Preparing your child for life

At The Grange we believe that the purpose of the education we offer is to prepare our pupils for life in general, not just for public exam success or the next stage of education (vitally important though both of those are).

We understand our academic programme must comprise everything we do in school: formal learning and teaching, our enrichment and personal development programmes as well as everything that can be learned from the daily interaction between members of our community. That academic programme is underpinned by a clear, understandable statement of values which we hold to and will come increasingly to reflect a set of attributes and competencies that we are developing, which we call The Grange Way.

Although more detailed information will become available on The Grange Way as it emerges, it is divided into three strands: Being, Learning and Doing.

‘Being’ concentrates on helping pupils to develop their understanding of themselves: discovering their unique combination of strengths and gifts; their academic and personal passions; their ability to maximise those talents and exploit those passions through developing self-awareness, self-regulation and self-motivation. Equally we encourage them to understand themselves in relation to the world in which they live, from the relationships of their everyday lives to their place as among the most highly fortunate and privileged of global citizens.

‘Learning’ should serve to equip our pupils with the skills and knowledge they need to be successful at school and in public exams, but also explore and cement the competencies that the modern work place increasingly requires: research, synthesis, intellectual flexibility, critical thinking and problem solving, and convincing presentation.

‘Doing’ encourages our pupils to be contributors to society through service and involvement both in our own community and in others beyond it; to master and effectively employ developing technologies and their applications; and to develop the values that will enable them to be people of integrity in their adult lives.

Over the coming years we will be developing all aspects of the content and structure of our curriculum to reflect the facets of The Grange Way, to ensure that students leaving The Grange at 18 are equipped as well as possible for the flourishing and truly happy life we wish for them as they do.

Our Careers provision is based firmly around the importance of making wise choices. These might be choices about whether to commit early to a particular and realistic career path or to follow academic passions and strengths to see where they lead; they might be choices about what subjects to chose for GCSE or A-level; about the most appropriate degree course or the best university to pursue it; about the advantages of -and possibilities for- a Gap Year. This process is supported throughout by our own internal expertise, expert help from beyond the school and a growing range of tests and evaluations that can guide wise decision making.

We are already very proud of the young people that we send out into the adult world as they leave us in the Upper Sixth: they are generally confident, hard working, articulate and ready for the challenges ahead. Our hope is that we can continually build on this to offer an unparalleled preparation for a truly flourishing and purposeful life for the young people we are so proud of.