Core Themes: Ambition

"Victory belongs to the most persevering." - Napoleon Bonaparte

Ambition, the appetite for doing things as well as they can possibly be done, is caught not taught. We learn ambition from working alongside ambitious teachers and pupils. An ambitious school has high expectations, high standards and high demands: in the classroom, the laboratory, the rehearsal room, the workshop and studio, and on the sports field. But ambition, properly understood, is not exclusive or threatening. It nurtures the weak and challenges the strong.

The school is of a size which allows the staff to know each pupil well, to see that each is being challenged and stretched, and at the same time is being supported in whatever way is needed. Whilst we recognise that children have different talents and abilities, nevertheless we 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.