SENIOR SCHOOL: YEARS 7 TO 11
Moving up from Junior School to Years 7 & 8 is a big step – a big step towards growing up with more freedom and more responsibility – but we’re not in any hurry. Childhood should be cherished not rushed through after all. Our focus during these years is still on encouraging their natural curiosity and keeping their learning inspired and interesting. This is a time when children are starting to figure out who they are. Ours is an environment that says come and be you - if you love dancing, then do that - if you love science, then great do that.
Emotionally and socially, Years 9 to 11 can be tricky for all teenagers to navigate and this is where the strong relationships and outstanding pastoral care at Frensham can really give them the chance to enjoy what can be very stressful years. Our focus has never been exam results. Our focus is the children - their individuality, their happiness and their unique potential - and the importance of retaining all this as they grow up through their educational journey. If we can help them all achieve more than they believed they could, then we have succeeded. If we can do that while keeping them emotionally happy and strong, then we have more than won.
We really pride ourselves on being that bit different. We offer a place where children can grow and find their own
strengths through a balanced, diverse and individual education. We believe strongly in the power of creative thinking, empathy and courage - readying our students to be not just exam takers, but forward thinkers and problem solvers.
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This all sounds very well, but how do we actually do this? What is so different about our classes, our teachers, our school? We have teachers and students, just like all schools, but it is the relationships and interaction between them that creates a different learning environment and a different style of learning and teaching. Our first-name basis naturally leads to a more informal atmosphere and a firm foundation of respect and expectation develops strong, genuine relationships. The result is a safe, inspiring place to learn and teach. Students are encouraged to explore, share ideas, challenge conventions. Teachers are encouraged to be innovative and creative with their lessons. All with the common goal of keeping that inspiration and love for learning alive and well.
TEACHING & LEARNING: YRS 7 & 8
Years 7 to 8 are important and exciting years for teaching and learning at Frensham. With exams not quite on the horizon, we continue to offer a purposefully broad curriculum allowing students to find the subjects which really interest them. Teaching practices are innovative and progressive allowing for student-led initiative and flexibility. With small class sizes, teachers can really offer bespoke teaching always considering the unique group of students in front of them. Less tied to lesson plans, if something isn’t working, they can discuss and work with the students to find a better way to keep everyone engaged and participating.
TUTOR GROUPS
Students are split into tutor groups with their tutor taking a pastoral role, gently supporting and getting to know each of the students in their care. Tutor groups will normally stay the same through Years 7 and 8 with three tutor groups per year.
TEACHING & LEARNING: YRS 9-11
Years 9 to 11 are formative years for all students not only academically, but emotionally and socially. As with most mainstream schools, we follow the GCSE curriculum and assessment processes. This does mean that during these years our teaching and learning is closely curriculum-led, but we do our best to continuously support our students’ personal passions and interests. Rather than focusing only on the exam results, our aim is to give our students the knowledge and the thinking skills - creativity, problem-solving, flexibility, resilience - to take on whatever may turn up on the exams, but also in life beyond.
TUTOR GROUPS
Students are split into tutor groups with their tutor taking a pastoral role, gently supporting and getting to know each of the students in their care. Tutor groups will normally stay the same through Years 9 to 11 with four tutor groups per year. Year 9 is a common entry point, particularly for boarders, with a handful of spaces sometimes available in Year 10.
YEAR 10 & 11 OPTIONS
Most students take 10 GCSEs or alternative qualifications. English Language, English Literature, Mathematics and Science: Trilogy (three strands leading to two GCSEs) or Separate Science (leading to three GCSEs) – are compulsory. In addition, it is expected that all students choose at least one Creative or Performing Arts subject and it is recommended that students choose one Humanity and one Modern Language to create their own broad curriculum.
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Students have 30 lessons a week. Years 10 and 11 have six 55 minute lessons. The number of lessons listed below is per week:
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English Language: 2 lessons
English Literature: 2 lessons
Maths: 4 lessons
Science: 6 lessons
PE/Games: 3 lessons
Options: 3 lessons
Tutor Time/Morning Talk: 1 lesson
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PE, Games, Outdoor Education, PRE and PSHE will continue to be an integral part of your curriculum at Frensham. PSHE will take the format of a series of short courses throughout Years 10 and 11.
PATHWAYS: GCSE & BTEC
We pride ourselves on offering a wide range of subjects to ensure that you can create your own unique broad curriculum. Our option blocks are built each year based on student choices - therefore, they differ every year. This gives us a much greater flexibility to make sure that you can create your own curriculum. We are always looking for ways to ensure that we are offering our students a wide range of subject choice for our Year 10 students. However, it is important that we regularly review our offering to ensure that we are meeting the needs of each new cohort of students.​
