Our Policies
Equality and Inclusion
At St Wilfrid’s Church of England Academy, we are committed to promoting equality, embracing diversity, and fostering an inclusive environment for all. Guided by our Christian ethos and the Public Sector Equality Duty, we work to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and nurture positive relationships among individuals of all backgrounds.
Our Equality Information and Objectives Policy outlines how we embed equality in our policies, practices, and day-to-day decisions. We take proactive steps to support students and staff with protected characteristics, to ensure every member of our community feels respected, safe, and empowered to thrive.
We continually monitor progress and set objectives to promote fairness. Current priorities include increasing staff and governance diversity, supporting women’s working lives, and encouraging open dialogue around protected characteristics. Through inclusive teaching, diverse representation in our curriculum and publications, and meaningful engagement with our wider community.
Our goal is to create a learning environment where all individuals are valued, barriers are removed, and everyone is inspired to “live life to the full.”
Examination Certificates – Summer 2025
The certificates for Summer 2025 will be available to collect at the Celebration Evening on 20th December 2025. After this date the certificates will be available from reception during normal opening hours until October 2026. You will be required to collect these in person, and sign for them.
We don’t post certificates as they are unique and valuable documents and we require a signature for them on collection (replacement documents which are legally equivalent to certificates cost just under £50 per exam board). Certificates are the exclusive property of each student.
If you wish to ask anyone else to collect them on your behalf (including a parent) then the person collecting them needs to have their own ID and a signed permission note from you. The person you nominate will then be required to sign for them. You must inform us before this person comes to the Academy to collect your certificates, but if you are collecting your own certificates there is no need to contact us before you come in.
The signed permission note must include your full name, your date of birth and the full name of the person you are nominating to collect the certificates on your behalf as well as your signature.
Summer 2026 Exams
The Summer 2026 exams run from 7th May-24th June 2026, you must make sure you do not book any holidays during this time. The full timetable will be posted here nearer to the time, though dates are available on the individual exam board websites.
Results Days for Summer 2026 are:
- A-Level – 13th August 2026
- GCSE – 20th August 2026
Exams and Bad Weather
In the event of bad weather in the region and the school being closed on exam days we will still attempt to open so that students have the opportunity to sit their exams. Students should report to the exam venue as previously advised by 8:50am for a morning exam and 12:50pm for an afternoon exam. Please note that students arriving late may not be able to sit the examination.
Students should not risk their safety to get to school if the conditions are particularly bad either in the area in which they live or around school. If a student misses or is late for an exam for any reason it is not possible for them to take it on another day. We can apply for special consideration in some situations but essentially exams that have been missed can only be retaken the following year.
Equipment
Students are only allowed to write with a black pen for all external exams. Students should come to their exams with all the equipment they need including black pens, pencils, mathematical equipment, a calculator and any other permitted equipment for specific exams. All equipment must be brought into the exam room in a transparent pencil case. Students are allowed to bring bottled water into exams but the bottles must be clear with no measurements or labels on them. Students must not bring a mobile phone, any type of watch or any internet-enabled device into the exam room – doing so would almost certainly result in disqualification.
External Examination Results and Examination Certificates
If you have a query about your external examination results or your examination certificates from when you took any exams here please email enquiries@saintwilfrids.co.uk including your full name, date of birth, the address where you were living while you were a student here and the year(s) when you took your exams. Following receipt of your query, any certificates that we do still have in our archive will be available for collection from the Main Office during normal Academy opening hours. We don't post any certificates as we require a signature on receipt.
Certificates are the property of the student named on them. If you wish to ask anyone else to collect them on your behalf then the person collecting them needs to have their own ID and a signed permission note from you. The person you nominate will then be required to sign for them. You must inform us before this person comes to the Academy to collect your certificates but if you are collecting your own certificates there is no need to contact us before you come in.
The signed permission note must include your full name, your date of birth and the full name of the person you are nominating to collect the certificates on your behalf as well as your signature.
JCQ Information for Candidates - Privacy Notice
Post Results, Services, Deadlines, Fees and Charges
Exam Timetables
Instructions for Candidates from the Exams Office:
Candidates must be familiar with the following documents:
JCQ Information for Candidates - Written Examinations
JCQ Information for Candidates - Warning
JCQ Information for Candidates - Unauthorised Items
JCQ Information for Candidates - Social Media
JCQ Information for Candidates - Preparing to Sit Your Exams
JCQ Information for Candidates - On-screen Examinations
JCQ Information for Candidates - Non-examination Assessments
JCQ Information for Candidates - Coursework
JCQ Information for Candidates - AI and Assessments
Exam Privacy Notices
Registering for Free School Meals – Extra Benefits
If your child is eligible for Free School Meals, it’s worth registering them even if they’re not going to have the school lunch. This is because schools receive a ‘Pupil Premium’ – an extra payment for each eligible child which they can spend on useful services. This money will help Saint Wilfrid’s to provide extra support for our students like small group tuition in English and Maths, etc. The details of how Saint Wilfrid’s have previously spent the Pupil Premium is shown below.
In order to check eligibility and apply for Free School Meals, you will need to contact your Local Authority. If you live within the Blackburn with Darwen area, the criteria and application to apply are attached. Applications do need to be made directly to the Local Authority.
Eligibility Checklist for Free School Meals
Registering for Free School Meals
To apply by telephone or find out more information, please contact your local authority (Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council can be contacted on 0845 0701066), you will need your National Insurance number to hand.
If you would like support with the application process, do not hesitate to contact the Academy; we will happily help you with registration.
At St Wilfrid’s, safeguarding the wellbeing, safety and happiness of every child is at the heart of everything we do. We are fully committed to creating a secure and supportive environment, where students can thrive, feel safe and be themselves.
Our safeguarding approach ensures that all staff, volunteers and visitors understand their responsibility to protect children from harm and promote their welfare.
This commitment includes a robust policy, regular staff training and clear procedures for identifying and addressing any concerns swiftly and sensibly. We work in close partnership with families, local authorities and child protection agencies to uphold the highest standard of child safety.
Your child’s safety is our priority and we encourage open communication to ensure that everyone in our school community feels informed and supported.
During school hours:
If you have a concern regarding a child, you can reach out to the school office during school hours and request to speak with our Designated Safeguarding Lead or one of the Deputy Designated Safeguarding Leads.
The team includes:
- Mrs V Michael - Principal
- Mrs V Hill - Senior Vice Principal
- Mrs Q Villiers - Family Support & Safeguarding Manager
- Miss H Suleman - Family Support Manager and lead for Looked After Children
- Mr S Evans - Assistant Principal Key Stage 3
- Mr P Lewis - Assistant Principal Key Stage 4
- Mrs H Cass - Assistant Principal Key Stage 5
- Mr S Hughes - Assistant Principal SENDCO
- Mrs N Pyper-Mann - Assistant Principal Inclusion
If you prefer you can send an email to: safeguarding@saintwilfrids.com
Out of school hours:
If you have a concern about a child out of school hours you can call Blackburn with Darwen Children Social Care on 01254 666 400 and report it there. Alternatively, you can call 101. If you believe that it is an emergency, call 999.
We believe that safeguarding our students is everyone’s responsibility and have an attitude of - it could happen here!
Our aim is to safeguard, include and support all of our students.
We want to enable our students to be the best they can be, through identifying and removing their individual barriers to success.
We recognise that every teacher is a teacher of every child and has a responsibility for the progress of all students. Quality-first teaching is the first step to ensuring that barriers to learning are removed and students fulfil their potential.
The support your child gets from our Academy should meet their needs. They will be able to access help called  SEND Support. It is part of what is known as the ‘graduated approach’ and you will be contacted if we think your child needs this.
What do you do if you think your child may have SEND?
You can contact our SENCo if you think your child may have SEND. You will be involved and your views will be needed.
The four stages of SEND support:
- Assess – The inclusion Faculty and teaching staff can assess your child to identify their strengths, needs and extra support they may require.
- Plan – We will agree, with your involvement, the outcomes the SEND support is intended to achieve.
- Do – We will put the planned support into place.
- Review – We will review the support and consider any changes that need to be made.
Learner Passports
Every child with SEND has a Learner Passport, which details what the Academy, the class teachers and the SENDCO plan to do to help the child learn andprogress. It will be written in collaboration with the parent and the child, wherever possible. Our staff work in partnership with parents and the SENDCO to find ways to support each child with their needs, including giving parents ideas on how to help their child at home.
Included in a Learner Passport:
- Short term targets for the child, which are linked to their needs.
- Details of any extra support the child will get.
- Who will give the child help.
- How often the child will get help.
- How and when the school will monitor the child’s progress (every half term).
- It will be written alongside the child and the parents, who will have a direct input.
Facilities
Dedicated indoor SEND area open during break and lunch times, offering organised board games, facilities to complete homework with LSA support and LEGO building, our SEND area is extremely well furnished and resourced, providing students with a comfortable and safe environment. In addition, there are two further class rooms for withdrawal lessons and workshops. There is also a Hearing Impaired Resource managed by Mrs Wong, Teacher of the Deaf. All Hearing Impaired students are fully integrated into mainstream lessons.
SEN Team
Mr S Hughes– SENDCO shughes@saintwilfrids.com
- Mrs M Wong – Teacher of the Deaf
- Mrs E Hardy – SEND Administrator
- Mrs R Roscoe – Teacher within SEND
Access Arrangements
Access Arrangements can be provided for external examinations as long as there is a history of need and provision or evidence is provided to substantiate the need.
BwD Local Offer
Complaints
Should you wish to make a complaint about the support provided by the Academy, please follow our complaints policy and contact Mr Hughes (SENDCO) in the first instance.