Educate • Enrich • Empower

EDUCATE

There is no more pressing task than encouraging young people to place deliberate and considered thought at the heart of their lives.

Knowledge is a vital part of education but a collection of facts is of no use unless it is accompanied by independence of mind, the intellectual curiosity and the freedom to express ourselves without barriers. When the subject matter itself fades our ability to think logically and to use evidence to solve problems with originality and creativity must remain.

The first steps towards productive thought are intellectual curiosity and an openness to new ideas. Young minds are naturally inquisitive and creative. We recognise the courage required to challenge, question and at times fail as part of a successful learning experience. We are committed to providing an environment where a willingness to take risks and intellectual courage are inculcated as part of the Plymouth College education. The ability to order thoughts effectively, to apply rationality to problem solving and to seek appropriate evidence for the way we think combine with the attributes above to provide a solid foundation for each pupil to fulfil their potential.

At Plymouth College your child will be...

Expected to be curious, stretched and challenged in every aspect of school life.

Encouraged to combine creativity and ambition with logic and reason in their thinking.

Inspired to try new things, to take risks and learn, without fear, from their mistakes.

ENRICH

The days of passive learning are over. Teachers must guide,clarify, elaborate and provide materials, but they can no longer simply give ‘the right answer’ to be regurgitated thoughtlessly in an exam. Instead, pupils are required to take responsibility for their own development, with teachers attentive to and entirely supportive of their needs.

In practice this means asking questions, volunteering answers, reviewing notes, redoing homework and reflecting upon progress. Planning and organisational ability play a vital part and demand self-awareness, persistence and resilience; skills so important to our approach at Plymouth College. Likewise, a good pupil commits to depth of understanding, always recognising that education is a never ending process with layer upon layer of understanding waiting to be discovered and never satisfied with one dimensional answers. Success will rightly be celebrated, yet failing, doing badly, struggle, and even despair are part of learning. If we never feel these things we are not aiming high enough. As with climbing mountains, the steepest slopes are the hardest and we long for the easy stroll of the flatter path, but it is during the sharp ascents that we make the most progress towards the peak. Refusal to give up is the single best indicator of future success.

At Plymouth College your child will be...

Expected with the support of teachers, to take responsibility for their development.

Encouraged to ask questions, volunteer answers and reflect upon their progress.

Inspired to aim high and strive for a deeper level of understanding.

EMPOWER

In order to live with integrity, it is vital that pupils understand themselves and recognise their own passions, strengths and weaknesses. In all walks of life it is possible to get lost in the system, to lose sight of what is important to us, to turn our minds to an easier way.

The enormous responsibility of defining our own lives, of making them what we want them to be, comes to all of us gradually, yet how we cope with this recognition is often a result of our education. That young people are active participants in their own destiny and should be able to seek out that destiny is one of our core beliefs. With a determination to improve, a belief in the efficacy of hard work and a sense of purpose, we believe that all pupils can seek out excellence with confidence and positivity. Further, the soft skills so highly valued by employers are developed through every day interactions with others, through joining the debating team, volunteering for positions of responsibility, offering help in the wider community, playing sport and music, acting in plays, and a whole host of other opportunities. Engagement in both the specific and general sense offers us a future of exciting and almost unlimited possibilities.

At Plymouth College your child will be...

Expected to recognise their passions, strengths and weaknesses.

Encouraged to define their own lives with integrity.

Inspired to work hard to achieve excellence with confidence and positivity.

“The first steps towards productive thought are intellectual curiosity and an openness to new ideas.”