Our Year 2 graduates are prepared optimally for success at their future schools and beyond
They move on happily, equipped with all required foundational skills, a behavioural compass, a love of discovering and learning and a special HHS spark.We have an unwavering dedication to meeting our aims
All of us at Herne Hill School are fully committed to achieving our stated aims for every one of our pupils by the end of Year 2, equipping them with:
- A complete set of skills in all major domains of development, i.e. self-regulatory (‘executive functions’), cognitive, social, emotional and physical;
- Skills and interest in all core ‘academic’ subjects (maths, English, science, etc.) as well as a wide range of ‘vocational’ subjects such as music, sports, arts, drama, dance, woodwork, etc.;
- Strategies for solving problems and finding solutions both individually and collaboratively; and
- A ‘moral identity’, i.e. ‘good citizens’ with sound moral values.
In addition, we do all we can to imbibe them with the following attitudes and dispositions:
- A sustained joy of learning, innate curiosity and creativity
- Self-esteem and self-confidence, balanced with humility
- Independence
- A positive, ‘can do’ approach to life
- Perseverance and resilience to rebound from setbacks
- An appreciation of the importance of wellbeing, and strategies for achieving it
Hard to measure intangibles
The excellent achievements of our Year 2 pupils in standardised tests in maths and English, compared to the national average, give a good indication of their high academic attainment. However, the vast majority of our other outcomes, which we all consider to be absolutely crucial, are intangible, and this makes them notoriously difficult to quantify.
How do you, for example, evaluate the self-confident performance on stage at our year-end play of an originally shy child? Or a child’s empathy, resilience, social skills, creativity, enthusiasm for learning or motivation to achieve excellence in all walks of life? Or indeed the life-long benefits they will enjoy from having developed healthy eating habits and an appreciation of a broad range of vegetables, fruits and plant-based dishes?
Still, consistent feedback over many years from heads at future schools and seeing our alumni give us great confidence that our provision fully meets our stated aims.
