BBC's One Show

Students, parents and staff of BHF students appeared on the BBC’s One Show  as part of a drive to raise awareness of financial education across the UK.

BHF, a specialist Mathematics College, is likely to become a “Centre of Financial Excellence”, only one of 39 such schools in the country and will implement financial education  across the curriculum.  The BBC visit confirms BHF’s commitment to continuous improvement and development of Maths at the school 

Data Dashboard success for BHF

Sir Michael Wilshaw, the OFSTED Chief Inspector for Schools, launched the new Data Dashboard for schools and BHF has fared well in the publication of the Dashboard.   In a comparison of similar schools, BHF came in the top 20% (the first  quintile) of schools in the country for overall results and in Science and finished in the top 40% of schools (the second quintile) for Maths and English.   This confirms for us the rising trend of achievement in the school and the excellent reputation that the school now enjoys in the Reading area.    The Dashboard can be found, for all schools ,on the OFSTED website.

Maths Mastery success for BHF

BHF has been successful in its application to become a Maths Mastery Centre, one of only 36 schools nationwide.   This involves using mathematical  techniques pioneered in countries such Singapore who regularly lead the international PISA (Programme for International Student Achievement) and TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematical and Science Study) tables.  It involves allowing students to spend more time on key mathematical topics and putting problem solving at the heart mathematics  to enhance pupil understanding.   BHF Maths staff will be trained in the summer term ready for working with pupils in September.  The programme is being led by the ARK Schools Network using £600,000 worth of funding provided by the Education Endowment Foundation.

Praise for BHF from the Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove MP

Following the recent successful OFSTED inspection at BHF in November,  the Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove MP has written to Headteacher John Casey saying

“Dear John,

Thank you for your letter of 10 December letting me know about your recent Ofsted inspection and the improvements at your school.

I am always delighted to hear about school successes and your success is certainly one to celebrate.  I hope you realise your ambition for even greater achievements in 2013.” 

OFSTED inspection November 2012

We are pleased to announce the outcome of the recent OFSTED inspection of Blessed Hugh Faringdon Catholic School.

The inspectors judged the school to be “Good” overall.   The judgement areas are as follows;

Achievement of pupils – Good – 2

Quality of Teaching - Good – 2

Behaviour and safety of pupils - Good – 2

Leadership and Management – Good – 2.

A copy of the report can be found here.

Mr John Casey, the Headteacher commented - “Reading's Catholic community now has the school that it has wanted for a long time – a distinctively strong and good Catholic school that is achieving academic success.  Our results this year showed 57% of our students achieving the benchmark figure of 5 A*-C inc English and Math’s and we expect it to be close to 70% next year.  This really is a remarkable turnaround and I am pleased that this has been validated by OFSTED.  It has not happened by chance, it is a product of strong and determined leadership at all levels, good teaching, hardworking and motivated pupils, supportive parents and Governors and a strong commitment to continuous improvement.  We have felt for some time that we are a good school so I would like to congratulate staff and students on achieving this grade from OFSTED.  Now it’s onwards and upwards towards our aim of becoming an outstanding school”.

Chair of Governors Marius Hopley said “I am delighted that we have been recognised as a good school.  Over the last few years, the changes that we have seen in the school have been both significant and sustained.  On behalf of all governors, I would like to congratulate and thank the staff, all of whom have contributed tirelessly to achieving this result.  We are also grateful for the clear leadership and direction that John Casey has provided in his role as Headteacher.  Our students are of course the focus of everything we do and they respond so positively to all the opportunities that the school presents.  To all who have supported Blessed Hugh Faringdon, as students, parents, staff or governors, I offer my heartfelt thanks." 

Applications to the 6th Form for September 2013

We have 37 different A level and BTEC courses on offer - so we think we have something for nearly everyone.

If you would like more information about our 6th Form please contact the Head of 6th Form, Mr Hill, via the school office.

We warmly welcome applications from students attending other schools who may wish to join our 6th Form - please come along and have a look.

If you want more information on our 6th Form courses click here

If you want to apply to our 6th Form please click here

Results for 2012 A-Level/GCSE Results 2012

A2 Pass rate is 100%. Congratulations to everyone.

GCSE Summary 2012 The % of pupils achieving 5 grades A*-C = 91%

The % of pupils achieving 5 grades A*-C including English and Maths = 57%,   a 23% improvement on two years ago.

Headteacher John Casey has said "Congratulations to all our students for these results. The results reflect the hard work and efforts of the students and staff who have worked so well together to achieve these grades which represent the best ever exam results for the school. 

Blessed Hugh Faringdon is the most improved school in Reading and our results show the upward trend evident in our results – in the last two years the headline figure of 5 A*-C inc English and Maths has improved to 57%, a 23% improvement in that time. Our Maths department is now so strong that we are a newly declared Mathematics Specialist College and the message is loud and clear – if you want your child to achieve, and achieve well especially in Maths and Science, send them to Blessed Hugh”.

Blessed Hugh Declared Reading 107 FM's Best School of the Year 2012

Congratulations everyone. In July 2012 BHF was declared Reading 107 FM's school of the year and Reading 107's Robert Kenny visited the school to present Mr Casey with the winning plaque. It represents an acknowledgement that the school has made rapid progress in the last two years in ensuring that everyone who visits BHF receives an outstanding education