Welcome We are a well-established, small school with modern, exceptionally well-resourced facilities, which is founded on traditional values of hard work and discipline. Each student’s academic progress and well-being is at the heart of our mission. Our focus is on ensuring every student is educated to the highest standard in every subject whilst also developing our young people’s confidence, resilience and thoughtfulness.
Holmesdale has provided me with such good support. Teachers are incredibly caring and I genuinely do believe, they have more of an understanding of their pupils as individuals than others. Sixth form student
We achieve this through: • Being big enough for choice but small enough to care. • Establishing an excellent climate for learning with state of the art facilities set in extensive grounds. • Giving exemplary pastoral care: we take time to know each student as an individual. No child is left behind. A new school is a long term commitment that is vitally important for the happiness of your child. Our prospectus can only offer a flavour of Holmesdale life. You would be very welcome to visit us in person to experience for yourself the vibrant and positive learning atmosphere of Holmesdale.
Mrs Tina Bissett Headteacher
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Joining our community We give our new students lots of help to settle quickly so that they learn and progress. Working with previous schools, our teachers ensure that learning from the outset is appropriately challenging. We also take time to get to know each student before his/her start. Through visits to primary schools, interviews with relevant teaching staff and meetings with families, staff at Holmesdale will have as full a picture as possible about each individual child’s motivations, development and disposition.
My grades have improved a lot since primary school. The teachers help more and I settled very quickly. Year 7 student
I have worked hard and achieved higher levels. I am more confident since joining Holmesdale Year 7 student
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Big enough for choice; small enough to care Being a small school with a close, friendly community, no child is ‘lost’. All students are ably guided to achieve their personal best. Our highly effective curriculum is both broad and balanced. As well as the full blend of traditional core subjects, we offer courses such as Engineering and Technology, which are valued by employers, opening doors for the future. We also offer a full range of GCSE subjects and a wealth of vocational and creative subjects such as Photography, most of which can be followed through to the Sixth Form. At every stage, each student is mentored with care and expertise by experienced tutors, Student Support Managers and subject teachers. Students are guided to make informed choices about their next steps in learning that will help them further their ambitions.
Pupils feel safe at school. Ofsted
There is so much opportunity here for students to pursue their aspirations and ambitions. Holmesdale Careers Advisor
I am proud of my progress this year. The teachers help as well as being kind. My parents are also proud of my progress. Year 7 student
My son’s English Teachers at Holmesdale have really nurtured his belief and ability in this subject to deliver him to the fantastic ability he now has. Thank you for the hard work and perseverance. Parent
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An excellent climate for learning with state of the art facilities, set in extensive grounds All learners can flourish using our first-class facilities and grounds. Whilst Holmesdale students are served by superb school facilities, they also benefit from productive and purposeful classroom climates. Our classroom climate is characterised by nurture, reward and support whilst consistently offering challenge and strong discipline, to encourage all students to achieve their very best. Our teachers are experienced, qualified experts, passionate about their subjects, who have high expectations of each of their students. They ensure that students are active participants who are given appropriate challenges to fire up their interest in learning.
The school’s improving culture and ethos ensure that pupils are polite and respectful to one another. Ofsted
Nurturing leadership School leadership programmes are a particular strength at Holmesdale, helping students move into adulthood with confidence and independence.
A huge thank you to all of the Play Leaders that helped us with Sports Day‌ They were a credit to yourselves and the school. Teacher at local Primary school
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Nurturing talent
Pursuing a talent offers great satisfaction in itself. By pushing for the highest standards in their particular talents, our students find this translates to other areas of school life. We recognise that children and young adults may excel in different disciplines at different stages of their school life and our keen staff have identified and nurtured talent on many occasions. We encourage our students to express their creativity through subjects such as Drama, Media, Art, Photography and Poetry. Students can also show their creative aptitudes in subjects such as Food and Design Technology. Our Sports Department has a renowned, long-standing tradition of local and national sporting success, particularly in Rugby and Football. Many students have gone on to compete in local and national sporting competitions, whilst others have gained invaluable leadership skills in the Sports Department leadership schemes.
Developing the whole person All students are encouraged to develop their interests and skills through hard work and lots of fun. Education should be a broad experience and one which is not confined to the classroom. Students have presented business projects to business leaders, improved their language skills through trips abroad, developed team building skills on adventure courses and engaged in community projects. Students have competed in regional and national competitions such as spelling bees, literary knowledge quizzes and Warhammer World. They have had talks from renowned children’s authors and been taught by famous artists, illustrators and actors. Through these opportunities our students can begin to reflect on their environment and appreciate the world around them.
I was most impressed by the Year 7 students whose discipline and work ethic was a credit both to them and the school. Guest speaker from Kent-based charity
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Exemplary pastoral care in a safe and happy environment Getting the basics right. Our supportive, safe and happy environment is derived from the Holmesdale moral code, founded on traditional values of honesty, kindness, courage and diligence. Students are further supported to exemplify these values through a strong rewards/behaviour system. We believe that by getting the basics right such as uniform, punctuality and politeness, we create the environment which is conducive to effective teaching and learning as well as promoting school cohesion. All students are ably guided to achieve their personal best, through carefully tailored mentoring and pastoral care. Our teachers and support staff are committed to the needs of all of our students. Our tutors are exceptional in their duty of care. Our students have a strong sense of belonging. They enjoy the teamwork and competition through the vast extra-curricular activities on offer. Our older students are trained to mentor and support the younger ones. My children’s teachers work so hard to help their students. I am so grateful to the school for getting my son to where he is now. Thank you to all the staff for the extra they have contributed. Parent
Moving up Our Sixth Form offers a range of engaging and inspirational learning opportunities. Whilst academic achievement is crucial for the life chances of young people, we also believe that the development of the whole person is important. There are many opportunities to apply their learning through contact with external organisations. Our Sixth Formers visit various universities whilst at Holmesdale – this fires their aspirations for university. We have a strong link with all four Kent universities who provide advice and guidance for individuals.
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Thank you for taking the time to read about Holmesdale
The Holmesdale School Malling Road Snodland Kent ME6 5HS Headteacher: Mrs Tina Bissett
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Telephone: 01634 240416 Fax: 01634 244041 E-mail: office@holmesdale.kent.sch.uk Website: www.holmesdale.kent.sch.uk