Senior School Prospectus

SENIOR SCHOOL

The place to grow, the chance to shine

From Year 7 to Year 11

Five years, countless

countless opportunities

Welcome to our Senior School, where your child’s academic growth and personal development go hand in hand. Where girls meet the challenges of a rigorous curriculum with energy and excitement.

As your daughter progresses through this transformative time of her life, we want to ensure she has every chance to accomplish all she wants for a fulfilling future. In our vibrant, dynamic environment, there are no limits to what a girl can achieve – while expressing her individuality, finding her independence and following her intellectual curiosity.

Aiming for excellent exam grades is only part of the story at EHS. Of course, we offer the resources and teaching you would expect of a school of our standing – and we produce outstanding results. But more importantly, we help your daughter gain the confidence and resilience to shine in any situation. Whether in the classroom or science lab, or on the stage or sports field, she will learn how to be her best. This is a lesson every EHS pupil takes with her.

Learning in the wide

Alongside your daughter’s academic achievements, we feel it’s equally important to inspire enthusiasm for as broad a range of interests, skills and knowledge as possible. Which is why we support our highly varied, progressive curriculum with an exciting choice of cocurricular activities – in sport, music, drama and much more.

It’s not just what your daughter accomplishes, but how she accomplishes it. We do everything here with respect and consideration for others, and in a spirit of tolerance, fairness and co-operation. These values guide all our students throughout their school years, and the rest of their lives.

st sense

In addition, we encourage your daughter to take responsibility for her learning, and to value all her achievements. As well as specialist subject teachers, she has a form tutor who works closely with her, helping her build on her strengths and interests, and monitoring her progress. This is the foundation of our pastoral care, our focus on the emotional and physical wellbeing of your child as she travels through each stage of her education.

Above all, variety

Education here is about diversity of choice, enabling every child to explore and experiment, and find where her true strengths lie.

In Year 7, your child begins Key Stage 3 of the national curriculum, and will study subjects as varied as Latin and Design Technology, alongside more familiar ones, such as History, Geography and ICT. Our subject departments set regular assessment tasks, and there are school exams in most subjects during the summer term.

As your daughter progresses to Key Stage 4 in Years 10 and 11, the subjects on offer increase to include a mix of compulsory and optional subjects at GCSE, and some more unique choices, such as Classical Greek and Classical Civilisation.

We keep you updated on progress from day one, through parents’ evenings and regular reports. We also welcome more frequent contact, and encourage individual consultations to ensure your child always receives the most appropriate care and guidance.

Confidence

Confidence and creativity

Your child learns essential life skills in many ways, and the opportunities to do this increase with every new experience. Throughout her time with us, we encourage her to get involved in as many activities as possible outside the classroom, and to try something different every day – whether that’s through music, drama, art or sport. Taking part is what counts, and enjoyment is as important as excellence.

In our purpose-built Music School, your daughter can learn to play a musical instrument, and will have many opportunities to perform as a soloist or in our choirs, orchestras and bands. We hold concerts for parents and the public – often in the Octagon, a versatile performance space, seating up to 600 people. Also, outside the School, EHS pupils take part in Birmingham’s many youth choirs and orchestras.

Our Drama and Theatre Department is widely recognised for helping to build communication and team skills, and for encouraging insight and sensitivity – within the curriculum and beyond. Clubs, workshops and major productions are highlights of the School’s calendar, along with regular theatre visits.

Through our Art Department, your daughter has a kaleidoscope of choices. As well as a structured course from Year 7, we offer lunchtime activities and annual study visits, including, in recent years, trips to Paris, Florence and Rome. We also have a graphic design studio where girls can learn the specialist skills and techniques needed for success at exam level, providing a firm foundation for related future studies.

Fitness and health

Health, fitness, teamwork – and, of course, fun – are the main aims of physical education at EHS. Your daughter will benefit from superb facilities and equipment, including a heated indoor swimming pool, a large gym, a fitness suite for all abilities, an all-weather surface for hockey, netball and tennis, an athletics track, and a cricket square.

Our experienced sports teachers help girls find activities they can enjoy and excel at, and many play at county, regional and national level – in recent years, our hockey and netball teams have toured Australia, Barbados, New Zealand and South Africa. We also offer badminton, fencing, football and lifesaving.

Expanding

nding horizons

Rising to new challenges, meeting new people, gaining new skills – these are all essential to anyone’s education, and a big part of life at EHS. A rich variety of clubs and societies offer a huge range of activities and experiences, in everything from arts and sciences to sports, dance and drama.

Your daughter can join as many of these as she wants. Plus, we have groups for debating and public speaking, and offer opportunities to take part in the Young Enterprise and Duke of Edinburgh’s Award schemes. Other choices include the Technical Crew, where pupils learn audio-visual, sound and lighting techniques to help with school productions, and the Gardening Club, where they can help tend our allotment.

Our House system, with five Houses spanning all year groups, offers competitions and other events where girls can try new activities. Importantly, they do this while mixing with pupils of different ages, reinforcing the bonds of our close-knit EHS community.

School trips bring classroom learning to life. As well as a huge choice of day visits, we organise residential trips abroad and in the UK. These include activity trips for Years 7 and 9, ski trips for Year 8, field courses, and cultural visits for GCSE and A-Level groups, as well as regular choir and sports tours.

The more your daughter does, the more she learns. Whether this contributes to her exam grades or her personal development, our role is to ensure she gets every chance to do –and therefore learn – as much as possible.

Next

Next step, Sixth Form

Almost all our Senior School pupils choose to stay with us to study their A-Levels, moving up to EHS Sixth Form.

This is a particularly exciting stage in their education, offering the chance to focus on a small number of preferred subjects, while exploring new interests and becoming increasingly independent.

We see it as the final preparation for life beyond school, when students achieve academic goals, contribute significantly to EHS life, and really accelerate their growth, intellectually, personally and creatively.

Edgbaston High School is easy to reach by public transport. Alternatively, areas including Barnt Green, Bromsgrove, Catshill, Four Oaks, Hagley, Halesowen, Solihull, Stourbridge, Streetly and Sutton Coldfield are covered by the School’s own minibus services or by private coaches.

Design: www.red-wing.com