I am delighted to extend a warm welcome to Parkside Community School. We are a 11-16 school situated in Chesterfield, that provides a broad and ambitious curriculum full of high-quality, expertly planned learning experiences. Our curriculum acts as the vehicle for the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and personal development, enabling students to make the most of their talents and live life in all its fullness. We have high ambitions for, and expectations of, all our students and encourage them to ‘be the best version of themselves’ in everything that they do.

Our school is truly inclusive and focuses on the wellbeing and progress of every child to unlock potential. It is a caring, nurturing and ordered community with an atmosphere of calm and purposeful learning. This ensures that all our students feel safe and happy, achieve excellent academic progress and can be the best that they can be. Your son or daughter will be taught by teachers who are highly qualified and have high expectations. This ensures that our students have the opportunity to achieve the levels of excellence that we want for them. We recognise the different needs of students and value their unique contributions to our learning community. We work hard to support and challenge our young people in equal measures so they can achieve successes every single day. We want this because we know that over time, this enables our young people to realise their dreams, to go into the world equipped to lead successful lives and make a positive difference to their communities. For this reason, our school ethos centres upon students Caring about the Choices that shape their Futures. A wide range of extra-curricular activities ensure that all students have sporting, artistic, musical and cultural opportunities that nurture, develop and stretch their interests. This supports our young people to be aspirational and gives them the tools to surpass their personal and academic targets.

We have the highest expectations of students’ behaviour. We expect that our students grow to respect themselves and others, to look for the good in others and to be honest and trustworthy. We want to make sure that your child is a confident and secure individual who feels valued and able to make a positive contribution during their time at secondary school and beyond. Our pastoral programme supports our students and their families, and is an enormous asset to the school and to the wider community we serve.

Parkside Community School is proud to be a member of the Embark Federation. Embark is a family of schools across Derbyshire who believe that by working together as a team they can create schools that ‘stand out’ at the heart of their communities. For many years our Year 11 examination results have certainly demonstrated this as we are consistently seen as one of the top performing schools in Derbyshire for academic progress.

Parkside Community School is a brilliant school that serves a fantastic community. We enjoy the commitment and support of our parents and carers and thank them for ensuring their child is in school on time, in full school uniform, fully equipped and with good intentions every day. Your child’s education is of total importance to me and everything that we do is geared towards providing the very best for the students that we serve.

Please take a moment to look at our website and social media which provide you with all the latest information and news about life at Parkside. If you require any further details, please do not hesitate to contact us. We will be pleased to meet you and show you around our wonderful school.

Mr Andy Kelly BSc (Hons) NPQH
Headteacher