Pictured Above: Left to right: Hon Mrs George Cadogan, Heathfield old girl; Sarah Wilson, Headmistress; and Laura Scott, fellow old girl and Sports Journalist of the Year.
New Sixth Form to equip girls with the skills required to transition successfully into higher education and the working world
Faces lit up at Heathfield School in Ascot this September, when newly-wed Hon Mrs George Cadogan – Heathfield old girl Davina Motion, who recently married George Cadogan, son of Viscount Chelsea – officially opened Heathfield School’s new purpose built Cadogan Sixth Form. The new centre - designed to expand the academic and personal horizons of its students – was created to provide a rich and adaptable learning environment for their new Sixth Form Programme. This Programme will equip students with the diverse skills required to transition successfully into higher education and the working world. Hon Mrs George Cadogan was joined by fellow old girl and Sports Journalist of the Year, Laura Scott, both of whom thoroughly enjoyed their school years at Heathfield.
Offering over 20 subjects at A Level, with no pre-set blocks, students are free to pursue their individual interests and to benefit from personalised tuition within small classes. Scholarships are also awarded for Academics, Art, Drama, Music, Photography and Sport.
In the first half of the Lower Sixth, students follow a bespoke leadership course and benefit from a goal setting seminar delivered by Elevate Education, an award-winning provider of study skills workshops.
In the second half of the Michaelmas Term, students embark simultaneously on their Pathways and Horizons Programmes. Pathways is designed to support a student’s A Level interests directly and offers a choice of Extended Project Qualifications (EPQs), Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), Maths for Scientists, and an International English Language (IELT) qualification for non-native speakers wishing to study in English speaking countries. Offering topics as wide-ranging and eclectic as Beowulf, the dark side of leadership, decoding language, dystopian fiction and a study of the film ‘La Haine’, Horizons aims to broaden pupils perspectives, getting them to think more deeply about how we construct knowledge and understanding, and how this links with their own subjects, aspirations, university choices and applications.
Valuable life skills are honed during the Michaelmas Term, when the Lower Sixth are given the opportunity to explore relevant leadership theory and concepts through the lens of a practitioner. This prepares them to take up their positions of responsibility in leading the school. The students critically analyse the definitions of leadership and followership and collectively investigate how an individual can impact the group and task. They also learn a range of techniques used to address day to day issues, as well as how to lead with confidence in a crisis.
During Upper Sixth, students continue to focus on their mocks and public examinations, alongside their university applications, assisted by the Sixth Form Team. They also benefit from seminars on Time Management presented by Elevate Education, whilst progressing through the Mentoring Programme, staffed by Heathfield’s alumnae Mentors, who work as positive role models for Mentees and provide helpful advice and guidance on careers and the world of work.
“Academic work goes hand in glove with all the other aspects of Heathfield’s Sixth Form Programme to create well-rounded young people with a positive attitude and a good work ethic; young people who are well equipped to take their next steps, whether that is into higher education or the world of work,” said Sarah Wilson, Headmistress.
Happy confident girls succeed – that’s the simple but powerful philosophy at Heathfield – which is why the school prioritises wellbeing for all its students. The school’s Positive Psychology Programme asks students to build on what is positive, develop curiosity, gratitude, goal setting skills and positivity to ensure that each one recognises their own strengths and potential, motivating a personal desire to thrive. Students in the Lower and Upper Sixth are encouraged to work together as a cohesive body and to participate in joint activities, effective for building peer support, friendship and mutual respect. Those requiring extra support are quickly identified by Heathfield’s Pastoral Team, responsible for the wellbeing of every girl. Flourishing lessons are also taught every fortnight and cover the science of wellbeing, qualities such as empathy, kindness, motivation and mindset, and strategies to help the girls to reflect and manage their own mental health.
Creating well-rounded confident students is a top priority at Heathfield. The students have the opportunity to acquire the knowledge, understanding, skills and attributes required for independent living and the next stage of their education or career. Students can take Leiths Introductory Certificate in Food and Wine and gain vital skills for life with a professional qualification from the UK's most prestigious cookery school.
Co-curricular activities, from debating and scuba diving to sport and drama, improve the learning experiences of all students and help them to identify and develop their inner talents, creative and public-speaking skills, leadership qualities, and more.
Sixth Formers are also encouraged to ‘give back’ to the local, international and school communities through support and fund raising activities.
Commenting on the new Sixth Form, Sarah Wilson, Headmistress said, “This project has taken several years to come to fruition through challenging times. I’m absolutely delighted to announce the opening of our new Sixth Form which will provide a much-needed larger space in which our students will be able to study, learn, meet mentors, develop their soft skills in one of our two presentation areas, and transition effectively into higher education and the working world. I would like to extend a ‘very big thank you’ to everyone who kindly contributed to our fund raising campaign.”
*******************************
About Heathfield School
Happy confident girls succeed – that’s the simple but powerful philosophy at Heathfield School. Founded in 1899, Heathfield was in the vanguard of educational establishments advocating the theory that happiness equated with academic success and has always placed high importance on pastoral care accordingly.
In its latest ISI Inspection the school achieved ‘Excellent in all categories’. The inspectors found that: ‘the overall achievement of the pupils is excellent and represents the successful fulfilment of the School’s ambitious aims’. They also stated that ‘pupils are happy, articulate and confident’ and that ‘pupils grow into young people who make a difference to the world and live their lives boldly’.
Heathfield was shortlisted by the Times Educational Supplement (TES) in 2020 for its Boarding School of the Year Award, alongside Wellington and Rugby.
Other old girls/students of note include:
- Tamara Mellon, OBE - the British fashion entrepreneur who is a co-founder of the luxury footwear brand Jimmy Choo.
- Sarah Radclyffe – the film producer who began working as an associate producer in the late 1970s on films such as ‘The Tempest’, directed by Derek Jarman. She later worked on the series ‘The Comic Strip Presents’, and in 1984 she founded the production company, Working Title Films, together with her business partner Tim Bevan. The company's first significant production, Stephen Frears’ film ‘My Beautiful Laundrette’, was released in 1985.
- Sienna Miller - the American and English actress. Born in New York City and raised in London, Sienna began her career as a photography model, appearing in the pages of Italian Vogue and for the 2003 Pirelli calendar. Her acting breakthrough came in the 2004 films ‘Layer Cake’ and ‘Alfie’.
Open morning – Sat May 6th 2023 9.45am – 12 noon.
. Please contact registrar@heathfieldschool.net or phone 01344 898343. www.heathfieldschool.net
