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Sixth formers can choose between A-levels and International Baccalaureate Diploma pathways
Deputy Head (Academic) Stephen Campbell discusses the sixth-form programmes available at Haileybury School
Haileybury’s motto ‘sursum corda’, meaning ‘li up your hearts’ is palpable in its mission to empower every pupil to leave school with the knowledge, skills and compassion to make a positive di erence to society.
Like most institutions, we believe knowledge is crucial for our pupils’ futures. At Haileybury, we inspire pupils to learn not only how to succeed in exams, but to have the fundamental life skills and knowledge to make the world a better place.
If the last few years have shown us anything, it’s the impact that driven, intelligent and caring individuals can make. Whether it’s those developing life-saving vaccines or delivering vital food packages to their community, service to others has been our guiding light. At Haileybury, we strive for our pupils to embody this ethos. rough our holistic sixth-form education which balances academic achievement with the development of character, resilience and leadership, we promote a sense of social responsibility, team spirit and self-con dence. We strive to embed the core skills, knowledge, creativity and intellectual curiosity that will form the leaders and change-makers of tomorrow that value serving others above all.
Our sixth formers enjoy a choice of A-levels alongside the International Baccalaureate Diploma and through both these routes, they embark on a variety of extraordinary opportunities that stretch, challenge and inspire them. While we have an exceptional array of sports, music and arts groups that provide grounding in teamwork, leadership and communication, pupils engage further in a remarkable range of unique groups stemming from our IB Diploma. ese groups include our academic, politics
and economics societies, as well as Amnesty International and Pride Alliance, to name a few. ese groups play an essential role in what makes a Haileyburian. ey provide intellectual discourse and challenges that allow pupils to use the knowledge gained in the classroom to develop informed opinions, while engaging respectfully with opposing views.
Alongside this, pupil voice has been imperative to our mission to empower pupils to make a di erence. We have multiple forums to discuss school-related and wider-world topics. We also have a Pupil Senate, which our sixth form students take extremely seriously. By participating in these groups, pupils develop essential oracy and language skills to express
The school’s academic research reputation is set to be further enhanced by the new cuttingedge £20m science and technology buildings
their thoughts clearly to facilitate discussion and compromise, which is key to making positive change.
However, nothing encapsulates our mission more than the prestigious Stan-X project. Led by Stanford University in California, it’s a ground-breaking study of genetics using fruit ies that is contributing to the e orts to nd a cure for pancreatic cancer. We’re the rst school in Europe to participate and pupils are now working on university-standard research, alongside scientists at Stanford University and the University of Oxford. We currently have 22 pupils on the programme, selected via a rigorous interview process. Pupils are taught undergraduate-level biology and their research is informing real-life developments, and will be cited in an upcoming peer-reviewed journal next month. e programme requires commitment, passion, resilience and ingenuity as each pupil designs their experiments. Pupils are completely dedicated to the cause and can o en be found in the laboratories throughout the day. Stan-X has brought science to life and broadened pupils’ understanding of a career in the eld. ey have seen how working hard and using their intellectual curiosity can play a pivotal role in helping others. It has rmed up many of their aspirations to pursue careers in medicine and scienti c discovery. ese opportunities will be enhanced by our new £20m state-of-the-art science and technology buildings which will house this work once built. e new facilities are allowing us to explore further opportunities with the likes of MIT in Massachusetts on a robotics programme, and with Nuvu on sustainable and wearable technology. We also ensure we provide enriching real-life research across a range of other academic subjects, including history and languages.
We believe in this ever-changing and increasingly complex world, it’s these important life experiences that will shape our Haileyburians to leave us knowledge-rich, wellequipped and passionate about li ing up their hearts to make the world a better place.
Haileybury is the fi rst European school to take part in the prestigious Stan-X study
CREATIVE CHILDREN THRIVE AT ArtsEd
ArtsEd Day School and Sixth Form’s new Head, Matthew Bulmer, tells us all about life at one of the UK’s most successful schools for the performing arts
ArtsEd aims to support each individual pupil’s goals and vocational dreams
Sixth form here o ers a conservatoire-style level of drama training
Why ArtsEd?
Everyone at ArtsEd spends every day doing what they love, pupils and sta alike, and it resonates throughout the building. For more than 100 years the school has been a leader in arts education and is now consistently the UK’s most academically successful performing artsfocused school.
So, it’s not all ‘singing, dancing and drama’?
We’re absolutely not a stage school, no. e vocational training here is second to none, and our students are immensely talented in their chosen art form, but our curriculum is broad, with students performing equally well in their academic studies. We have two students currently studying at Oxford University, while another is in Hollywood lming for Disney. We’re here to support every student’s vision for life and their journey towards it.
Do you come from a performing background yourself?
I studied at Cambridge University and worked with the Footlights and the ADC. I do have experience in acting, producing, and directing however I knew from an early age that I wanted to be a teacher.
My most recent role was Director of Performing Arts at Brentwood Independent
Academic learning is just as important here as the performing arts
Day School. Before that I taught English and Drama at independent schools in London and on the south coast.
What is the value in an independent education with a strong focus on performing arts?
It’s of huge value. Our vocational programme is delivered by committed and creative professionals. eir expertise and enthusiasm instil in our pupils a passion for learning that feeds into every aspect of their education and personal development. Our arts focus helps to nurture those individual young people with enquiring and curious minds. e varied and active curriculum keeps them engaged, and the small class sizes and excellent pastoral care keeps them focused.
ArtsEd Sixth Form o ers conservatoire drama school-style training at further education level. Our sixth formers are a mixture of highly-driven, motivated young people looking towards a career in the performing arts and those who simply want performing to be a meaningful part of their education. e extensive curriculum here allows them to explore academic options alongside performance pathways.
How do ArtsEd pupils fare in their exam results?
Our value-added results are in the top one per cent nationally, something we’re very proud of. It means that our students reach their full academic potential and are more likely to do so here than anywhere else. Our sixth formers achieve outstanding results; BTEC students scoring 100 per cent D* and D, equivalent to 100 per cent A* and A at A-level. Our A-level students achieved 100 per cent A*- C, which is highly impressive. Our students tend to go on to do what they want a er their time at ArtsEd, and they do so as happy, ful lled individuals.
Plans for the future?
At the moment I’m really enjoying meeting prospective students, parents and guardians and connecting with local schools – that’s a big priority. It’s a pleasure having face-to-face meetings and helping people understand just what ArtsEd can o er to creative children.
