Passmores is a cooperative academy, meaning that we adhere to the ten key principles of the cooperative movement, while retaining overall autonomy as a school.  In practice this means that everything about our school, from its physical construction with glass walls and doors, to its systems of management, is designed to accord with these principles:

We view ourselves as servants of our community and are zealous in our aim to make sure that every student who comes to Passmores has an enjoyable and challenging educational journey and leaves with the skills, personal qualities and qualifications that allow them to take the next steps towards their ambitions.  We firmly believe that financial difficulties should never be a barrier to learning and have a long-established school charity, No Child Without, that helps support students to have the full range of opportunities, regardless of their financial position.

We are fiercely proud of our students and their achievements and seek to reward and praise wherever we can, so that students will remain motivated to “go for it.”  However, when it comes to behaviour we can be quite traditional, expecting the basics of uniform, equipment, respectful relationships and effort to be upheld.  We seek to educate rather than punish where possible but families do need to be aware that we will not permit students to disrupt the learning of others or violate their human rights in any way.  We employ staff who meet our ethos in this regard and are happy to role model these ways of working and relating.

We are easy to communicate with and welcome working with families and agencies to help students to thrive.  We are a school that is often noted publically for our “family feel” and we are tireless in our pursuit of the best outcomes for our young people.  We are our own biggest critics, seeking to learn from our mistakes when we make them (we are human after all!) and, while we celebrate our students’ many successes, we are always hungry for more.

We aim to turn out well-mannered, hardworking, free-thinking young adults with the initiative and flexibility and skills that they will need in our uncertain, quickly-changing workplaces of the future.  Our belief in building relationships and finding common ground with those from other cultures is key to how we operate:  everyone is welcome at Passmores and in being themselves, our many and varied students create a sparkling mosaic of society.  No one “type” of student is more important than another – it isn’t who you are, it’s what you do that counts.  If you come to Passmores, you will be welcome here: our school is for all.