Ambition

At the Cathedral School, we look to ignite the spark that fires ambition, and teach how to handle that ambition with humility. Ambition is doing your best, not shouldering others to the side but working together. It is relishing the challenge and celebrating each milestone reached, not just for ourselves but for the whole community.

Ambition, the appetite for challenge and the determination to look beyond the horizon, is caught not taught. We learn ambition from working alongside ambitious teachers and pupils. Our school has high expectations, high standards and high demands: in the classroom, the laboratory, the rehearsal room, the workshop, the studio, and on the sports field. But ambition must not be exclusive, unkind or threatening. It nurtures the weak and challenges the strong.

“Standards achieved by pupils at The Cathedral School are extremely high. The high quality of teaching and the engaging curriculum enables pupils to become confident, ambitious, aspirational and well-informed learners.” Estyn, 2018

The School is small enough to ensure everyone is known and cared for, yet large enough to offer a real breadth of opportunity and challenge. Whilst we recognise that children have different talents and abilities, we nevertheless expect that each pupil will work hard and make significant and tangible progress. Mediocrity, settling for second best, or allowing a pupil to slip through the net are avoided through creating a purposeful environment where teachers and pupils expect the best of one another.

In preparation for entering our Sixth Form, we encourage pupils to choose A Levels in which they are interested, which suit their ability and skills, and which support their aspirations for higher education and career choice. We offer comprehensive guidance to all students during this process; both to those already at the Cathedral School and to those who hope to enter our sixth form from other schools. Our careers support is exceptional, with staff who are experts in delivering successful outcomes and an assortment of tailored programmes that stand our students in good stead for when they leave us at the end of Year 13. Our Sixth Form Options Evening and Next Step events are perfect opportunities for exploring interests and networking, and our University Preparation programme provides unparalleled guidance throughout the entire process of applying for higher education.

To discover more about what makes the Cathedral School such a dynamic place of learning, join us at our next open day. To register, please click here

Learn more: Primary, Seniors & Sixth Form