About us

We are an all-ability, 11-18 school with 895 students on roll and we were granted Academy status with effect from 1 June 2011.  We take children from Ledbury Primary School and over twenty other local primary schools in Herefordshire, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire.

Headteacher’s Introduction

Please click on the link for an introduction from the Headteacher, Mr Andrew Evans.

Introduction from the Headteacher

Site and Facilities

The school is situated close to the edge of the town with views over the surrounding countryside. Subject departments have well-equipped suites of teaching rooms, all with interactive touch screens and we have seven ICT suites and over three hundred computers so that computer-based facilities are always available. Our sport and leisure complex provides excellent indoor facilities together with a large, floodlit Astroturf pitch.

In 2009 we opened our Student Services Centre, the first of its kind to be established in Herefordshire. The Centre sets a new standard for inclusive and supportive secondary education, bringing together all essential pastoral and academic support services under one roof.

Sixth Form

Our Sixth Form Centre is housed in a purpose-built, separate suite of teaching rooms, an ICT network, study room, common room and offices. We have an open entry policy with courses to suit students of all abilities and aptitudes. Numbers each year average around one hundred and twenty students and this means that class sizes can be kept relatively small.

Senior Leadership Team

Our Senior Leadership Team includes the Headteacher, two Deputy Headteachers, four Assistant Headteachers and the School Business Manager.  Successive OFSTED reports have praised the quality of leadership and management at JMHS.

The Staff

Staff work well as a team and are very supportive of each other.  New staff have an induction programme which is individual and matched to previous experience, skills and prior knowledge. Faculty leaders see their most important role as the support of colleagues and they are committed to helping members of their team to work as effectively as possible.

Pastoral Care

We have an excellent pastoral care system led by our Assistant Headteacher for Pastoral Care and expertly supported by Year Leaders and a team of form tutors.  We firmly believe that each student should have key adults whose support is continuous throughout their school careers. Student Support Assistants offer excellent support to Year Leaders as well as being a contact point for both parents and students alike.

All students are also allocated to a House.  At the end of each academic year Houses and Year groups compete for trophies awarded for positive behaviour, high attendance, sporting achievement and participation, the learning standards, charity work and House Points.  Each week students have assemblies and throughout the year take part in a series of fun and exciting challenges.  We find this gives students a strong sense of identity within our school community.

Special Needs Provision

We are a fully inclusive  comprehensive school who ensures that all students can achieve their potential academically, personally, socially and emotionally regardless of their gender, ethnicity, social background, religion, sexual identity, physical ability or educational needs. At JMHS we aim to provide a personalised approach to learning with the relevant support and adjustments made to learning that will maximise your child’s progress both within and outside of the classroom.

Our Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Co-ordinator, Miss King, has responsibility for SEND, and is always willing to meet with parents to discuss a students’ specific needs.

Enrichment

Alongside every student’s full academic programme of lessons, the school is committed to providing an enticing, challenging and broad range of experiences which support their holistic development.  The more involved students become in school life, the higher their achievement is overall.  Participation in the programme helps our students to become resilient, independent, well-rounded individuals.

Our enrichment programme includes:

• A wide variety of after school sports clubs and successful school teams who compete in and often win county competitions
• Many musical ensembles, choirs, bands, and an orchestra
• Dance and drama clubs and whole school productions
• Art and photography clubs along with gallery visits
• Educational visits to France and Germany which we make as affordable as possible
• A varied and exciting  enrichment programme in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

The School Day

The school day begins with registration at 8.45am and we expect all students to arrive no later than 8.40am each morning.  We operate a staggered end to the school finish times to help students leave the school site safely with Years 7-9 departing at 3:15pm and Years 10-11 at 3:20pm.  Accordingly the the length of the school week for Years 7-9 is 32 hours 30mins and for Years 10-11 it is 32 hours 55mins.

The wider community

Ledbury has a thriving reputation in the arts as the home of Ledbury Poetry Festival and many other cultural events in which our students play a full part.