A Whole Education

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Created: Monday, 09 February 2015 11:47

Written by christine

Developing a ‘whole education’ is paramount to what we do at Groby Community College. In other words at the heart of our philosophy of Achieving Excellence Together is the championing of skills that build upon and go beyond each student’s courses and qualifications.

For young people to cope with the ever changing world then we have to equip them with outstanding exam results but also the skills they will need for the rest of their life. This is why at the college we have a full enrichment programme for pre and post 16 students.

In addition to enrichment, in the assemblies at the start of this term I spoke to all of the students in Year 10 and 11 about a positive mindset and resilience and how the ability to fight back from difficulty or failure enables all of us to manage the challenges we face in life. Many of these skills are learnt from our experiences that go beyond the classroom.

As the exam season approaches we will talk about the importance of exam revision timetables and revision skills. We will talk about careful planning and exam practice being the key to success. All of these are essential and parents and carers will play their part in creating the right conditions at home to support this work but the real success will come from the positive, growth mindset of the students who have to believe that ‘WE CAN LEARN ANYTHING’. In preparation for the Year 11 GCSE exams we are hosting an ‘Exam Support Evening’ for our Year 11 students and their parents and carers here at the College on Tuesday 3 March 2015 from 6.30pm until 8.00pm. A letter with more information will be issued to Year 11 students on Wednesday 11 February.

Preparing for life in Modern Britain - democracy

A ‘whole education’ means that we will be engaging fully in the General Election. It is vital to our students in Modern Britain that they understand democracy and the part they will play in the decision-making processes in this country.

As part of our preparation for the General Election we will begin a series of political awareness events over the next few weeks. After Easter it will be ‘democracy week’ with themed assemblies and a political debate with our local parliamentary candidates. Our Post 16 students, and particularly our first time voters, will be able to ask the candidates questions and hear the political perspectives of the 3 main parties plus the views of a UKIP representative. We will then hold a mock election, which will culminate with all students being given the opportunity to vote for their political party of choice. Bringing democracy to life for the students will be a key part of our approach in getting students to understand the importance of political engagement.