Academic Studies

For both teacher and pupil, education in Sherborne is a great privilege.

Privileged because we enjoy wonderful facilities, whether the modern spaces in, for example, DT and Science, or the marvellous setting of the Abbey and Benedictine monastery which cannot fail to inspire historians, theologians, artists and musicians.

Privileged too because we can work closely with Sherborne Girls, offering a wider range of academic options at sixth form than one would think possible. This includes Italian, History of Art, Russian, Drama, Politics and PE at A level and, of course, the IB, but at the same time we are able to maintain the single sex environment in the early and middle teenage years that so clearly works to the academic benefit of boys and girls.

But our greatest privilege comes from being able to offer an independent education for boys that we ourselves believe passionately in, free from the policies, whims and changes of central government.

This independence has given us the freedom, in recent years, to stretch boys at all levels by offering a curriculum we believe in, one that responds to the diverse needs of each individual boy and which is assessed in as rigorous and objective a way as we can achieve within the constraints of the UK examination system.

In the last few years we have led the way in the south west in adopting the International Baccalaureate (IB) as an option alongside ‘A’ levels and in moving to the more rigorous IGCSEs in the core subjects of Maths, English, Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Our IT department enters all boys in the 3rd form for the ECDL (European Computer Driving Licence), our Physicists and Mathematicians are entered for their respective Olympiads, the DT Department has a great track record in Arkwright scholarships, aspiring actors take Guildhall Drama exams and our Geography Department is now preparing boys for the International ‘A’ level. Where national exams continue to provide a rigorous and educationally sound training we continue to offer these subjects but we are not prepared to condemn boys to a second class education when qualifications exist that can stretch them further.

Developing the fully rounded boy means ensuring a healthy diet of sport, culture and activity but in a school it also means offering a curriculum that has this as a central aim too. The School Leaver needs good qualifications, and we are proud of the results the boys get year after year, but results are only part of the story and our curriculum aims to ensure that the Shirburnian leaves the School equipped with the skills that will allow him to live life in the round. That means developing independent study habits, it means learning how to work together, it means appreciating the challenges of modern life and being aware of the world beyond Dorset and it means having the technical skills needed for today’s world.

These aspirations are translated into action by our excellent learning support department, one that cares for all boys not just those with ‘special needs’, by our FOCUS programme in the 3rd form, by our programme of Personal Development that is embedded in the curriculum, by our commitment to a wide range of modern languages and to information literacy, the latter spearheaded by excellent Library facilities and by a comprehensive range of field trips and oversees visits, including Travel Grants available for Lower 6th formers for independent travel . Nor does our commitment start at thirteen and end at eighteen. We take a great deal of interest in preparing boys for their arrival at Sherborne and supporting them as and after they leave. Our department of Careers and Higher Education is, we confidently believe, second to none in the professional and individual service they provide.

Just as we are able to celebrate and innovate on the basis of our independence, so we try to recognise within the curriculum the independent needs and aspirations of all the boys. We hope to provide an education that offers clear support for those with learning difficulties but at the same time stretches the brightest boys way beyond their comfort zones. We are concerned to ensure the School enjoys a strong intellectual life both within but especially alongside the academic curriculum.

We are committed to a curriculum that recognises diversity in both ability and interest. We do not, like many schools, have pre-set blocks for subject choices thus ensuring as wide a range of combinations as possible at GCSE, A level and IB. Nor do we subscribe to a ‘one size fits all curriculum.’ For example, able linguists can choose three modern and two ancient languages in their first three years in the School, extra lessons are provided in English, Maths and Sciences within the curriculum for those who struggle with these subjects and individual academic targets are set for each boy in examination years. Helping a boy through all of this is his tutor, selected by the boy in the 6th form, who provides individual support and interest throughout the year.

The independence we enjoy is a great privilege and one we seek to honour. We believe we do this through dedicated teachers, great facilities and a curriculum that aims to ensure that every boy, whatever his capabilities, achieves to the best of his abilities and provides him with the rounded education necessary to prepare him for the exciting challenges to come.

Mark Waldron MA
Deputy Head (Academic)