Sandhurst School
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<strong>Sandhurst</strong> <strong>School</strong><br />
THE OPPORTUNITY TO SUCCEED
Welcome<br />
<strong>Sandhurst</strong> <strong>School</strong> is a caring, inclusive and well-ordered community in which a positive<br />
and purposeful climate for learning promotes a culture in which success and achievement<br />
are aspirations in which we take pride.<br />
Our aim is to provide all students with the opportunity to succeed and this means that as well<br />
as a strong emphasis on achievement we work hard to encourage and develop the skills and<br />
qualities to help our students be active, accomplished, knowledgeable, caring and self-sufficient<br />
citizens in tomorrow’s ever-changing world.<br />
We do this through a highly regarded pastoral care system in which tutors and Heads of House<br />
work exceptionally hard to nurture and value every student and also in providing an innovative<br />
and personalised curriculum as well as a wealth of additional opportunities delivered by a strong<br />
team of dedicated, well-qualified, warm and caring staff.<br />
A significant strength of the school is the quality of relationships throughout our school<br />
community. We will ensure this continues to develop and flourish whilst striving always for<br />
academic excellence.<br />
We are very proud of our students and our school and warmly invite you to visit us. Please<br />
contact Reception to arrange a visit. Staff and students will show you round and tell you more<br />
about our school.
“The leadership and management of the school<br />
are good. The wider leadership team shares the<br />
headteacher’s ambitious vision for the school.”<br />
OFSTED 2013
Achievement<br />
“Teachers’ subject knowledge is good and they<br />
are adept at using different approaches to make<br />
learning interesting and memorable.” OFSTED 2013
“Literacy is taught well across the curriculum<br />
and is a strength of the school.” OFSTED 2013<br />
We know how important it is for young people to have pride in themselves and a belief<br />
that they can succeed and achieve their best. We have high academic standards and<br />
offer a wide range of courses, delivered by dedicated, knowledgeable and professional<br />
staff whose aim is to make our students learning experience challenging, engaging and enjoyable.<br />
We have a strong focus on the core subjects of English, maths and science but equally value the<br />
creative arts, technologies, languages and humanities. Individuals are given opportunities to<br />
develop skills and aptitudes in a range of subjects and are carefully guided through the options<br />
process. Students know their targets and what they are trying to achieve and in consultation<br />
with subject teachers, parents and tutors strive to get there and are actively involved in their<br />
own tracking, target setting and negotiation.<br />
Homework, at KS3, is issued to provide stretch and challenge and give students meaningful<br />
tasks that will develop them as independent learners and prepare them for the demands of KS4<br />
and 5. Parents can use the well resourced Digital Campus to help them support their sons and<br />
daughters with homework. Communication is crucial and regular reporting and reviews as well<br />
as presentations keep parents informed.
Challenge<br />
“Teachers know their subjects well<br />
and convey high expectations to<br />
their students.” OFSTED 2013<br />
Achievement is so much more than learning in the classroom<br />
and working successfully as part of a team on the sports field<br />
or as part of a drama production is vital preparation for success<br />
in school and the world beyond. Rich and diverse extra-curricular<br />
opportunities enable students to develop their many gifts and talents,<br />
from musical performances, chess and archery to public speaking and<br />
trampolining. We have also established a successful Duke of Edinburgh<br />
Award Scheme and this has enabled youngsters to challenge themselves<br />
by moving beyond their comfort zone and show initiative, resolve and<br />
resilience whilst participating as effective team members and developing<br />
leadership skills.<br />
Anyone who has ever held their breath as their child performed on stage<br />
or in a race or competitive event knows how risk and trying something<br />
new builds character, confidence and self esteem. We endeavour to<br />
give our students the opportunity, not only in the classroom but also in<br />
enrichment activities, to flourish by participating in new experiences and<br />
feel the thrill of success and pride in their own efforts.
“Teachers engage and involve students through<br />
tasks which are challenging and meet their needs.”<br />
OFSTED 2013
“Conversations with students show that they<br />
value the school’s care for their well-being.<br />
They value opportunities to contribute to the<br />
life of the school.” OFSTED 2013
Caring, supporting and<br />
valuing individuals<br />
“Parents agree that the school provides<br />
exceptional support for their children.” OFSTED 2013<br />
In order for students to achieve their best they need to feel safe, secure and confident. Our<br />
pastoral support is a true strength and ensures that excellent relationships are at the heart of<br />
our school. Our highly regarded house system consists of four houses: Bailey, Gemini, Romer<br />
and Young and each is led by an experienced Head of House who works closely with tutors,<br />
supporting the care, guidance and encouragement of individuals in their group.<br />
As well as an established house system, vertical tutor grouping ensures that role models in older<br />
years are able to mentor, guide and care for younger students. All students receive individual<br />
and personalised support from the tutor who is kept informed of the progress of students in the<br />
group through close working with subject teachers.<br />
Daily tutor periods enable all students to start their day in familiar surroundings with their tutor<br />
who is then able to ensure any special support or consideration required on any given day is in<br />
place. Daily assemblies help build a strong house spirit and ensure students are informed and<br />
share in the school’s journey.
Responsibility for<br />
ourselves and others<br />
“The school has very good strategies for encouraging<br />
positive behaviour and respectful relationships.”<br />
OFSTED 2013<br />
At <strong>Sandhurst</strong> <strong>School</strong> we are committed to providing our students with the knowledge<br />
and skills to become responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to our<br />
society and the wider world. We aim to promote high standards of political literacy and<br />
to encourage students to become proactive “upstanders” rather than passive bystanders when<br />
faced with the suffering and oppression of their fellow human beings. Our students engage<br />
in a wide range of active citizenship projects which have an impact on the local, national and<br />
international communities.<br />
Within school students are trained to become peer mentors, providing support and advice<br />
to other students and many students make an active contribution to improving the school<br />
environment on the regular weekend “make a difference” days. On an international scale the<br />
school has developed its own charity, Reaching Rwanda, which supports survivors of the<br />
Rwandan genocide. Working together, our students have established a number of successful<br />
businesses in Rwanda and have provided homes, education and clean water facilities for many<br />
genocide orphans. Our key message is “Be the change that you want to see in the world” and<br />
<strong>Sandhurst</strong> <strong>School</strong> students certainly rise to this challenge.
“The behaviour of students is good. They show<br />
high levels of maturity both in lessons and<br />
around the school. Students say they feel safe<br />
and the school has robust systems to support<br />
all students.” OFSTED 2013
“The curriculum is broad and balanced and makes<br />
outstanding provision for spiritual, moral, social and<br />
cultural development. There are rich opportunities<br />
both within subjects and through extra-curricular<br />
projects.” OFSTED 2013
Inspire and celebrate<br />
“Students appreciate the range of sporting and<br />
cultural opportunities available to them.” OFSTED 2013<br />
We put great emphasis on rewarding and celebrating success. Our aim is to develop<br />
resilient, confident and motivated individuals who feel able to try new opportunities<br />
and take risks while feeling secure in the knowledge that they will be supported in all<br />
their endeavours. We want to equip our students for independence as well as fostering the desire<br />
for lifelong learning.<br />
We enrich learning by inviting artists, authors and musicians into school to help subjects come<br />
alive for students. We also invite people whose real life struggles against adversity sometimes<br />
shock and often move and motivate our students.<br />
We know the value of reward and recognition, both formal and informal as well as public<br />
and private. Success is celebrated in newsletters and assemblies and by creating leadership<br />
opportunities for prefects and peer mentors. Competition between the houses enables everyone<br />
to participate.<br />
Relationships and good communication are vital because getting to know individuals and giving<br />
them the confidence to break from their comfort zone, whilst ensuring they know they are<br />
important and that what they do matters, will enable our school to continue to flourish.
Moving on<br />
“The outstanding levels of dedication and passion shown<br />
by all staff members to me throughout my seven years<br />
at <strong>Sandhurst</strong> allowed me to prosper. The high levels of<br />
support and teaching have enabled me to progress<br />
to Higher Education.” SIXTH FORM STUDENT<br />
If asked, most parents want their child to be happy, healthy and able to thrive in tomorrow’s<br />
world. At <strong>Sandhurst</strong> we recognise that we are an important part of a once in a lifetime<br />
journey through the teenage world of secondary school. We aim to make sure this journey<br />
equips our students for the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. Our sixth form offers<br />
all our students the opportunity to embark on personalised learning programmes to enable<br />
them to continue their journey into the world of university, work or apprenticeship.<br />
Our small classes enable individuals to be supported to achieve their best and to thrive under<br />
the care and professionalism of our highly knowledgeable staff. It is also important to look<br />
beyond the classroom and to give our students the chance to stand out from the crowd.<br />
As members of a school sixth form our students benefit from opportunities to be role models<br />
and mentors to younger students as well as ambassadors for the school by welcoming and<br />
showing visitors around and hosting presentations to large audiences of parents and invited<br />
guests. Bespoke work experience for some can lead to longer term employment opportunities<br />
and those who lead the Student Council are at the heart of innovation in the school.
“I really enjoyed my time at <strong>Sandhurst</strong> as everybody<br />
was really friendly and the small class sizes were great.<br />
Studying at <strong>Sandhurst</strong> Sixth Form was beneficial for me as the<br />
teachers really helped me get good grades to go to university.”<br />
SIXTH FORM STUDENT
<strong>Sandhurst</strong> <strong>School</strong><br />
Owlsmoor Road<br />
<strong>Sandhurst</strong><br />
Berkshire<br />
GU47 0SD<br />
Telephone 01344 775678<br />
Fax 01344 771575<br />
We welcome visitors to our school. However, we respectfully<br />
request that appointments are made beforehand.