GFAPS Secondary
Welcome to GFAPS Secondary
Russet House and the Raikes Centre form GFAPS Secondary provision. The Raikes centre provides short term provision, primarily focused on returning pupils to mainstream school swiftly. Pupils that are with us longer term, are supported by Raikes staff to transition to Russet House.
The centres work closely together to ensure consistency of approach and expectations and complementary curriculum delivery. This enables pupils to transition successfully without a halt in their progress.
Our recently widened KS3 curriculum is taught by subject specialist teachers committed to ensuring pupils have a fundamental grasp of the key ideas in the core and many of the foundation subjects. This dedicated team is committed to, alongside the delivery of an academically aspirational curriculum, fostering a love of learning more widely. This provides a strong platform to support pupils returning to mainstream as well as preparing pupils transitioning to Russet House to sit their GCSE examinations.
At KS4, again taught by subject specialists, pupils have access to a range of GCSE and BTEC qualifications they study for in centre. Pupils also have the opportunity to spend 1 day a week studying a more specialist or vocational course with experts within their fields.
Our congratulations go out to our year 11 pupils, who, over half of, despite two covid affected years, secured 5 or more GCSE qualifications or equivalent.
However we realise that school life is much wider than the academic studies and as a cross centre team we work hard to provide pupils with the wider opportunities school life offers, please enjoy the pictures and news articles below from a number of our trips and visits, including our residential trip that took place in July.
We also like to celebrate the successes of all of our school community. As such the staff team were delighted to be able to watch one of their number, John Treby, play the role of King Lear in a recent production put on by Here and There productions. John was the only amateur actor in a professional cast, however this was not evident in his performance. This was recognised by his colleagues and critics alike, causing critic to write to the director stating:
I studied Lear in depth many years ago and have seen it a number of times. I have to say I have never seen such a good portrayal of Lear’s character by any other actor. John was exemplary, showing his fear and pain, amongst all the other roller-coaster of emotions, so clearly in his eyes.
and the reviewer to comment:
John’s Lear is a fully rounded, floundering man. He is tall, with flowing hair and bushy beard - imposing, yet warming. Deeth has the audience’s full sympathy as he fights against his waning powers. His regrets are those of a world-weary, foolishly fond old man, who knows he’s making mistakes and just can’t believe his daughters’ treachery. It’s a truly terrific, wonderfully-nuanced, performance by an actor pouring his heart out.