Print this pageF.A.Q's
How is Highgate different from other schools?
Our school aims to be an inclusive school. We actively seek to remove the barriers to learning and participation that can hinder or exclude individual pupils, or groups of pupils. This means that equality of opportunity must be a reality for our children. We make this a reality through the attention we pay to the different groups of children within our school:
• girls and boys;
• minority ethnic and faith groups;
• children who need support to learn English as an additional language;
• children with special educational needs;
• gifted and talented children;
• children who are at risk of disaffection or exclusion;
• A moral, multicultural environment
• has a ‘child-centred’ approach which relates to pupils’ experiences and needs at appropriate levels.
• involves pupils as active participants.
• fosters a sense of community
• involves parents as participants and guests where appropriate to support the partnership between the school and home.
How do you achieve this aim of inclusion?
We achieve educational inclusion by continually reviewing what we do, through asking ourselves these key questions:
• do all our children achieve their best?
• are there differences in the achievement of different groups of children?
• what are we doing for those children who we know are not achieving their best?
• are our actions effective?
• are we successful in promoting racial harmony and preparing pupils to live in a diverse society?
How do you assist children’s emotional development?
We are fully aware that some children have high levels of emotional competence and bringing them into daily routines of the class. Emotional wellbeing promotes self esteem. It is a maturity of a process like any other form of learning, which requires repetition and consolidation if new skills are to be developed. Our aims are:
- To enable children to recognise and manage their own feelings
- To enable children to recognise and understand the feelings of others
- To build a feelings vocabulary for all children
- To enable children to know that they have the power to become effective managers of themselves their feelings and their health
- To promote personal qualities such as optimism, resilience, motivation and impulse control
We encourage the pupils of our school to know themselves, to manage themselves and to build effective relationships with others.
What is the school’s vision?
At Highgate School, we feel it is important in today’s world to help our students develop into critical thinkers. Critical thinking should not be confused with intelligence; it is a skill which can be developed and improved. Critical thinking skills are not age-related and should be encouraged in all pupils, from the youngest to the oldest.
We believe
• Active learning is necessary for the teaching of critical thinking.
• Critical thinking should be integrated into every aspect of the educational process.
• Students should be made aware of the thinking process.
• Critical thinking must be taught explicitly.
• The process of learning is as important as the content.
Teachers can also model critical thinking by thinking aloud during problem analysis, by encouraging students to question persuasive points of view and to debate controversial issues.
Critical Thinkers
• Try to be well informed
• Stay focused
• Are willing to evaluate alternatives
• Take a supportable position
• Seek precision
• Proceed in a logical and orderly manner
• Are sensitive to others’ positions
Our principles and approach are successful because we
• have a child-centred approach which relates to pupils’ experiences and needs at appropriate levels
• involve pupils as active participants
• foster a sense of community
• involve parents and guests where appropriate to support the partnership between school and home
Do you have any bullying? If yes, how do you deal with it?
Bullying is considered a serious matter. It is the role of the Headteacher to ensure as far as is reasonably practical that structures and procedures are embedded in school policies to prevent bullying. Ultimately it is the role of the whole community to eradicate bullying by ensuring the development of a caring and supportive ethos with clear boundaries. The School has adopted a “No Blame Approach” which involves working with individuals and groups of children without confrontation or blaming those involved in the bullying. It is effective in less serious cases when the victim and bully have previously been friends but have fallen out with each other and when the bullies actually want to stop bullying. Research shows that it is unlikely to work if the bullies are picking on children they do not know or care about and if the patterns of bullying are so well established that the bullying itself has become a reward for the bullies.
In the case that the “No Blame Approach” is ineffective, the following approaches and strategies will be used:
• Investigate the incident with the victim. Listen, believe, act.
• Investigate the incident with the perpetrator.
• Obtain witnesses information if possible.
• Inform both sets of parents of any action taken.
• If the perpetrator owns up, the teacher may implement appropriate sanctions depending on the severity of the incident.
• If the perpetrator does not own up, investigate further with observation.
• Once dealt with, re-instate the perpetrator to all activities and praise good behaviour to re-build self-esteem.
• Staff will continue to monitor behaviour for a reasonable period and may follow up/prevent further problems through the peer/adult buddy system, circle times, ‘social stories’ with small groups, assertiveness training for victims, anger management training.
• Mentor support or counselling for the victim and the perpetrator will be put in place.
• Appropriate training will be provided for staff.
Message of the week
"The first step in the acquisition of wisdom is silence, the second listening, the third memory, the fourth practice, the fifth teaching others." Solomon Ibn Gabriol
News & Announcements
Highgate Summer School |
| 16.05.2012 |
We would like to take this opportunity to announce that Highgate School will again be holding a summer school this year. The dates for the school are from the 25th of June until the 3rd of August. Our theme ... |
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Highgate Recycled Bag Flag |
| 16.05.2012 |
In art during this term the main theme for the children was recycling. In co-ordination with Miss Penny, the school's very talented art teacher, the children of the Primary Department created a unique ... |
| Read more |
