Vision and Values
Westcliff High School For Girls
Leadership - Enrichment - Scholarship - Kindness
The vision for Westcliff High School for Girls is to empower our students to be the next generation of leaders and enrich their lives and those of others so that they understand their place in society. We want students to enjoy learning, to become independent, resilient, and proactive learners who are not afraid to take risks. Our ambition for students is to achieve academic success in an atmosphere that fosters positive relationships, good mental health and well-being, promotes equality and inclusion and celebrates diversity. We want our students to engage with the local, national and international community in the belief that they can make a difference.
Curriculum Intent
Our curriculum is broad and balanced; it provides intellectual challenge, develops creativity and curiosity and empowers our students to articulate their thinking confidently through a focus on literacy and oracy. The curriculum and extra-curricular opportunities promote social and cultural enrichment and a strong sense of the diverse community that our students represent. The advice and guidance enables students to make wise, informed and ambitious choices.
We promote the values of Leadership, Enrichment, Scholarship and Kindness throughout our curriculum and in everyday life at the school.
- KS3 Curriculum intent: to broaden knowledge, develop oral literacy and foster a love of learning
- KS4 Curriculum intent: to deepen knowledge and foster an understanding of how their learning relates to the wider world
- KS5 Curriculum intent: to further deepen knowledge and foster independent enquiry coupled with an understanding of how their learning will support their career aspirations
Curriculum Implementation
Westcliff High School For Girls is a school in which the whole school community commits to excellence through our core values of Leadership, Enrichment, Scholarship and Kindness.
Leadership
Our continued commitment to our broad curriculum offer, both in the formal timetabled lessons and beyond, reflect the understanding that today’s job market requires thoughtful and talented young people whose skills are transferable and that this is not the preserve of a single academic subject or group of subjects. As such, our curriculum places an emphasis on leadership opportunities throughout the formal and informal curriculum, most notably in award-bearing courses such as Duke of Edinburgh, in which all year 9 students participate.
We seek to develop a culture where students are empowered, ensuring their voices are heard. The vast array of leadership opportunities equip our students to develop the skills necessary to be future leaders, ranging from establishing student-led clubs and enrichment activities for the diverse cultures of the school to House Captains, prefects and Senior Students.
Our students are actively encouraged to 'make a positive difference in the world'. Our Student Council, Green Group and the student-led Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Working Party and high profile charitable fundraising and volunteering groups are proactive in raising the profile of our duties as citizens of today's modern world.
Enrichment
Not only do our students achieve academic excellence but they enjoy contributing to the school and wider community through a wealth of enrichment opportunities beyond lessons, led by both staff and students, and are proud of its long-standing House System which underpins the life of the school. We are committed to ensuring that our students leave school as well-rounded citizens who are able to make positive contributions to their communities. There is a wealth of enrichment activities available to our students which help to support their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Such opportunities are offered both during and outside of the school day.
Lunchtimes offer our students the possibility to participate in a plethora of clubs and societies linked to Drama, Music, Sport and STEM based activities. In addition, students can widen their knowledge relating to literature and film through the KS3 Book Club, KS5 Film Club and Psychology Film Club. Our Debating Society not only nurtures oracy but also gives students the opportunity to offer reasoned views on a wide variety of topics including those linked to Fundamental British Values. Our Green Group offers the possibility for our students to champion awareness of environmental concerns within the school, but also encourages work within the community such as beach cleans. As part of the KS5 enrichment programme, our students benefit from dedicated, protected time to gain work experience outside of school, volunteer within the school or undertake structured lessons to support their next steps. The House System is a key aspect of school life and not only offers leadership opportunities to students, but is also a vehicle for fundraising for local, national and international charities, which is something the students value enormously.
Outside of the school day, students can become involved in the DofE Silver and Gold Awards and World Challenge expeditions run for both short and long-haul experiences. The Physical Education department offers the opportunity to compete in a variety of sports, in local, regional and national competitions, underpinning our commitment as a school to healthy living. The Drama and English departments also seek out opportunities for visits to local theatres. We are committed to ensuring that our trips abroad programmes will return once Covid restrictions have eased. In taking part in all of the enrichment opportunities provided to them, our students have a great sense of their role and responsibility in the wider world, widening their horizons and preparing them for their next steps in life.
Scholarship
Our students work hard to achieve the results they rightly aspire to and they receive unquestionably strong support from teachers, staff and parents. Our teachers are experts in their fields and they are committed to bringing out the best in our students in order to develop them as well rounded students, ready for their next ambitious steps in life.
Our curriculum is broad and balanced and supports all of our students to develop their skills in maths, science and technology, the creative arts, language and literature, sport, humanities and languages. We encourage our students to aspire to fields where there is under representation and in which many of our students excel such as science, technology, engineering and mathematics and this is evident in the number of students who continue to study these subjects at our Sixth Form. Equally, we encourage creativity in thinking skills and the arts as these are important areas in the UK economy and ones in which the UK is a world leader. The humanities, English and languages develop skills of communication and analysis. Our emphasis on public speaking and debating helps our students become articulate communicators and hones their powers of persuasion.
Our library is a well-used resource and an inspiring learning environment which enhances the quality of education. Through our connections with The Science Learning Partnership and the awarding of Computing Hub status, we strive to provide the best educational experience for our students to prepare them for their future life.
Kindness
We are exceptionally proud of the diversity within our study body and we rightly celebrate the importance of tolerance, kindness and inclusion within the taught and informal curriculum at the school.
Our care and support provision, delivered by tutors, teachers and other highly skilled staff members, expertly helps our young people to manage themselves and their emotions as they move through adolescence and leave school as emerging adults. This approach enables students to develop positive relationships with themselves and others.
We are ambitious for their whole development in preparing them to be perceptive and caring outward looking citizens who are not only prepared for the 21st century but who understand its complexity. In a rapidly evolving world they need to learn to manage uncertainty, make wise choices and develop the skills and desire for life-long learning.
It is the feeling of belonging to and having a productive place in a school community that fosters kindness, self-confidence and a positive state of mind in young people. We firmly believe that kindness is essential in promoting good mental health and well-being.
We are very proud of our school and we invite you to find out more about it by exploring our website further.
