Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School an International Baccalaureate World School
Working Together to Inspire, Challenge and Achieve
Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School is the only co-educational grammar school in Aylesbury and our students benefit greatly from the mixed environment. Academically both boys and girls gain extra insights into a whole range of academic disciplines as both male and female perspectives contribute to a deeper understanding. Socially they are maturing in an atmosphere that is similar to that which they will be part of in adult life allowing them to take their places naturally in the wider community. We are also the only school in the area that has been accredited to teach the International Baccalaureate Diploma to our sixth formers, recognised by universities and employers as being a world class programme. We have approximately twelve hundred students, with three hundred and seventy in the sixth form. Our teaching programmes are rigorous and academic. We expect a lot from our students and they do not disappoint us. We are very proud of our high standards. However with the help of our students we are constantly working to bring about improvements. These include our buildings and facilities which have been transformed in recent years, examination results that are excellent and Ofsted inspection grades that get better and better each time they visit. Students here are very positive about the experience that we give them. From my first day as Headteacher here I was struck by the culture and atmosphere that exists in the school. In my experience there is something very special about Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School. I hope that the pages that follow will help to give you a sense of our unique ethos. If you want to experience it at first hand then do please contact us and ask for an opportunity to see us in action during a working day.
Stephen Box Headteacher
“This is a very happy and fulfilling school” Ofsted
“We have no doubt our children are in the right place to nurture them, help them develop and give them the opportunities to succeed that we desire for them” Parent
Working together... We find that the strongest impression that new members of the school have is of the quality of our relationships. We firmly believe that many aspects of learning are more effective when students work together and support each other.
Our older students also give a lot of time and energy to helping younger students. A large number of Year 10 students are trained to become “buddies” to Year 7 students when they arrive – often starting friendships that last for several years.
We are also convinced that success in adult life is determined as much by personal qualities as it is by academic qualifications. Many of our activities are designed intentionally to develop attitudes and abilities that set our students up for a fulfilling adulthood. Characteristically our students develop high levels of emotional intelligence, are confident, articulate and are creative. They are able to make things
We run a very comprehensive survey of students’ views half way through the year. Thousands of forms are completed that give us a good idea of how well students are learning in each and every subject. Our teachers take this feedback very seriously and will often make adjustments to their programmes in response to students’ views.
happen. We invest heavily in ensuring that students have a smooth transition from their junior schools. Parents regularly compliment us on how quickly their children settle into the school, finding new friends and feeling comfortable. We have a senior member of staff with a specific responsibility for helping us to appreciate what our students have learned at their primary schools and how they have learned it.
We hold regular parent consultation evenings and parents are offered the chance to give us some formal, comprehensive feedback every two years.
“The mixed environment is used to great effect” Ofsted
... to inspire, challenge and achieve
Learning in the classroom INSPIRING
ACHIEVING
A senior Ofsted inspector recently remarked that she had seldom seen a school where students are so universally positive and enthusiastic about their learning. Visitors often comment that our classrooms are purposeful, focused and also relaxed. We consider ourselves fortunate to have in our midst so many talented students who inspire others, sharing their gifts and encouraging their classmates. We are also fortunate to have staff who are highly qualified and strongly committed to the success of our students.
In the lower school all students study a full range of subjects - English, mathematics, science, design technology, ICT, history, geography, religious studies, art, music, drama, dance, physical education and two languages from French, German and Spanish. Some subjects will complete the traditional Key Stage 3 syllabus by the end of Year 8 and will begin GCSE work in Year 9. Our Personal, Social and Health Education programme covers a wide range of useful and relevant topics.
Working together with our students we have designed a set of characteristics that make up an effective learner. These include attributes such as being inquisitive, reflective, imaginative, logical, persevering, risk taking, compassionate and respectful. In our lessons we aim consciously to develop these attributes alongside in depth subject knowledge.
CHALLENGING Homework marks and other assessments contribute to the reports that we issue to parents five times each year. We monitor closely both effort and achievement. Students are rewarded for improvements in effort throughout the year. Poor effort grades are followed up. We believe that it is right to reward effort as that is usually under the students’ own control. Academic progress is monitored closely to ensure that all students are making appropriate development in their learning. All students, in negotiation with their teachers, are given ambitious targets for their achievements. We have high aspirations for our students and they rise to them!
Year 9 is a transition year between Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4. Our complete GCSE programme begins within the year, with a revision of the school timetable operating from May onwards.
“We learn in a variety of ways and every lesson is slightly different� Student
In Years 10 and 11 students are given some choice over which subjects they study. All continue to take courses in English (language and literature), mathematics, religious studies and physical education (including sports leadership). They are required to take two or three science GCSE subjects (taught as discrete sciences). Students then make three or four other choices from a range of options that includes French, German, Spanish, history, geography, art, music, drama, dance, graphics, textiles, food, business studies, computer studies and GCSE physical education. Typically they will take eleven GCSEs. We strongly recommend that students take a foreign language but appreciate that for a small number of students there are good reasons for not doing so. We have a committed team of Assistant Teachers who work alongside our teachers to make sure that every student achieves high standards. They work closely with families to help us understand the particular needs of individuals and draw up learning strategy sheets for students who require non-standard approaches.
“The curriculum makes a positive contribution to students’ enjoyment of school, to their achievement and personal development” Ofsted
“The teachers give us trust and respect, so we give it back” Student
“I have the chance to be challenged and I enjoy that” Student
INSPIRING A great deal of our learning takes place outside the classroom. Some of these experiences are directly related to what is taught in lessons. For instance we arrange regular language trips to France, Germany and Spain. Historians visit Normandy, Berlin, Munich and Nuremburg to support their studies. Geographers undertake a residential fieldwork programme. Other trips are aimed at developing qualities that have no direct relationship to any examination syllabus but make a significant contribution to our students’ personal growth and development. We run many clubs and competitions. These currently include art clubs, about a dozen music ensembles, drama and dance clubs, chess club, science Crest club, cooking competitions, public speaking, debating club, and the Bar National Mock Trial Competition. There are over seventy lunchtime and after school clubs in operation catering for a very wide range of interests.
CHALLENGING
ACHIEVING
Each year we suspend our normal teaching programme for a week and hold an Enrichment Week. In that week we run a series of events to help students develop leadership and team working skills. Year 7 students spend time camping and learning bushcraft skills, Year 8 spend time learning beachcraft. Year 9 can choose from a number of residential experiences. Year 10 students spend a week on work related learning.
Our sports teams compete successfully in a number of district and county competitions. We usually have at least one team, often more, who are district champions. Many of these activities are led by senior students who are given opportunities to further their own leadership development.
Many of these activities are designed to challenge students, to encourage them to do things that they would otherwise not have done – and developing themselves in the process. We run two or three “World Challenge” expeditions each year. Recently these have gone to, Ethiopia, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, Nepal, Zambia and Malawi. In most years these trips include about forty sixth formers. We also have a considerable number of students taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme, with expeditions that take place nearer to home.
We have had successes in the national Mathematics Team Challenge and individual successes in chess competitions. Our Young Enterprise teams often collect awards in the Buckinghamshire competition and have been known to win through to the South of England finals. Our performing arts productions are of a very high quality. Students who are accomplished West End performers take part alongside the rest of our student body. The technical quality of our performances is high – for instance we sometimes have a full orchestra based in a room away from the theatre with video and audio links combining the voices of actors with musical backing. In recent years we have won the South of England final of a national dance competition and both our senior choir and orchestra have been among the small number of entries across the country invited to perform in the finals of the National Music for Youth Festival in Birmingham.
The school has provided my son with an excellent education and opportunities to experience events of a co-curricular nature that have helped to build his confidence and maturity. Parent
INSPIRING
CHALLENGING
We have a strong culture of senior students helping, supporting and inspiring the younger students in the school. Sixth formers serve as prefects, house captains and faculty ambassadors.
Our sixth form students are challenged in a wide variety of ways, inside and outside the classroom.
We have a large prefect body who play an important role in helping with the management of the school. They are led by a senior student leadership team who meet regularly with the school’s senior staff leaders. There are over thirty inter-house competitions that take place each year. They are led by our House Captains who take responsibility for arranging these activities and will often lead house assemblies. Each of our faculties appoints some ambassadors. Their role is to promote the image of their subjects in the school. They also support the teaching staff by providing help at lunchtimes for students who are seeking support or extra challenge. A large number of sixth formers take an accredited course to become sports leaders. As part of this course they regularly organise events for our younger students and in local primary schools. We offer fifty places to students from other schools to join our sixth form. These places are highly sought after and we greatly appreciate the fresh perspectives that these students bring. We are always impressed at how quickly they settle in and become a full part of our community.
We are the only school in Buckinghamshire that has been accredited to teach the International Baccalaureate Diploma. This programme is recognised and valued across the world as an excellent preparation for university study. We offer a wide range of subjects at A level and AS level. About thirty subjects are offered each year. Our timetable is constructed in response to students’ choices to enable as many combinations as possible to be scheduled. We teach our students in a way that encourages them to think for themselves. Intellectually we set very high standards of academic rigour and discipline. Creativity is valued highly in every subject in the curriculum. Our sixth form study centre and wellresourced library provide an excellent environment for private study.
ACHIEVING Examination results are excellent and are improving all the time. Our IB and A level students are set ambitious targets and they regularly exceed them. Almost all of our students proceed to higher education when they leave here, mainly to the most competitive, selective and popular universities. Others go on to specialist institutions such as conservatoires and art schools. Among those who choose to go straight into employment some have obtained prestigious trainee positions in large organisations such as the big four accountancy firms. Pastoral care is as important to us as it is lower down the school. Sixth form tutors spend a lot of time helping their students to complete the university application process. We hold complete days dedicated to university applications and hold evenings for parents about university applications and student finance.
“I know that I could not have achieved my ambition to go to Oxford without the support and dedication of my teachers.� Former student
ADMISSIONS
THE FUTURE
We are part of the Buckinghamshire County Council Admissions scheme for entry into Year 7 in September. Details of their procedures and deadlines can be obtained from their website at www.buckscc.gov.uk.
Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School is in a strong position. We are popular and successful with waiting lists for students in all year groups. But we are not complacent. We have a comprehensive strategic plan and ambition that will underpin our efforts over the next few years.
From Year 8 onwards we handle our own admissions (the late transfer process). Details of this scheme can be obtained from the school website at www.sirhenryfloyd.bucks.sch.uk. We admit a large number of students from other schools into our sixth form each year. There is a separate application process for sixth formers with an Open Evening in November and a deadline in February. Further information can be obtained from the school website. Transport arrangements are administered by the County Council.
The quality of our accommodation has improved greatly in recent years with a new Sports Hall, Sixth Form study area and astro turf courts but there is more to come. Our vibrant community is still working to achieve excellent academic standards, development of the personal skills necessary for success in the adult world - together with a sense of responsibility and respect. All who are associated with the school are continuing to work together to inspire, challenge and achieve.
“It seems like yesterday that we were looking around the school and thinking ‘we would like our daughter to turn out like these confident, well-rounded, personable sixth form students who are showing us around the school’. Now we are delighted to see that this is what she has become. We always swear that there is some inexplicable ‘Floyd Magic’ that is worked within the school!” Parent
SIR HENRY FLOYD GRAMMAR SCHOOL Oxford Road, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire HP21 8PE Telephone 01296 424781 Email office@sirhenryfloyd.bucks.sch.uk www.sirhenryfloyd.bucks.sch.uk @SirHenryFloyd
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