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Faculty Information

Birchwood High School’s curriculum is organised and resourced into 10 faculties. See below for more information on each of our facilities, its staff members and their contact details.

Please visit Our Curriculum page for details on the courses on offer to students across Key Stages 3,4 and 5.

 

English

Faculty Overview

English at Birchwood is a creative, illuminating subject delivered by teachers who aim to cultivate and nurture a life-long love of literature, writing and language in all students. Our curriculum is centred around the study of a diverse, rich and complex range of novels, short stories, poetry, drama and non-fiction texts from a range of genres, eras and cultures. We firmly believe in the validity of students’ personal responses; therefore, we teach our students not only to become assured, critical readers but also imaginative, compelling writers and orators. Students are challenged to enjoy and interrogate the perspectives of others, and supported to become confident in developing their own thoughtful and convincing arguments.

Faculty Members
Name Initials Role
Mrs S Ackerman SAN Teacher of English
Miss Z Boittier ZBR Head of Faculty 
Miss A Braybrooke ABE Second in Faculty
Mrs A Burgess ABS Teacher of English
Ms M Cuddington MCN Teacher of English
Miss G Edwards GES Teacher of English
Mrs G Osborne GOE Teacher of English
Miss J Livermore JLE Teacher of English
Mr M Reilly MRY Teacher of English
Mr G Smith GSM Teacher of English

Mathematics

Faculty Overview

Birchwood Mathematicians are inquisitive. We encourage independent thought and a logical approach to problem-solving, equipping students for the challenges of life beyond Birchwood.

Faculty Members
Name Initials Role
Dr K Allen KAN Teacher of Mathematics
Miss Z Bull ZBL Head of Faculty
Mr C Hannant CHT Teacher of Mathematics
Mr D Harper DHR Teacher of Mathematics
Mrs K Jones KJS Teacher of Mathematics
Mr M Loney MLY Teacher of Mathematics
Mrs J Moore JME Tutor of Mathematics
Mrs D Parkyn DPN Key Stage 3 Co-ordinator
Miss C Perez CPZ Teacher of Mathematics
Mr D Summers DSS 2nd in Faculty/Key Stage 4 Co-ordinator
Miss S White SWE Teacher of Mathematics & Statistics

Science

Faculty Overview

At Birchwood, we believe that our students should enjoy Science — finding it rewarding, gaining knowledge and understanding by investigating things for themselves and using their newly acquired scientific knowledge & skills to be able to question, analyse and challenge.

Faculty Members
Name Initials Role
Mr M Briscoe MBE Head of Faculty
Mrs Z Birand ZBD Teacher of Science
Mr S Campaigne SCE Head of Physics
Mrs E Cramp ECP Teacher of Science
Mr C Cusumano CCO Teacher of Science
Mr R Edwards RES Teacher of Science/ Head of Year 7
Mr C Gilbank CGK Teacher of Science/PE
Mr J Hipwood JHD Head of Chemistry
Miss C LaLonge CLE Acting Head of KS3 Science
Mr R Loveday RLY Teacher of Science/ PSHCE Co-ordinator
Mrs C Pressland CPD Head of Biology
Dr E Rodionova ERA Teacher of Science

Expressive Performing Arts

Faculty Overview

At Birchwood High School, the Expressive Performing Arts Faculty (EPA) includes: Art, Dance, Drama and Music.

Birchwood Artists are creative, enthusiastic, and inspired by the world around them. They create ambitious and exciting outcomes.

Birchwood Dance & Drama Creatives speak, listen, collaborate and perform. They are brave. They are risk-takers. They are empathetic in equal measure.

Birchwood Musicians study music through listening and appraising, composing and performing, allowing all students to become confident, creative, multi-skilled and culturally enriched. We encourage a lifelong passion for music.

Faculty Members
Name Initials Role
Miss S Adams SAS Head of Dance
Ms R Goddard RGD Teacher of Dance & Drama
Mr M Grogan MGN Head of Music
Mrs L Jackson LJN Teacher of Art
Miss A Lennox ALX Head of Drama
Miss D Morrison DMN Head of Faculty
Mrs F Morgan Wren FMN Teacher of Art
Miss J Parker JPR Teacher of Dance & Drama (Maternity Leave)
Mr W Stock WSK Teacher of Music

Humanities

Faculty Overview

The Humanities Faculty is made up of three departments: Geography, History, and Religious Studies.

Geography at Birchwood seeks to understand the interconnectedness of humans and the environment and equips our students with the skills to tackle the world’s future problems.

“Those who fail to learn from History are condemned to repeat it”. Birchwood Historians understand the past, so they can better create their own futures.

Birchwood Religious Studies students understand religious and non-religious world views and how they impact on the lives of believers and non-believers. They challenge the stereotypes and misconceptions often portrayed in the media, and they are able to evaluate arguments in order to reach a justified conclusion.

Faculty Members
Name Initials Role
Miss L Crossley LCY Teacher of Geography
Mrs S Feather Levey SFY Head of History
Mr D Hildrew DHW Teacher of Geography
Mrs E Hinski EHI Teacher of Geography
Mr E Jankovskis EJS Teacher of History
Miss T Kara TKA Teacher of Religious Studies
Mr M Sabur MSR Teacher of History
Ms T Mumford TMD Teacher of History
Mrs H Walsh HWH Head of Faculty

Modern Foreign Languages

Birchwood Linguists are enthusiastic communicators who are culturally aware and understand the importance of being a good global citizen. At Birchwood, students study French, German and Spanish.

Name Initials Role
Mr G Bowman GBN Second in Faculty & Teacher of French and German
Mrs E Bulman EBN Teacher of MFL
Mrs K Mangin-Griffiths KMS Teacher of French
Mrs B Jennings BMJ Teacher of MFL
Mrs R Ogus ROS Teacher of French and Spanish
Mrs K Roderick KRK Head of Faculty & Teacher of French and Spanish

PE

Faculty Overview

The Birchwood PE faculty aims to provide a safe environment where students can enjoy developing their sporting character.

  • Empowering all to have a lifelong future of health, fitness and well-being
  • Enabling all to have the confidence to access sport and leisure opportunities
  • Engaging all in an appreciation and understanding of the importance of global sport in our culture
Faculty Members
Name Initials Role
Mr A Barratt ABT Teacher of PE
Mr J Clift JCT Teacher of PE
Mr C Gilbank CGK Teacher of PE & Science
Mr R Herbert RHT Teacher of PE
Mr S Hill SHL Teacher of PE
Mr D Jones DJS Head of Faculty
Mr R Noblett RNT Teacher of PE
Miss C Peet CPT Teacher of PE
Miss L Perrett LPT Teacher of PE
Miss A Rolfe ARE Teacher of PE
Mr C Ruggins CRS Teacher of PE
Mrs C Sieczko CSO Teacher of PE
Mrs C Tooze CTE Teacher of PE
Mr I Torrance ITE Teacher of PE

PSHCE

First, the obvious question: What does PSHCE stand for? PSHE stands for Personal, Social, Health, Citizenship and Economic Education.

Birchwood High School is committed to the provision of relationships and sex education for all students at the school. In line with current recommendations from the DfE (Department for Education) the content will deal with physical, emotional and moral issues. The teaching offered to students is intended to be supportive and complementary to that provided by their families.

Parents are able to withdraw their children from any part of the sex education programme other than the elements of the National Curriculum for Science. Parents who wish to do so should make contact with the school in writing.

Health and sex education is taught by the Science Faculty. Sex education starts in Year 7 concentrating on biological understanding. From Year 8 upwards, Personal Development sessions progressively consider relationships and the social, moral and ethical aspects. This approach is supported by representatives from the local Health Authority, external agencies such as Relate, theatre groups and the school's first-aiders.

At Birchwood High school we work with the PSHE Association and follow a thematic scheme of work.

The three core elements of PSHCE are:

  • Relationships
  • Health and Wellbeing
  • Living in the Wider World

Schools are free to determine how to deliver their PSHCE content. Teaching on the PSHCE curriculum includes a range of activities from role-play, debates and discussions to quizzes, labelling diagrams and designing posters.

The PSHCE school curriculum covers sensitive subjects. These are taught using distancing techniques to allow children to safely explore topics and ask questions, without needing to discuss personal experiences or provide personal responses. Children might talk about fictional characters in certain scenarios and think about what these characters could do. At Birchwood, students have the option of using question boxes to anonymously or confidentially ask questions about topics they have covered in their PSHCE lessons.

For a list of our policies please click the following link to the Policies Page.

Social Sciences

Faculty Overview

In Social Sciences subjects, students develop enquiring minds, the passion to enrich the communities of which they are a part and the skills to achieve beyond their expected progress, regardless of background.

Faculty Members
Name Initials Role
Mrs A Collyer ACO Teacher of Business
Miss M Clements MCS Teacher of Sociology
Mrs N Dale NDE Teacher of Business
Mrs E Dervish EDH Head of Business
Mrs S Feather Levey SFY Teacher of History & Politics
Mrs J Jacobson JJN Teacher of English & Psychology
Mr S Levey SLE Head of Faculty
Mrs M Mcdonagh MMH Teacher of Psychology
Mrs H Walsh HWH Teacher of Religious Studies & Sociology

Technology

Faculty Overview

Technology at Birchwood High School is structured to include the subject areas of Design & Technology, Food, Computing, Film and Media allowing our students to link logical thinking with creativity to solve problems in our ever changing technological world

At KS3, technology is taught through a carousel system. The subjects taught include Food, Branding, Resistant Materials, Textiles and ICT.

Faculty Members
Name Initials Role
Ms M Adams MAS Teacher of Technology
Mr J Budd JBD Head of Media
Mr D Cocklin DCN Teacher of Media
Mr S Creed SCD Head of Computing
Mrs K Davies KDS Teacher of Technology
Mr A Kadlec AKC Teacher of Food Technology
Mrs J Law JLW Teacher of Technology
Mrs B McEwan-Smith BMN Teacher of Food Technology
Miss C Munro CMO Teacher of Technology
Ms N Montgomery NMY Teacher of Technology
Mrs R Newman RNN KS4 Coordinator
Mr J Stephens JSS Head of Faculty