St. Helen’s. Our vision.
An inspirational school St Helen’s is one of the top 20 girls’ independent day schools in the country1 and has a track record of delivering the best possible education for girls for more than one hundred years. Today, it continues to provide an outstanding academic education, which is the key to accessing a good career. As well as this, we aim to go much further by giving each girl the skills and attributes to help them to shine, and have the self-assurance to take on leadership roles in society. We encourage a love of learning, whatever the subject, and prepare our pupils for distinguished careers in business, law, medicine, the arts and the media. Since Miss May Rowland Brown founded the School in 1899, it has developed and evolved to reflect the changing role of women in society and the expectations and ambitions of able and talented girls. I am determined to maintain the values and traditions which have provided the School
1
with such a strong and powerful heart. Those values include intellectual curiosity, resourcefulness, an outwardly looking attitude, generosity of spirit, creativity, and a healthy appetite for life and for learning. At the same time we aim to prepare our girls to take their place with confidence in society, whether at work, in the home, with their friends and colleagues, or when helping others. We live in a century of considerable change. Many of our pupils will do jobs that are as yet unheard of and will live in other countries for some or all of their working lives. We are determined to equip them with the imagination, sense of adventure and resilience to take their place in a future which can hardly be envisaged. Our parents want the very best for their daughters. To that end, I have set out my vision for the future of the School and an outline for our plans for the next five years.
The Sunday Times School League Tables 2013. St Helen’s is in the top 20 girls’ day schools in the country at A level and the top 15 at GCSE.
Central to this is the provision of an outstanding academic and co-curricular education for girls from 3 to 18 with the associated pastoral care to enable every girl to achieve her full potential. Such an education needs the right physical environment. To that end a 20-year Masterplan is being devised for the development of the campus, together with an IT strategy that will grow to match the demands for new ways of communicating. I will also explain the launch of our unique ‘Futures Programme’, which will prepare our girls better than anywhere else for entry to top universities and professional life. My vision for St Helen’s is for it to be North London’s exceptional independent school for girls, providing an outstanding education that enables every girl to realise her full potential, both intellectually and as a wellbalanced individual. I am also determined that the School’s successes are nationally recognised.
St Helen’s educates girls from the age of 3 to 18 and these plans cover provision for all sections of the School. Our discussions about the future strategy for the School have required us to look at least 20 years ahead. This document describes what action is planned in the first five years to deliver my vision. It is the aim of the Governors and the Senior Leadership Team to achieve this vision. We can’t promise to deliver everything, nor can we promise that it will be delivered in exactly the time scale suggested, but we would like you to see our intentions. We will communicate with you regularly regarding our progress.
The next five years ACADEMIC Last year we began a review of the curriculum to ensure that we provide a stimulating and appropriate education at each stage of a pupil’s journey. The first stage is to ensure that the curriculum in English and mathematics is coherent and enables full progress and a seamless transition between each part of the School. The first class teaching of numeracy and literacy in Little St Helen’s is recognised as being of fundamental importance to our pupils’ future success. The Middle School Science Curriculum has undergone a very thorough review which has identified the essential intellectual foundations and practical skills to develop the dynamic scientists and engineers of the future. Alongside the creation of a very strong and secure
framework, we will ensure that creativity, independent thinking and physical activities are given the space in the timetable to enable the girls to become outstanding learners. In addition, we are introducing a more rigorous and sensitive system of tracking pupil progress throughout the school, from Nursery to Sixth Form, with appropriate interventions to ensure that each girl performs to her best. The first steps towards this were made in 2012 and we are now refining the criteria by which a girl’s progress is judged, and the ways in which this information is communicated to the pupils and their parents. This attention to individual progress will contribute to further improvements in external examination results.
Language provision will also be reviewed throughout the School. The girls in Senior School enjoy a very rich diet of languages and we hope to make the very best of this strong tradition in order to give them access to careers in a global economy. We will investigate the possibilities of giving our youngest pupils the opportunity to learn another language and we hope to bring forward the provision of Latin to Year 7.
most able through our teaching, by asking open-ended questions, by embracing the opportunities provided externally and by pastoral guidance and support. St Helen’s has been able to use the experience gleaned from teaching the IB Diploma to inform its new Sixth Form Enrichment Programme and in the development of critical and independent thinking skills in the Junior School and Senior School.
Every pupil has particular needs and to this end we have established the Individual Needs Department in 2013-14. Through the work of our experienced and expert team of teachers we are able to screen every girl over the age of seven for specific learning needs and to provide them with support and guidance to achieve the best outcomes. We are planning to extend our provision for the
With amendments to A level and GCSE examinations in 2015, we will be preparing the professionals in the School to adjust to the new requirements and ensure we are familiar with all the changes. Staff development includes a new Professional Development Review procedure, which we have been running this
year as a pilot. This is contributing to the growth of a learning dialogue between the academic staff and in response to innovations beyond our own school. We support the training of new entrants to the profession because it ensures that we are fully abreast with the most recent research in the world of teaching and learning. In 2014, we will be welcoming the new Deputy Head Development with particular responsibility for training and development of the teaching staff. We are planning to pilot the EPQ (extended project qualification) in 2014-15 and this will enhance our Enrichment Programme for the Sixth Form. This qualification is valued by universities and students alike for the preparation it provides for undergraduate study. It introduces pupils to research skills
and enables them to investigate a question of their choosing which is relevant to their intended degree course. The first St Helen’s Portfolios, which record and celebrate the breadth of achievement by girls in the Sixth Form, will be awarded in July 2015. We remain committed to the provision of a full co-curricular programme for all girls because we believe that this provides them with the opportunity to develop into wellbalanced, resilient, creative and imaginative young women. We seek to enhance our existing provision and to ensure that all girls, whatever their talents or particular strengths, will be active and engaged with the wider life of the school and with girls in other years.
PASTORAL Our commitment to the girls’ development and well-being complements the strength of the academic programme. We pride ourselves on providing support and care within all aspects of school life. In Little St Helen’s, this involves improving links with parents and ensuring that communication works effectively in both directions. In the Junior School, we are improving the ways in which parents understand the progress of their daughters. In the Senior School, the individual mentoring meetings that take
place through our extended tutorial time are the cornerstone of our system of pastoral care. It is essential that the girls are fully involved in reflecting on their own progress and in setting the targets for their future progress. Outstanding pastoral care occurs when all of those with responsibility for the girls share their knowledge and understanding and work in partnership with parents.
The campus & facilities The Good Schools Guide says that the huge surprise about St Helen’s is the unbelievable amount of space it has and the facilities for study and sport. We are extremely fortunate to have a 20-acre greenfield campus in the heart of North London, and we are determined to make the best use of this space in support of our wider vision.
teaching facilities, a centre for Sixth Form learning, a new entrance and administrative centre for the School, the revitalisation of the original Senior School and further improvements to our sports facilities.
say at present is that the new School website will be at the centre of our improved communications for staff, current parents and pupils, prospective parents and pupils and old girls. We aim to have this in place in 2014.
DEVELOPMENT OF AN IT STRATEGY
ESTATE MASTERPLAN
It is our intention to improve electronic communication and facilities inside and outside the School. At the centre of this is the development of an appropriate IT strategy. The aim is to ensure that we are doing the right things to address our priorities. The strategy will ensure that the systems that we have in place are flexible and agile enough to support the demands of the school community inside and outside the campus, that it is properly managed, secure, and able to support the school community for all current and future School needs. We aim to have the strategy complete by September 2014 and we will then publish our plans for rolling it out. One thing that we can
A NEW CENTRE FOR PERFORMANCE AND THE ARTS
Beyond our immediate plans, it is clear that the School needs a long-term strategy for its estate in support of the wider vision for the School. The Estate Strategy will be encapsulated in a Masterplan that is being developed in conjunction with the plans for the Junior School. The plan will be completed in 2014, the main elements of which will be published soon after. We will also share our plans with the local community and the planning authorities to seek support from these vitally important stakeholders. Areas that are being considered within the Masterplan include a new resources centre and library, enhanced provision of specialist
The first step is the completion of the ‘The Centre’, which will be available for use in the spring term of 2014. This conversion of the old gym will be used by the whole School for the performance of drama, music, gym and dance, and for social events. This £1m development will have state-of-the-art technology and house Mint, a modern internet café offering Sixth Form girls in particular a place to work and socialise whilst enjoying barista served coffees and hot chocolate. All senior pupils will be able to benefit from the facility before and after school.
SPORT We have excellent facilities for indoor sports and swimming in our first-class Sports Centre and extensive games provision outside. St Helen’s girls have the opportunity to participate in sport at the highest levels but also to enjoy sport for recreation. To make the most of these opportunities we are planning to erect floodlights and a seasonal air dome on our outdoor courts for tennis and netball in 2014, subject to successful negotiation with the planning authorities, and we are investigating plans for the installation of an all-weather surface as part of the School’s Estate Masterplan.
A NEW JUNIOR SCHOOL Demand for our Junior School continues to be buoyant and we are taking steps to ensure that we have the best provision. Our plan is to build a new Junior School, to open in 2016. We are not intending to increase the size of the school but to improve facilities for every pupil. This will be a state-of-the-art, exciting building that will provide an age appropriate environment and better opportunities for learning. The new building will free up the former Junior School buildings for use by the Senior School and should provide a number of exciting and flexible spaces. The exact location of the Junior School on the campus is yet to be confirmed, but we hope to have plans available in 2014.
A SCHOOL FOR 21ST-CENTURY FAMILIES We are mindful of the busy lives that our parents lead and are taking steps to ensure that we make attending St Helen’s as convenient as possible for our pupils and their families. In 2015, in all sections of the School, we will be looking to introduce wrap-around care from earlier in the morning and to later in the evening, with supervised afterschool provision for doing prep at School and the provision of a hot supper for those who stay.
External relations COLLABORATION
DEVELOPMENT
We are seeking to develop the opportunities for further collaboration with Merchant Taylors’ School to build on what we already offer through CCF, drama, music and charitable events with more opportunities for debating and for expanding our connections with the other schools which are part of the Merchant Taylors’ Company’s educational family. Senior girls also participate in productions at The Harrow Foundation Schools - Harrow and The John Lyon School - and we are also keen to develop these relationships.
St Helen’s enjoys a very strong and thriving Old Girls’ Club as well as being a much-loved and valued part of the Northwood community. Our alumnae occupy positions of influence and authority in a huge range of professions and businesses and they all share a great pride in the School and have strong emotional links with it. We want to draw on this pride in the School to promote an effective and valuable network for our present pupils as part of the Futures Programme, to promote the School regionally and nationally, and to contribute to the provision of bursaries and further capital projects. Enabling such a large, vibrant, global community to share its ideas, its affection for the School, its expertise and professional skills is a challenge. We plan to rise to this challenge, so that St Helen’s is able to continue to provide an outstanding education for the young women who will be the leaders of their communities and professions into the middle of the 21st century and beyond.
BURSARIES PROGRAMME It is our intention to maximise the resources of the estate in order to generate income to fund bursaries, enabling us to bring breadth and talent to the school community. Income generated will help to make a St Helen’s education available to girls whose families would not otherwise be able to afford it.
The ‘futures programme’ The essence of this School is equipping pupils for life and, to this end, we want to offer something special at St Helen’s that will prepare our girls better than anywhere else – hence the new ‘Futures Programme’. This is no ordinary initiative, but a programme with preparation for life at its heart. The Programme will provide cutting-edge advice on external examinations, advice on entry to top universities, best intelligence on the quality of courses available, work experience, careers advice and mentoring to provide the best preparation for our pupils to help them stand out from the crowd at interviews and at work. We hope that this programme will bring the skills, experience and contacts of past pupils and current families to enrich opportunities for the St Helen’s family. This is not a bolt-on programme for those at the top of the School; it will be intrinsic to a St Helen’s education and run alongside the academic and pastoral programmes.
The ‘Futures Programme’ will prepare our girls, from the junior years upwards, for their future education and careers. As the world of Higher Education becomes increasingly complex and expensive, making the right choice becomes ever more important. We want to introduce our pupils to the theme and vocabulary of Higher Education, provide opportunities for them to meet students and staff from universities and promote the idea of educational progression at an early age. We will take every opportunity to work with universities and partake of their outreach courses to provide enrichment for the curriculum and to inform parents. For senior girls we will create a programme of talks, events and presentations as they progress through the School, with more in depth activities and curriculum enrichment for Years 10-13. These will include workshops with university staff, meeting current student ambassadors, and discussing what to
consider when navigating the 50,000+ HE courses and 120+ HE institutions in the UK alone. Our programme will also provide advice and information to pupils and their families about applying for universities overseas. Our plans for the ‘Futures Programme’ include: • Significant improvements to work experience opportunities to ensure that it acts as a taster for future careers and presents appropriate opportunities. We are seeking to enlist the support of old girls and their families, and current parents, to make an active contribution to this programme. • Seminars on life skills from how to balance workload; methods of learning and examination technique; looking after yourself as a student; and how to manage money, student loans and a 24/7 existence. The world is getting better at identifying talent so we will include advice on how to promote yourself in the jobs market.
This will be part of our initiative in achieving national recognition for the education provided at St Helen’s. We aim to publish our plans for this programme in 2014 and have the operational centre up and running by the end of 2016.
St. Helen’s. Our vision.
St. Helen’s. Our vision.
St. Helen’s Eastbury Road Northwood Middlesex HA6 3AS Tel +44 (0) 1923 843210 Fax +44 (0) 1923 843211 admissions@sthn.co.uk www.sthn.co.uk