St Simon Stock Catholic School Part of Kent Catholic Schools’ Partnership Labora cum Amore ‘Work with Love’
The Journey Starts Here St Simon Stock Catholic School has been educating students from Maidstone and the surrounding areas for nearly 60 years and it is proud of its deserved excellent reputation in the local community and beyond. In 2014, the school became an academy and a member of the Kent Catholic Schools’ Partnership. St Simon Stock Catholic School is set in expansive grounds, with beautiful scenery and outside space, which includes a large sports field and facilities that aid our students’ school experience. We are a school with a strong faith and family ethos. Every student encounters a stimulating, innovative and challenging curriculum experience, whilst also encountering excellent pastoral care and guidance. This stems from our Catholic charism and ethos and our motto Labora cum Amore, which means to Work with Love, is at the heart of all that we do. We ensure students are successful, happy and have enriching experiences and we always focus on individual needs. We ensure students work to the best of their ability and instill in them our values of service, community, prayer, hope, faith, charity, attainment, appreciation and reflection. We build their confidence and prepare them for the modern world, whilst also inspiring them to live a life of service to others. Our environment ensures that our students thrive and have the opportunity to share with us their unique gifts and qualities. We take pride in seeing our students develop into successful, confident young adults, prepared for university, apprenticeships, and employment. We look forward to showing you our school and all that we can offer your child. St Simon Stock Catholic School 2
Labora cum Amore ‘Work with Love’ 3 Transitioning to St Simon Stock Catholic School The transition into Year 7 is an exciting time, but like any change it can be unsettling. This can be for both students and parent and carers. Our strong sense of family and community and our expert teachers help the students to settle and feel confident quickly. In the first few weeks our Year 7 Form Tutors and Subject Teachers focus on getting to know the students in their care, supporting them with learning the routines and expectations of secondary school life. Our staff take the time to get to know each student individually, learning about their interests both in and out of school, as well as their preferred work and study methods. We always work with love, which is evident in the positive and supportive relationships between our staff and students. The school greatly values the contributions of parents and carers to their child’s education. We prioritise providing high-quality, purposeful communication to support students’ successful transitions and ongoing progress throughout their time at St Simon Stock Catholic School. “ Pupils are an absolute credit to the school. Articulate, polite and enthusiastic.” PARENT TRANSITIONING & SUPPORT
St Simon Stock Catholic School 4 ATTAINMENT & At St Simon Stock Catholic School, we deliver a broad and balanced curriculum, providing students with the education they need to succeed in later life. We aim to inspire students through our curriculum and encourage them to work with love and to seek the paths they desire for their future careers and life. We offer students new and exciting experiences through our KS3, KS4 and KS5 curriculum, as well as an enrichment curriculum that is designed to build character, leadership, resilience, communication skills, confidence and self-esteem. We encourage our students to aim high, achieve their potential and be loved and nurtured to become life-long learners who are prepared for the modern world. Through the design of our curriculum, we also seek to develop character and educate the whole person, as made in the image and likeness of God. We centre this around our Carmelite charism and we encourage our students to Work with Love and to strive to develop their spiritual, moral, social and learning attitudes, so that they may become the best that they can and live the best possible life. Our curriculum encourages them to live a life of service. The curriculum encourages our students to support communities and to be appreciative, reflective, inclusive and welcoming and it calls students to prayer to discern God’s love. The curriculum calls students to be hopeful, to have faith and to be charitable. The curriculum of St Simon Stock Catholic School is influenced by its religious identity and has at its heart the values and beliefs expressed in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Religious Education is therefore seen in its widest sense: both in its academic nature and in its involvement in the spiritual welfare and development of students. Religious Education Whilst encouraging students to deepen their religious commitment, we also aim to show that religious ideas can withstand rigorous intellectual examination. Students in Years 7-9 have 5 hours of Religious Education per fortnight and follow the Bishop’s Conference Religious Education Directory. All students take Religious Studies to GCSE level following the Edexcel Specification A syllabus studying Catholic Christianity, Judaism and have a choice whether to study philosophy and ethics or Mark’s Gospel. The syllabus aims to familiarise students with specific areas of doctrine, sacramental theology, scripture and morals as well as develop relevant Religious Education skills. Students may choose to study A Level Philosophy of Religion, Ethics and Developments of Christian Thought which prepares them to take degrees in Theology, Philosophy, History, Law, Social Sciences and many other subject areas. Sixth Form students receive 1 lesson of Core Religious Education per week. Curriculum Catholic Life and Education
Labora cum Amore ‘Work with Love’ 5 Our curriculum is built around three key academic virtues: Attainment Students are expected to be ready and responsible and to maintain a scholarly attitude in all lessons and work to the best of their ability, and engage and be aided to engage where they can in enrichment activities. Appreciation Students are invited to appreciate the cultures, mission, vision and values that enrich our school community and develop an understanding of cultural capital and to be respectful. Reflection Students are expected to reflect on their learning and realise that a love of learning can lead to achievement in school and beyond their time in school. Our ambitious curriculum will carefully sequence learning, so that students learn and apply knowledge and skills, which will then be enhanced further with an exciting diversity of enrichment activities. Our carefully considered curriculum is well planned, well-structured and thoughtfully sequenced, so that long term learning builds. Memory is fundamental and will be developed by students thinking hard to retrieve knowledge, spacing concepts and skills in each subject, and interleaving them throughout the curriculum. Our teaching is excellent, innovative, challenging and motivating and will inspire students to move beyond class-based learning. It is designed to provide access and opportunity for all students who attend the school. Teaching and Learning at St Simon Stock Catholic School REFLECTION
St Simon Stock Catholic School 6 Christ’s love is at the centre of all we do and we place the values of tolerance, love and respect at the heart of school life. As a proudly Catholic school, we nurture every student in our care so they may become happy, confident and well-rounded young people. We know that when our students feel happy, safe and secure, that is when they will thrive and achieve. Pastoral care is therefore of the upmost importance at the school. Support is provided by their Form Tutor, whom they see every morning, along with a wider group of staff including our Chaplaincy team, Pastoral Managers, Heads of Year, Subject Teachers, and the Senior Leadership Team. The Form Tutor, Head of Year and Assistant Heads of Key Stage 3, 4 and 5 lead on maintaining our expectations for positive behaviour for learning and play a key role in monitoring students’ academic progress and wellbeing. The team works to provide the highest level of care. Within the school, we have the St Josephine Bakhita Hub, which provides support for students and serves as a base for our Special Educational Needs Department. Additionally, the organisation Place2be operates in this area, offering mentoring, counselling and transition support where required. We also have a highly dedicated Student Prefect and Peer Mentoring Team who support our younger students. Pastoral Care Work with Love “ Our child comes home every day, believing in themselves and their potential, inspired by their teachers and curious to find out about the world they live in.” PARENT FAITH &
Labora cum Amore ‘Work with Love’ 7 Prayer and Liturgy A primary aim of the school is building a worshipful and caring community. Consequently, a variety of religious activities are organised throughout the school year. We have prayer at the start of each lesson and an act of worship during tutor time. There is a weekly Mass as well as House Masses, feast day Masses, retreats, missions and school assemblies and celebration of the word. The school is renowned in the local community for its exceptional pastoral care, which parents and carers frequently cite as one of its outstanding features and a key reason for choosing St Simon Stock Catholic School for their child. HOPE
St Simon Stock Catholic School 8 In 2024 a new house structure was introduced into the school. The house system is designed to embody the values and ethos of the school and it is an integral part of our school community. It is our ambition that the House System, alongside other aspects of student voice, will enable our students to have a stronger voice across the school. On admission to the school, every student is placed in a tutor group within a house and this allows students to come together daily, creating a greater feeling of community and belonging. Our House system and associated competitions also give students a sense of achievement both in and outside of the classroom and an opportunity to have fun and excitement through competition. It encourages curiosity, creativity and helps develop leadership skills, teamwork and enables students to serve others through charity work. House Saints at St Simon Stock Catholic School Named after six Saints and Prophets of the Carmelite tradition, our six houses are: • St John of the Cross • St Titus Brandsma • Prophet Elijah • St Teresa of Avila • St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross • St Therese of Lisieux Each Saint has their own colour, motto and prayer which is part of the students’ identity while at St Simon Stock Catholic school, with each of the Saints reflecting one of the six virtues of our school, Faith, Hope, Charity, Attainment, Reflection and Appreciation. The House System Spirit of Stocky “ Our school has a vibrant atmosphere, and the relationships between staff and students are wonderful.” STUDENT APPRECIATION
Labora cum Amore ‘Work with Love’ 9 Our students display a wide range of talents and as a school, we are committed to providing every opportunity to produce the best outcomes possible. We recognise the importance of a balance between work and also having opportunities to participate and enjoy in the wider enrichment activities that they love. John 10:10 “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly”. We provide an extensive enrichment programme, which includes sporting activities, the Duke of Edinburgh Award, clubs, charity work, enterprise and debating societies. Students also participate in a number of showcase performance events, Sports Day, House competitions and have the opportunity to go on local, national and international trips. As a school we are committed to raising cultural awareness on a global scale. Students are encouraged to take responsibility and participate in the decision-making process of the school via Student Voice and the Prefect System; giving a firm sense of leadership, teamwork and the confidence to stand by their own opinions, as well as living a life of service to others. Enrichment Living Life to the Full & CHARITY
St Simon Stock Catholic School 10 ATTAINMENT Sixth Form and Beyond At St Simon Stock Catholic School, we strive to achieve the best in everything we do across our curriculum. As a community we are immensely proud of our thriving Sixth Form. Our Sixth Form students are offered a broad, balanced and inspiring curriculum. We offer a wide range of A-Level and Level 3 vocational courses and we constantly review and evaluate our curriculum offer to ensure that it meets the needs of our students. In addition, inspirational teaching maximises success and enables students to progress on to university, apprenticeships and employment. Advice on university entrance, ‘gap’ years, careers and employment is a key aspect of our Sixth Form Curriculum. As our faith centres around service to others and living life to the full, we encourage our young people to become involved in a wide range of activities that allow them, quite literally, to change the world. Our students have the opportunity to take on roles of leadership through our Prefect, House and Peer Mentoring Systems. Students organise superb fundraising events, such as our Carmel Day, for the school charities, and they work with students in Years 7-13 to develop ideas, student voice and promote roles and responsibilities. Development of such skills ensure academic success, alongside becoming ‘all rounded’ individuals. & SERVICE
Taking the Next Steps We trust that you’ve found our prospectus informative. Nothing takes the place of seeing the school for yourself, so we hope that you take the next step and find out about the different ways you can visit St Simon Stock Catholic School throughout the school year and transition to us. For more information on the transition events we offer, please visit the Transitions page of our website. Our students and staff would love to have the opportunity to welcome you and your child to St Simon Stock Catholic School.
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