A Warm Welcome From Our New Headteacher, Ms Pauline Roberts

Welcome to Ridgeway High School.  I am very proud to be the new headteacher at Ridgeway and whilst I may have only been here for a short time, the warm, friendly and inclusive culture of the school has allowed me to settle in very quickly.

Whilst I am originally from the Wirral, I have spent most of my educational career in London where I have been able to gain valuable experience which I am confident will help me to continue to drive our school forward and onto even greater success.

Those of you who know Ridgeway High School will know that it is a very successful school that offers a very broad curriculum to match the wide interests of our pupils.  A programme of personal and social education complements academic studies to widen pupils' views on contemporary issues and to engender tolerance and respect for the opinions of others.

We offer an individualised curriculum which means that your child will be entered for public examinations when they are ready.  Pupils start GCSE in some subjects as early as Year 9 and a large number of pupils achieve high grades in several subjects by Year 10.  We also have our Year 11 pupils now being able to study for A-level qualifications in ICT. 

The school has on its site the Discovery City Learning Centre, a state-of-the-art resource centre for use by Ridgeway students and our partner schools, a community library, a conference centre and a community centre. These facilities reflect our overall philosophy and commitment to the wider community.

Our school motto is “Reaching Higher Standards" and we are delighted by the high standards our students continue to achieve, as shown not least in excellent examination results and the increasing numbers who go on to university.  In 2008, for the third year running, Ridgeway was in the top 2% of schools nationwide for 'value-added'.  Our recent achievements and successes have also been acknowledged by Ofsted who judged Ridgeway in May 2007 as "outstanding".  For the Ofsted report click here.

We are the proud possessor of three School Achievement Awards for high academic standards.  In September 2004, Ridgeway was designated as an International Business & Enterprise Specialist College and then, in December 2007, we were awarded a second specialism in Languages.

The school sees its primary purpose in helping young people to learn and to develop a sense of responsibility and self-esteem so that they will be better able to play a positive role in society.  The Governors also play a vital part in this endeavour. Their commitment and involvement is evident in numerous ways and I know they will ensure that we all continue our good work.

We are now a Foundation school, being the first school to change status following the government's fast-track programme.  With Foundation status we not only have ownership of land and assets on site, but we also have complete autonomy with regard to the admissions process, including our own admissions policy.

Ridgeway is a proven, successful and forward-thinking school with a committed, talented and caring staff. It is recognised by those who know us, by those who spend time with us and, certainly, by all those who work alongside us.

I am proud to welcome you to Ridgeway, its staff and its students.

I trust that you will take the opportunity to visit us and discover what we can offer your child. 

Pauline Roberts

Ms P Roberts
Headteacher