The Curriculum

We are proud of the broad and balanced curriculum that we offer throughout the school, and our pupils’ diverse interests, talents, and aspirations mean that this is a school where all subjects and departments are able to thrive, with the arts and humanities a prominent part of the school curriculum throughout the school, alongside STEM and social sciences.

We value breadth, and from Years 7 to 9, all of our pupils follow the same diverse curriculum. We require all of our pupils to study a language to GCSE, along with the usual core of Maths, English Language, English Literature, and sciences.

Academic attainment is excellent, and pupils make excellent progress

Independent Schools Inspectorate, 2023

The Classroom

The classroom should be an enjoyable, and a special, place to be for a pupil. The process of learning is a magical one, and the school strives to instil that sense of awe and wonder in the everyday learning. In recent years, colleagues have been asked to approach lessons with three priorities in mind: Purpose; Questions; Relationships.

Every lesson should be informed by a clear sense of purpose, with pupils aware of the seriousness and respect owed to academic study and the process of learning that happens in the classroom. Every lesson should be motivated and progressed by probing and stimulating questions, so that pupils are always being invited to engage with the subject and their understanding of it. In every lesson, relationships between teacher and pupil should develop, progress, and thrive, through the explanation of a difficult problem, the correction of an error, the celebration of a correct answer, and so on.

In this way, the pastoral and academic lives of the school are strongly intertwined: our teachers know our pupils, and our pupils know our teachers, both within and beyond the classroom.

Within the Curriculum

In both the Lower School and in Sixth Form, Enrichment is a timetabled lesson. Lower School pupils follow a carousel, covering areas such as entrepreneurship, sustainability, wellness, psychology, and digital citizenship. In the Sixth Form, pupils follow Enrichment electives, which include such topics as Portuguese, History of Art, an introduction to Law, and an introduction to Medicine. Pupils in Sixth Form looking to apply to the highly competitive universities in the UK and abroad attend extra academic sessions, where they prepare for entrance exams and interviews, and develop their knowledge and interests.

Senior School Curriculum

Beyond the Classroom

Most departments offer co-curricular enrichment through a wide range of societies and activities. Current offerings for younger pupils include Rock Soc (geology), Dissection Club, Astronomy Club, and Mythos Club (Ancient Greek myths and language). In addition, our senior pupils are involved in Debating, Feminist Society, Model UN, and Philosophy Society.

We have hosted a number of leading speakers recently, including Professor Alice Roberts, Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock, and Peter Tatchell.

Senior Co-Curricular Overview

Project Qualifications

As in many schools, we encourage our Sixth Formers to undertake the EPQ, whereby they research an area of interest and complete a project around this. However, Chigwell is unusual in also offering the Foundation Project Qualification to our Lower School pupils in Years 7 and 8, and the Higher Project Qualification to pupils in Years 9 and 10. In this way, independent research projects are a thread that run through all areas of the school, and develop our pupils’ interests and skills coherently and actively.

Staff Training

Our teachers range from the highly experienced to ECTs, and, though experts in their field, are eager to continue their learning and their development. Colleagues meet as a whole staff body most weeks to explore an area of Teaching and Learning, led by our Director of Teaching and Learning. In this way, best practice is shared and pedagogy is discussed. In addition, a number of our teachers are pursuing NPQs or equivalents. We also host trainee teachers from local universities, and a number of our teachers have formally completed teacher training at Chigwell.

Pupils demonstrate outstanding attitudes toward their learning and achievement

Independent Schools Inspectorate, 2023

Contact the Deputy Head (Academic)

Mr Philip Harrison

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