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Senior School

At St. John’s Senior we offer a broad and ambitious curriculum aimed to give our students the best start at secondary education. Pupils joining the Senior School from the Prep School have already experienced teaching at senior level through their ‘Transition classes’ in English, maths and science and are quite familiar with the setting at the Senior School. Pupils joining from a variety of other independent and maintained primary schools are supported to integrate successfully and swiftly to gain as much from what is on offer at St. John’s so that they may become confident and aspirational.

Key Stage Four is the next and final stage of compulsory education and therefore critical in our students’ development, as it sets the foundation for their future academic and career choices. Students at this stage will have the opportunity to determine in part which subjects they wish to study based on the direction their wish to follow at Sixth Form and beyond.

Key Stage 3 at St. John's Senior School

All students are taught in their Form Groups and there is a Form period each week dedicated to developing interpersonal skills, as the students begin to gain a degree of independence more in line with their growing maturity as individuals. All Form teachers mentor the students in their Form to ensure that they keep up with the pace at the school and take advantage of all the opportunities available to them. There are no sets in Y7. Students start getting into sets in maths in Y9.

The curriculum focuses on :

Developing our students’ knowledge and understanding across a range of subjects including English, mathematics, science, humanities, Modern Foreign Languages, and the Arts. French is introduced in Y7, German in Y8 and Latin in Y9. The school holds an International School Award.
Encouraging our students to think critically, solve problems, and develop independent thinking skills that will help them to succeed in further education and the workplace.
Developing communication skills, including reading, writing, speaking, and listening. All students are taught LAMDA as part of their English studies and they all attend weekly Drama classes. All students take part in a theatrical production in the Summer Term and in a Carols Concert in the Autumn Term.
Promoting social, emotional, and physical well-being, and helping students to develop positive relationships with their peers and adults. All students follow a comprehensive, age-specific PSHCE programme of study.
Providing opportunities for students to engage in extracurricular activities, including sports and clubs, that help them to develop their interests and passions. Our students compete successfully in all sports, winning national cups in football for U14s and U11s and regional cups in netball to mention a few.
Preparing students for the transition to Key Stage Four, when they make important choices for their future career paths.

All students travel to various destinations to visit a variety of places and attend workshops relating to their studies. These visits take place every term.

In addition, residential visits are a regular feature of our school, when students travel abroad to enjoy a cultural experience.

Residential Visits

Students in Years 7 & 8 ski in France.
Y7 visits the historical city of York
Y8 visits Paris and Disney Land and
Y9 visits Madrid as part of their residential cultural experience.

All students are actively engaged with charities at a local and national level and our school council is busy leading the way in this endeavour.

It is very important that all students at this stage of their education develop the confidence, resilience, and self-esteem necessary for success in all areas of life.

To this end, we work hard to create a nurturing environment that will allow our students the space to grow, to learn, to become inspired and enthusiastic.

Key Stage 4 at St. John's Senior School

Key Stage Four also places an emphasis on developing practical skills such as problem-solving, communication, and critical thinking. Students are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning, to work independently and in groups, and to develop a range of transferable skills that will be valuable in their future academic or vocational pursuits.

All students are assigned to a Form Group and follow a comprehensive programme of PSHCE and are also timetabled for a range of physical education activities.

Our students participate in the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme, to help them develop the organisational skills they will need in adult life and they regularly engage in local charity work, which helps them to stay in touch with the community they live in and understand the concerns and needs of others who find themselves in challenging circumstances. In this way, our students develop empathy, initiative and the interpersonal skills that will stand them in good stead in later life.

Regular visiting speakers ranging from local MPs to motivational speakers form part of what is on offer at St. John’s, affording our students an opportunity to gain invaluable insights on different perspectives in life.

Day Visits and residential trips abroad are another feature of our way of life at the school. Our students visit a variety of European destinations based on both their study choices as well as their particular interests. Such visits have included Moscow, Greece and the Berlin Christmas Market. A French student exchange is well-established at the school enabling our students to experience life in a different cultural setting. The school holds an International School Award.

Key Stage Four provides students with a solid foundation of knowledge, skills, and experience that will prepare them for the challenges of further education or the workforce. St. Johnians are expected to work hard, stay focused, and remain committed to their studies in order to realise their potential, achieving excellence in all they do.