Education

Learning at High Close is stimulating, interesting and, above all, fun! We teach the full range of national curriculum subjects at a level tailored to the individual child, and our teachers use a range of methods and resources, including the latest technology, to engage any reluctant learners.

Key Stage 2 and 3

At Key Stage 2 and 3 we pay particular attention to numeracy and literacy, since these are often areas of difficulty for our pupils. Where our assessments show there is a specific area of difficulty e.g. dyslexia, we will provide one-to-one support.

Learning across the curriculum is assessed regularly and a comparison of pupils’ national curriculum levels year on year shows that the vast majority of children have made substantial progress.

Key Stage 4

At Key Stage 4 we offer a range of GCSEs and vocational courses, including the ASDAN Youth Award Scheme and Certificate of Personal Effectiveness (Cope). We are also part of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, which is available for all pupils from year 9.

Arts

The school has always done well in the Arts, and the introduction of Craft has proved to be a great success with the pupils, many of who choose to attend lunchtime craft activities on top of their timetabled lessons (sewing, in particular, has been a big hit!).

Sport is another area in which we excel, a subject that has been vastly helped by the opening of a new purpose built sports hall.

Extra-curricular activities

As well as our timetabled courses, we also provide a range of activities outside of school, particularly for our residential pupils. Each individual unit organises a programme of events every night, including campus-based activities, such as group work, games, cookery and craft, and some based in the local community, including street dance, air cadets, drama and horse riding.

We believe that all pupils should have as many different cultural experiences as possible, so we try to encourage them to move out of their comfort zone and try something a little bit different. As such, we organise many enjoyable trips, outings and events every year. High Close has the International School Award and is proud of the opportunities we provide for pupils making trips abroad – including skiing in Italy and working with underprivileged children in Goa in India.

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