Holywell School  

Overview

Holywell is a 9-13 Middle School with 720 students in Cranfield, Bedfordshire in the Diocese of St Albans. We aim to continue the historic tradition of Church of England Schools by providing a Christian Values-inspired education of the highest quality within the context of Christian belief and practice. As a school, we are a loving, supportive community with high aspirations for all. We promote inclusion, we are welcoming of all faiths (and people of no faith), we are proud to belong and we value each individual. We look after each other, believe in second chances and aim to be the best we can be so we can serve and support the common good.

Our students are polite, industrious, aspirational young people who constantly surprise and delight us with their ideas, creativity and achievements. The staff are superb professionals who create exciting, challenging and inspiring learning experiences to enable students to achieve high standards. This is all delivered within a framework of clear and high expectations. We are consistent, insistent and persistent in our endeavour to secure outstanding standards of behaviour, service, care, appearance and courtesy for all. We also have lots of fun! We are a happy school where everyone has the right to feel safe at all times. We deal with disagreements and issues in a solution-focussed, systematic, supportive and peaceful way, treating others as we wish to be treated. We aspire to being the best we can possibly be and to make a positive difference to our community and beyond.

“Pupils at Holywell School attend a school with values rooted in its Christian ethos. They are welcoming and friendly. They take on responsibilities that make their environment and community richer and more rewarding. Pupils are tolerant and respectful of each other’s differences. They understand that everyone is an individual. The majority of pupils behave well and have a positive attitude to their learning. They know that their teachers want them to do well. Pupils respond to these aspirations by staying focused and working hard.” (Ofsted July 2023)

As a result of this, we are a popular and oversubscribed middle school of 720 students and are transitioning from a middle to a secondary school, with the formal change taking effect from September. Students are largely drawn from the villages of Cranfield, Wootton and Marston Moretaine and there are an increasing number of ‘out-of-catchment’ students who are applying to the school because of its good reputation. We are very excited about this next chapter and the opportunities it will bring for our students. At Holywell, our vision has always been for everyone in our community to “Live life in all its fullness”, inspired by our school values of kindness, respect and responsibility. These values have helped shape our supportive, inclusive and aspirational learning environment.

 As we become a secondary school, we will continue to build on this strong foundation. Our curriculum has been carefully developed to align with the national Secondary curriculum, with subject specialists delivering a broad and engaging programme of study. For Key Stage 4, we have been planning a range of GCSE courses, including core subjects plus a suite of optional subjects that give students choice and support progression towards future pathways. To see the specific details of our GCSE curriculum please visit our website.

We are very proud that most of our staff are secondary-trained or have deep experience with GCSE teaching, and lots of work has already been done to ensure they are ready to deliver high-quality secondary education.

Our curriculum is underpinned by our Values-based education. The fundamental guiding values for Holywell stem from our character as a Church of England school.

‘Values-based Education’ moves away from a presumption that we simply catch and acquire our values somewhere in our lives. Instead, Values-based education takes a systematic approach to developing a deep understanding of a core set of values. At Holywell we have identified 33 key Christian values which are explored on a regular cycle. Each month we have a whole-school focus on a particular value. We encourage all members of our school community – including parents and staff – to explore the real meaning of each value and to shine a spotlight on each one in turn through our ‘Value of the Month’. Research shows that when a school seriously develops the moral and spiritual aspects of the curriculum (that is, those that positively contribute to the inner world of thoughts, feelings and emotions of the teacher and the student), the school community become more reflective and harmonious. The effect on individual students, of developing Values

Education, is that students take greater personal responsibility for their learning and behaviour. This has certainly been our experience at Holywell School and we are proud to be a Values-based School. Our recent SIAMS inspection commented:

The impact of the vision-inspired values is seen very clearly in the ways pupils and staff live, learn and behave. Respect and kindness are hallmarks of this. Pupils acknowledge that the effect of the values is evident in their growing confidence, courage and boldness. Staff and pupils are certain that ‘fullness of life’ should be experienced in school, in the local community and further afield. Consequently, pupils are generous, both in their spirit and in their actions. Pupils can articulate, with examples, the differences between equality and equity. They understand that standing up for values can entail tough choices. The recent partnership with a school in Tanzania is prompting both compassionate thought and practical action. Pupils lead fundraising as they felt that all schools should have the same facilities as they enjoy. (SIAMS, 2022)

Our vision is to be an outstanding Christian learning community where everyone is valued as a unique individual and where everyone feels safe. We will aim to be the best we can possibly be, to treat others as we wish to be treated and to make a positive difference to our community and beyond. We strive to be peaceful problem-solvers with open minds and hearts, living God’s love and being kind.

Additional Information

The school also benefits from close relations with the internationally renowned Cranfield University. (The school has a good number of students from around the world whose parents are following courses at the university. This allows us a great deal more diversity of pupil population than might otherwise be the case in Central Bedfordshire.)

The school is a popular centre for Initial Teacher Training – both University of Bedfordshire and the local SCITT. This reflects well established practice in professional development in the school, a welcoming staff and engaging pupil population. (In the last few years the school has had extended placement students in English, Maths, Science, RE, History, Geography, Art, Technology and PE).

Standards are strong and students make good progress. Holywell was a leading school in the Bedfordshire family of Middle Schools, promoting the national GL testing regime. We use this externally set and marked regime to monitor and evaluate the quality of provision and the level of attainment and progress of students from entry in year 5 through to exit in year 8. These tests are confirming our judgement regarding the strong outcomes for Holywell students.  (See report on our website under ‘Pupil Progress’.)

We are a caring school and safeguarding is a real strength.

‘Pupils feel safe. They know there is always an adult to talk to if they are worried about something. Leaders ensure that pupils learn how to stay safe, including from any specific local risks. Bullying is not tolerated, and cases are rare. If it does happen, pupils know they have someone to talk to and are confident it will be dealt with.’ (Ofsted, July 2023)

We look after our staff too! We have a rigorous appraisal system and we commit very seriously to support staff CPD.  We also provide CPD for other local schools. We have a wide range of extra-curricular provision. Sports teams, music provision, curriculum-based clubs all form part of the ‘additional offers’ available for our students. We are proud of our school and aim to “live life in all its fullness”.

 Staff feel that leaders support their well-being. Most feel that leaders consider their workload when implementing new initiatives. Staff feel valued and respected and are proud to work at the school. (Ofsted July 2023)

Holywell

April 2026