About The College

College Context

Torpoint Community College (TCC) is situated in South-East Cornwall and is very much a part of the local community. Due to its proximity, it also enjoys close links with the urban area of Plymouth city. This results in a rich mix of urban and rural, village and city-based students and the College is very much an economic driver for the area.

The majority of students attending the College live in Torpoint or on the Rame Peninsula. It also has students from Plymouth who travel from Plymouth via the chain ferry over the River Tamar. The current number on roll is approximately 720, including 50 in the Sixth Form. The College’s Post 16 provision offers a small, but thriving, learning environment for its students with a wide range of A Level subjects on offer.

The College works closely with our partner and feeder schools. Our designated primary schools are from the Torpoint and Rame Peninsula:

  • Carbeile Junior School, Torpoint
  • Fourlanesend Community Primary School, Cawsand
  • St Nicolas C of E VA School, Downderry
  • Millbrook C of E VA Primary School, Millbrook
  • Antony C of E Primary School, Antony

It also enjoy links with Torpoint Nursery and Infant School, St Germans Primary School and many other primary schools in Plymouth.

Message From The Headteacher

Welcome to Torpoint Community College

I am delighted that you are taking the time to view the College website.

Everything we do at Torpoint Community College is about giving our students an excellent education which will transform their lives. The first thing you will notice when we welcome you to TCC is the vibrant, happy and calm environment which inspires students to learn “deeply” and helps them to discover their unique talents.

We value all our students as valuable members of our College community and as citizens in a larger local, national and international community. With approximately 720 students on our roll (50 in the Sixth Form), we are a small, caring and successful 11-19 co-educational foundation school. You can read our most recent Ofsted report here which highlights all the very good aspects of the College.

Through inspirational teaching, a genuine concern for health & wellbeing, a broad and balanced “STEAM” curriculum and a rich abundance of learning opportunities within and outside the College, we nurture high aspirations in our young people for themselves, their College and their community. Our students understand they are responsible for the choices they make. They know that making the right choices, self -belief, high expectations and working hard will empower them to shape the future they want. We expect them to respect themselves, their peers, their College and their community. In turn, each one knows they are valued.

Our College motto is “Inspiring Optimistic Learners” and the 3 values we follow are “Respect, Prepare and Focus”.

If you would like to see what makes our students so special, you are welcome to join us during one of our successful ‘in action’ Open Mornings or Afternoons or should you want further information about the College, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Tel 01752 812511 or email: enquiries@torpoint.cornwall.sch.uk

Kind regards

Dr Jeremy Plumb
Headteacher

Vision, Values & Aims

Values & Aims

Our aim is for all young people who attend Torpoint Community College to leave us aspiring to be the best they can be. We are committed to recognising and realising the potential in each student: of nurturing curiosity, creativity and leadership, of achieving the very highest of standards and of instilling respect and care for ourselves, each other and our environment. We aim to harness the innate drive, energy and enthusiasm of young people so they leave our College confident, knowledgeable and successful citizens, capable of learning and adapting to an uncertain future. In a nutshell – promoting ‘emotional health and wellbeing’.

The word ‘optimism’ is originally derived from the Latin ‘optimum’, meaning ‘best’.

  • An optimistic learner is happy and healthy, confident and resourceful, resilient and successful, able to work independently and in teams, and;
  • An inspired learner is motivated to learn and radiates a sense of purpose that in turn inspires others.

At the College, we believe an inspiring optimistic learner has the skills, knowledge and positive values to make the most of the changes and challenges facing us in the 21st century. We aim for our students to talk about enjoying their deep learning experience. The results our students achieve are a reflection of our care, support and guidance and of the opportunities students are encouraged to lead and participate in. This applies equally to those students challenged by disadvantages, but we do not allow any issue to be a barrier to success (see Pupil Premium and Catch Up Premium).

We believe strongly that personal growth occurs through adventure and we work hard to provide broad learning opportunities for students’ well-being as well as academic progress and attainment. As a College we work with, on your behalf and in partnership with you. We place a strong emphasis on working with and supporting our community – local, national and global – celebrating our community champions, regularly supporting charities and being ambassadors in other countries so that our students understand they need to be responsible global citizens.

This is all part covered by respecting the rights of all students (pupils) under the UNCRC. Trips include Nepal, a teacher and student exchange with Sri Lanka, discussion at the New York United Nations headquarters, Barcelona and camping on the Isles of Scilly. We also excel in offering a range of extra-curricular activities that benefit from unique links with our environment; Ten Tors Challenges, local, regional and national sporting events, drama productions, plays and our annual fashion show.

We offer a broad and balance curriculum journey from Year 7 to 13 with the opportunity to experience or specialise in the performance arts, sciences, sports and physical education, design and technology, computing, languages, humanities, religious education, media, literature and psychology.

We have vocational courses as well as formal academic courses, we work closely with parents to identify the best combination for each individual through a robust and effective options process and strategic careers strategy. We have a strong focus heath and wellbeing, relationships and sex education and Fundamental British Values (see Policies page).

Our high quality pastoral care is widely recognised as an example of best practice. Students are organised into year groups. Behaviour across the College is underpinned by our positive learning ethos and with just under 720 learners, 60 of which are in our excellent Sixth Form at TCC, we are recognised for the high level of individual care given to each student; our staff going the extra mile to support.

Becoming a Foundation School with a Co-operative Trust on 31st December 2011, was a natural next step for the College. We already worked closely in partnership with a large number of other schools, higher education providers, organisations and businesses so formalising links with key partners enables us to bring even better opportunities and improvements. Harnessing their strengths for the benefit of our learners in College and in schools across Torpoint and the Rame Peninsula is an exciting and rewarding journey.

Vision

Inspiring optimistic learners

In short, every member of Torpoint Community College will have:

  • Ambition, commitment, resilience & perseverance
  • Confidence to take risks
  • An ability to organise and present themselves effectively
  • Intellectual curiosity
  • Imagination and creativity
  • Initiative and self-motivation to learn independently and with others
  • Optimism for a future in a rapidly changing world

Our Vision Statement is based on the fact that for children and adults to be inspired to learn it is our fundamental belief that TCC provides:

  • A curriculum that responds to the needs of each and every individual irrespective of their age and aptitude
  • Learning experiences that are diverse, flexible, rich, experiential and active
  • Positive, effective relationships within a collaborative and sustainable community
  • Academic, social and emotional intelligence

These beliefs are in keeping with Co-operative values, Fundamental British Values (FBV) and Human Scale Education (HSE)and echoed in detail in TCC’s values policy and underpin the College’s other policies i.e. Safeguarding and Child Protection.