with the very best experience of Catholic education possible, and never become complacent despite our recognised strengths.

I am particularly proud of the broad and rich curriculum our students benefit from. We have an excellent range of subjects and courses available to study, all of which have been carefully sequenced and rigorously planned to ensure our curriculum is ambitious, aspirational and accessible. We review our curriculum offer annually to ensure it is right for our students, and are delighted to have launched GCSE Psychology, GCSE 3-D Design, GCSE Photography and a technical award in Hospitality and Catering in more recent times.

Students’ opportunities for personal development must also be celebrated, as they are able to access a wide range of academic and extra-curricular enrichment opportunities. This includes all Year 7 pupils learning Level 1 British Sign Language. I am grateful to my colleagues in Music, Drama, PE, Art and Design & Technology for their immense efforts in helping our students develop their creative and practical God-given talents, evidenced recently in our outstanding production of ‘School of Rock’ and our Art & Photography Expo.

It is a great privilege and joy for me to have been appointed as Headteacher of St Gabriel’s. I thank the Governors, Trust and Diocese for trusting me to continue leading our school in the next phase of its journey. I previously served St Gabriel’s as Deputy Headteacher, having joined in January 2020. Prior to this, I led on Teaching and Learning and SEND Coordination as Assistant Headteacher at a highly successful Catholic grammar school. My experience will drive me to continue raising our high standards and expectations at St Gabriel’s in collaboration with staff and parents/carers, confident in the knowledge that our students can meet these within our nurturing and inclusive environment, so they are ready to contribute positively to the Church and society.

Mrs T Rosa

Headteacher