Welcome to the Tong High School website

A welcome from the Head

Tong High School is a successful 11 – 18 multicultural, comprehensive high school in South Bradford, bordering Leeds and Kirklees. We enjoy an excellent reputation as a very special Sports College and a good school.

An enormous range of people visit our school for all sorts of reasons: to view the brand new building and witness the special design features; to explore what is so special about our creative and innovative curriculum; to learn from our specialised learning provision; to enjoy the recreation and leisure facilities; to watch stunning theatrical and dance performances; to take part in elite or recreational sport; to find out about our student leadership programme; to talk to our students and staff about community cohesion and our links with other countries; to learn about our highly successful vertical tutoring and community development; to speak to some of our outstanding teachers and associate staff about their excellent work in a school that often faces enormous challenges.

We are oversubscribed in both Year 7 and our Sixth Form, attracting students from across the city and from neighbouring authorities. As a brand new school, which opened in September 2008 under the BSF programme, we enjoy outstanding facilities including swimming pool, theatre, drama studios, fitness suite, dance studio, full-size 3G floodlit astroturf pitch, and climbing wall. We also have a farm on site. We have very strong links with sporting organisations including Bradford Bulls RLFC, Bradford City FC and premiership football teams. We are delighted that our superb facilities are used by the whole community daily, at weekends and in the holidays. We believe promoting healthy lifestyles, keeping fit and enabling our families to continue learning, supports our students in their aspirations to become lifelong learners.

Our school is a friendly, caring community that has its values rooted in equality of provision and achievement for all. We do not select students and our inclusive approach means we welcome everyone to our school. We work on a team and family structure, with vertical tutoring and five communities. We are the first secondary school in the country to achieve Investors in Pupils across the whole school.

We provide the very best opportunities for students to achieve by offering traditional academic subjects up to A Level standard, a rich and extensive vocational curriculum and an extra-curricular programme which is second to none. The last two Ofsted inspections congratulated us on an ‘innovative and exciting’ curriculum.

Visitors always go away with a real understanding of our school, its ethos of team work, its spirit of generosity and care, its commitment to do the very best for every student. People are always amazed at what they see and hear and what they observe and learn. They tell me that our school is amazing. It is. Our people, our students and our staff are very special. The dedication of the staff to their work and the support they offer all our students is humbling. I never tire of telling them how good they are and how their strength of moral purpose enables our young people to achieve and to face the world with confidence and self assurance.

Lyn O’Reilly
Headteacher