St Swithun’s School has become accredited as a High Performance Learning (HPL) World Class School, which recognises schools that commit to a pedagogy-led approach based on the idea that every student can perform highly.
The independent girls’ school in Winchester joins a global community of schools which share best practice.
HPL is based on the philosophy that the inherent lifelong plasticity of the brain means that everyone has the potential to become cleverer and to perform at a high level given enough time and the right circumstances. While some children naturally acquire the thinking skills, values, attitudes and attributes needed for a lifetime of success, many need to be taught explicitly how to recognise, practise and embed them.
Professor Deborah Eyre, chair at HPL, said: “Truly world-class schools understand that while grades are important, producing students who are intellectually and socially confident, workplace and life-ready with a global outlook and concern for others is our true aim. St Swithun’s has worked hard to strengthen its practice and to move closer to the vision of every child becoming a high performer.”
Helping our students to achieve highly in everything that they do is vital for their long-term happiness and is central to our vision – St Swithun’s headmistress, Jane Gandee
These characteristics are taught to students of all ages at St Swithun’s through subject lessons, the co-curricular programme, pastoral support, PSHE and the school’s academic enrichment programme. Children as young as three are taught to explore the concepts.
St Swithun’s headmistress, Jane Gandee, said: “Helping our students to achieve highly in everything that they do is vital for their long-term happiness and is central to our vision. To be recognised by HPL as a school which provides world-class quality education is a significant achievement. I am proud of the staff, students and parents who have embraced the high performance values.”
St Swithun’s educates girls aged three to 18 across its prep and senior schools, and has boys in its nursery class.
