INFORMATION ABOUT COLMERS   

Background Information

Colmers is an 11-19 co-educational Foundation school with 1150 pupils currently on roll.  Ofsted rated the school as Requires Improvement in April 2023: leadership and management, personal development and sixth form were all judged to be good, however we have more to do to secure consistently good impact in terms of the quality of education in our school.

Our Headteacher, Peter White, took up post in September 2024.

Some Important Statistics

Although our intake draws in the main from four local housing estates close to what was the Longbridge (Rover) car works. The diversity of our school population is increasing, from over 80% White British students in 2018 to a current figure of 65.8% White British students. Approximately 50% of our pupils receive free school meals and this figure is rising. 276 are on the Special Needs Register which includes 10 pupils with a Statement of Special Educational Needs or EHCP. 53.9% of pupils are eligible for Pupil Premium and we have 6 pupils who are in care. More recently, the school has admitted higher numbers of students from overseas, particularly at Key Stage 4, which is a valuable addition to the diversity of our school community.

Buildings & Facilities

The school comprises of three main blocks, East, North & West Buildings. We take a great pride in the external and internal quality of our learning environment, ensuring that our pupils and staff have the best resources and facilities that we can afford.  Every classroom has a telephone, staff computer and smartboard. Every Faculty area has its own laptop trolley. There are two gyms, plus a sports hall, playing fields and we have access to an Astroturf. The school has a rolling programme of improvements, the most recent being the changing rooms attached to the gyms and sports hall.

Management & Staffing

The school is led by the Headteacher assisted by two Deputy Heads, our School Business Manager and seven Assistant Headteachers.  We currently employ eighty eight teachers, as well as fifteen teaching assistants and fifty three associate staff.

The Colmers Way - Pastoral

Colmers relies on a highly effective pastoral support team, led by the Deputy Head, Behaviour, Personal Development and Inclusion, ably supported by three Assistant Headteachers. Our Inclusion and Intervention teams work closely together, offering a menu of academic and pastoral support and interventions to unlock the talent and potential of students with additional or complex needs.

We operate a traditional Year Team Structure. Each year group is led by a head of Year, supported by a Senior Pastoral Support Worker: they oversee a team of Form Tutors and co-ordinate pastoral support through a staged approach, as set out in our Colmers Way – Pastoral Manual. Form Tutors are the bedrock of the pastoral system, providing a first point of contact for students, parents and carers.

Our team of HTLAs and TAs specialise in supporting individuals and groups and are complemented by specialist staff including a School Counsellor, Family Support and Early Help Lead and a Director of School Outreach & Alternative Provision.

Colmers Curriculum

Our Deputy Head, Curriculum and Standards, is supported by three Assistant Headteachers to lead the school’s approach to the development and delivery of our curriculum. Our faculties are English, Film Studies & MFL; Maths; Humanities; Science; Create & Business; and Perform.

The faculty structure enables greater collaboration and is designed to empower middle leaders to drive improvement across their faculty teams. Within each faculty, there are several leadership roles supported by TLRs to enable development of the curriculum and its implementation.

At Colmers, our curriculum intent is captured in our mantra:  “Know more. Do more. Be more”. 

Our curriculum principles capture what is most important to us as we continuously review and developing our curriculum offer:

• We will ensure that students achieve excellence by experiencing a rich curriculum that is broad and balanced for all.
• Students will acquire powerful knowledge and connect their learning over time so that their learning sticks: the better we understand what we learn, the more likely we are to remember it.  Knowledge sticks to knowledge; the more we know, the more we can learn.
• Literacy and numeracy lie at the heart of our teaching to improve the life chances of all our students.
• Students will have their minds opened by engaging with the best that has been said and done in a range of subject disciplines.
• Students will have the opportunity to achieve qualifications that open doors to careers and future happiness in the 21st Century.
• They will learn about themselves, their communities and about Birmingham - its rich history and its diverse and innovative present.  

As a community of life-long learners, we aim to inspire a love of reading in all aspects of our curriculum. Reading is one of the most significant ways we can impact future success and we aim to provide all our pupils with every possible chance by exposing them to high quality, appropriately challenging and engaging texts.

We are determined to support each young person on an individual journey during which they will develop their aspirations, character and mindset. We have more work to do to further develop our curriculum and its implementation and are excited about the opportunities this gives us to drive deeper, more meaningful learning by our students that will ultimately result in improved outcomes.

Colmers Sixth Form

Established in 2013, Colmers Sixth Form is built on the belief that we can provide outstanding post-16 education for our community, matching and exceeding the standards of other local providers. Our commitment to high-quality teaching, personalised support, and a strong sense of community makes Colmers an excellent choice for students looking to excel academically while developing valuable life skills.

Students benefit from nine hours of timetabled lessons per fortnight for each subject, alongside ten hours of independent study to deepen their understanding. Our dedicated teaching team collaborates regularly to share best practice and continuously raise standards.

The Sixth Form is led by a Head of Sixth Form and Deputy Head, with students placed into small tutor groups of approximately 20 students, ensuring tailored guidance and pastoral support.

A-Level and Enrichment Opportunities at Colmers

Colmers Sixth Form offers a broad and rigorous academic curriculum, including a diverse range of A-levels and a highly successful BTEC Level 3 Sport option. In addition to these qualifications, students can access enrichment courses that carry accreditation and UCAS points, further enhancing their university and career prospects.

A-level results are determined by coursework and exams at the end of Year 13, with students following the same structured assessment calendar as the rest of the school, including two sets of mock exams.

We are proud to offer students the unique opportunity to combine their studies with professional coaching through our new sports partnerships with Bromsgrove Sporting FC and Bromsgrove Bears Basketball Club. These collaborations allow talented athletes to train with elite coaches while pursuing their academic qualifications, ensuring they develop both their sporting potential and academic ambitions.

University Applications

Colmers Sixth Form is public about its intention to encourage as many students as possible to apply for university, on the basis that this represents the best vehicle for achieving a fulfilling work life in a rapidly changing world. We have successfully maintained destinations of 90%+ of our year 13 cohorts to university, a figure of which we are enormously proud.

Professional Learning

At Colmers, all staff are supported to develop professionally, both through regular, informal collaboration and through more formal CPD opportunities. Since September 2018 we have been part of a local network of schools, The Oaks Collegiate, which affords significant opportunities for collaboration between staff at all levels. In addition, we invest time for all staff, associate and teaching, to identify and work on areas they wish to improve, linked to our performance appraisal cycle. This includes specific focus on programmes for Early Career Teachers, as well as bespoke leadership development for senior, middle and aspiring leaders.