Welcome Harlington Upper School is a very special place. We are a high attaining, academic school with outcomes at GCSE and A Level that consistently top the Bedfordshire league tables. We embrace an approach to teaching and learning that combines innovation with established best practice, and equip our young people with the skills, knowledge and qualifications they need to progress successfully beyond their school years. We believe that every child, no matter their starting point, can succeed if challenged and inspired appropriately, and alongside our academic curriculum, we provide outstanding extracurricular opportunities, enrichment and personal development to provide a truly rounded education for all our young people. Our expectation that our students are ambitious, altruistic and accountable, ensures that we achieve both excellent academic progress for our students while creating a happy, safe and harmonious environment. We are gifted with a highly motivated and talented staff body. Every class is taught by subject specialists who are experts in their field. Being part of the Pyramid Schools Trust ensures effective collaboration with our local Middle and Lower Schools and provides a seamless transition into Upper School enabling a cohesive, world class, all through education for our students. Harlington Upper School makes a difference to young people, and I hope you get a flavour of our unique school from our prospectus. Helen Harris, Headteacher
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Getting off to a good start At Harlington Upper School we believe that all students can be successful in an environment that is ambitious, harmonious and caring. We are an inclusive school that supports every student and enables their success, the development of their character and their wellbeing. Our students know that they are valued as individuals with unique strengths and potential. We have a strong pastoral system that promotes our core values of tolerance, accountability, and resilience. Our students are well behaved, allowing everyone to learn and make excellent progress. They are considerate and polite around the school. There are strong support systems available ranging from peer mentoring to our therapy dog, Dolly. Our students know that they have a voice that is listened. We have numerous opportunities for students to get involved with the daily life of the school and to learn leadership and collaborative skills. We are particularly proud of our enrichment offer that enables every single student in the school to take part in a range of extra-curricular activities providing them with life skills, new experiences, friendships and fun. We intrinsically believe that kindness and altruism are essential skills for our students and for our school. This enables our students to become intellectually curious and emotionally intelligent thinkers whilst building a warm and welcoming community. We look forward to welcoming your son or daughter into our community this September.
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Ambitious We believe strongly that there should be no limit to what students can achieve, regardless of their background or any barriers that they may face. Being ambitious helps students achieve exceptional progress. An ambitious student will strive towards personal goals. In learning, we teach our young people to be broad minded, analytical thinkers who take risks. Our students are helped to go above and beyond their personal expectations. When they face adversity and challenge, our students are taught the intent and determination to overcome it. In this rapidly changing world, being ambitious creates resilience and perseverance, preparing students for life beyond school. Our academic curriculum is unashamedly ambitious for all students; we create a purposeful experience that engenders growth and personal achievement wherever a student begins. We want to develop young adults who are independent and whose lives are enriched by a range of interests. In our many student leadership and enrichment opportunities, all students can realise ambitions in the footprint that they leave here, for example through taking part in a council, society, or representing the school in the wider community. Whether it be to university, employment, or training, it is our belief that if a student is guided and inspired to be ambitious throughout their five years at Harlington, then they will achieve their potential.
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Altruistic Harlington students are part of a thoughtful, warm, and welcoming school and are taught to understand the importance of their role within our community. Our students are expected to contribute to the school positively and constructively; they are taught to understand the ways in which their conduct influences and shapes the experiences of those around them and so they act with generosity and in the spirit of collaboration. In their learning and conduct, our students are expected to demonstrate the highest levels of self-control and to be fully respectful of others’ right to learn. We insist that our students take an active role in the classroom, creating a safe, encouraging, and respectful culture for us all. We expect that students are polite, courteous and take responsibility for their actions, especially when this is challenging. We always insist on exemplary conduct because we believe in the ability of all students to meet these standards. Through their behaviour and interactions, we want our students to take collective responsibility as members of the Harlington community. To be a Harlington student is to actively support, recognise and celebrate the achievements of others. We acknowledge and praise accomplishments and successes. An altruistic Harlington student seeks to change things for the better, both in their own community and in wider society.
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Accountable We believe being accountable encourages self-awareness and honesty and that this quality is central to success at Harlington. Our students are helped to consider and understand the consequences of their words, actions, and conduct, and learn from their experiences. An accountable student participates actively in lessons; they are ready to take responsibility for the work they produce. At Harlington, we teach students to be reflective learners and to be willing to take steps to make progress. We teach students to be open and responsive to feedback and in doing so, students are taught the value of their efforts and increase their levels of selfconfidence. As part of the community, we encourage students to listen carefully to other people’s perspectives and to treat others as they would like to be treated, and thus to play their part in fostering a happy, inclusive community. We recognise that students may get things wrong. In our community, we do not blame others for their mistakes nor make excuses for things for which we are responsible. What is important at Harlington is that students become reflective, learning from their past choices and experiences to shape socially responsible individuals. When students are accountable, they are more conscious of the connection between their actions and outcomes. We foster the self-awareness and self-development required to help students to be the best that they can be.
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Sixth Form Harlington boasts a thriving Sixth Form with over 300 students; academic outcomes are excellent. The links between the Sixth Form and the younger students spans the activities of the schoolacademic, enrichment and pastoral. The opportunities to develop leadership are vast within the Sixth Form. Whether this be acting as a peer mentor, leading councils or being elected to the Senior Leadership Team. To capitalise on the education we have offered throughout the school, there is a broad selection of courses on offer, including A Levels and BTEC’s, to allow students to pursue a path towards their chosen career, further training or university. Alongside students’ core subjects, The Harlington Diploma offers a holistic take on Sixth Form, allowing students to document and celebrate their contributions to participation, service and academic engagement. The vast majority of our students apply for university and are successful in their first choice. Students are supported in this by a team of hugely experienced tutors, Sixth Form Studies, and a UCAS programme. For those who intend to apply to Oxbridge, Medicine and Veterinary Science, there is tailored package. All students applying for university are eligible to apply for the Connally Foundation Award Scheme. Those students electing not to attend University have been hugely successful in gaining higher level apprenticeships and employment in recent years. The Sixth Form embody the school’s maxim of “Ambitious, Altruistic and Accountable Leaders”, contributing considerably to what makes Harlington so special.
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Leadership Our enrichment offer involves students in a wide range of opportunities, challenges and experiences outside the classroom. On Wednesday afternoons there are no lessons, but instead a myriad of activities that we hope enrich our students, that challenge them to try new things and that will help them to develop into the leaders of tomorrow. All enrichment activities offer pupils the opportunity for non-academic structure and enable them to increase their social and emotional resilience through team-work and independent learning. Harlington Upper School has an active body of Student Leaders from Year 9 to Year 13 who work as ambassadors for the school. The Student Leadership Group, Prefects and our Student Councils work with other students and the staff to move forward whole school improvements. Student Leaders are able to express their views and ideas about the school allowing them to learn how to effect positive change and take on roles of responsibility to prepare them for life beyond Harlington. Our leadership possibilities mean that students not only act as role models for their peers but make a positive contribution to the school and the wider community, while developing the skills and attitudes to enable them to participate positively in society.
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Harlington Upper School Goswell End Road, Harlington, Dunstable Bedfordshire, LU5 6NX 01525 755100 www.harlington.org @HarlingtonUpperSchool @HarlingtonUpper