A BEHIND-the-scenes tour of facilities and opportunities at Kidderminster’s award-winning Baxter College is being offered to prospective students and their families.

The 2023 Worcestershire Secondary School of the Year is holding its annual open evening on Thursday September 26 for those looking to apply for a secondary school place starting next September.

There will be two sessions at 4.30pm and 6pm, opening with an address from headteacher Katie Beech, followed by guided tours and the chance to meet staff, current students and parent council members.

Miss Beech said: “It’s an honour to open our school to the community and welcome students and their families looking for secondary places to start Year 7 in September 2025.

“The evening will provide a flavour of what we do to grow brilliance, with personalised learning, a range of academic and vocational studies and a plethora of extra-curricular activities, trips and after-school clubs.”

As part of the school’s inclusivity, each student is also provided with a Chromebook ensuring all have online access for study and research.

Miss Beech added: “We understand the importance of helping our young people to thrive and learn important life skills. As part of that, we offer all students entering Year 9 the opportunity of taking the highly valued bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award at no cost to them.

“We offer many state-of-the-art facilities, including our bespoke science block, all-weather football pitches, theatre and self-contained sixth form centre.

“Our special needs provision is another strength of our school, where the individual needs of every child is at the heart of everything we do.”

The school, rated “good” by Ofsted, is part of the Severn Academies Educational Trust and acting chief executive Matthew Carpenter said: “I hope visitors will take away a sense of how our staff endeavour to inspire and challenge students and focus on the whole child, their learning and their wellbeing.”

The event will be repeated the following morning (Friday September 27). More details can be found via Eventbrite, where tickets for either open event can also be reserved.