Hello. I am delighted to welcome you to John Ferneley College. My name is Terry Claridge and I am the Headteacher at John Ferneley, having started in April 2024.

Being a part of John Ferneley also means being a part of the Mowbray Education Trust. This means joining a school and trust that has at its heart the value that children come first, and that is paramount to all the work we do. 

In my time at the school so far we have overseen a number of changes and developments. All of our developmental work is evidence and research based, is designed to be embedded and implemented in a clear and consistent way and reflects the need for us to be reflective practitioners. We have developed a whole new teaching and learning identity, 'The JFC Way' (based around the work of Barak Rosenshine) and a whole new behaviour management policy, 'The JFC Behaviour Toolkit' (based around the work of Tom Bennett). At the heart of all this work is our clear understanding that we expect our students to be kind, organised, hard-working and proud of who they are.   

John Ferneley is a school that values academic success and absolutely believes that every child has the right to a world class education, allowing them to reach their full potential and to better their own lives and the lives of those around them. The opportunity for a great education also depends on the right support and pastoral care for all. As a parent myself, I know only too well that a happy and settled child, given great opportunities and great teaching, will thrive. 

All children at John Ferneley have the opportunity to participate in, and contribute to, a wide variety of enrichment activities and student rewards that will ensure that their experience is academically successful, as well as having enrichment as a core  experience. John Ferneley rightly has, and is very proud of, its tradition and reputation around trips, visits, shows and productions. Most importantly, all students have the chance to be themselves and will know that we will value their individual contributions to school life.

As teachers, our role is primarily to prepare young people for their next steps in life and as such, they will benefit from a very broad and balanced knowledge rich and knowledge engaged curriculum. This is within a framework of being able to study a wide range of subjects, both at key stage three and key stage four. John Ferneley has very talented teachers, who are passionate about their subject and curriculum. That matters. Your child's education being delivered by knowledgeable, passionate teachers gives them every chance to succeed. 

I am honoured to lead a school that has high expectations and which is constantly seeking to be better, to be reflective about its practice and to provide a high quality education and experience.

Terry Claridge
Headteacher at John Ferneley College