St George’s School Levavi Oculos : Aim higher

Come with us on a journey…

Thank you for your interest in St George’s school. This prospectus can only give you a very small glimpse

into the life of what I believe is a wonderful and exceptional school. We provide a caring and supportive

learning environment where each individual is encouraged to flourish, learning and knowledge are valued,

and where staff and students take genuine pride in their membership of the school community.

We are a non-selective, co-educational boarding and day school and enjoy being located in one of the most

beautiful settings in the Home Counties. Founded in 1907, St George’s has been part of the community of

Harpenden for over a century. Its alumni take an active interest in the school’s work and many of our

students’ parents and even grandparents came here.

St George’s has an enviable academic reputation, being consistently in the top 5% of schools nationally, and

is able to boast figures for student achievement and progress which compare favourably with many

independent schools.

Visitors to the school are consistently struck by its warm and welcoming atmosphere. Students and staff

demonstrate courtesy and professionalism, and take pride in allowing visitors to see for themselves the

quality of what they achieve. Such commitment furnishes St George’s with a sense of purpose, a respect for

achievement and a love of learning. The school’s motto is “Aim Higher”, and every week I see this

embodied in the work done by all.

St George’s places great importance on traditional values. We believe in strong personal relationships

founded upon respect and discipline. These are underpinned and maintained by excellent teaching, a wide

range of opportunities both academic and extracurricular, and strong relationships between school and

families. These provide students with an excellent basis on which to build their confidence and

achievement. We see the evidence of this in the personal qualities which our students show us such as

respect, courtesy, and service of others, as well as intellectual curiosity, and academic rigour.

In addition to the curriculum, St George’s offers a vast and enviable range of activities. Students will find

opportunities in Music, Drama, Sport, History, Geography, Art, Languages, Maths and Science. You will see

for yourself on the school’s website that we try to provide something for everyone.

I would encourage you to visit the school to see for yourself all it has to offer. Being located in Harpenden

means it is exceptionally well served by road rail and air, so such a trip is easy to make so I look forward to

meeting you very soon.

Mr Raymond McGovern MA

“…a school does not exist to

send out men and women solely

to play a part in life where they

achieve a competence and

honourable life of useful work

and even a modicum of fame,

but it exists to send out for

posterity, and for their own

generation, men and women

who by their character shall

leave the society in which they

live the better for their presence,

and hence, the world much

nearer the Kingdom”

Dr Watts, Headmaster. 1937-46

St George’s School was founded in 1907 by the Rev Cecil Grant. He intended to create a co-educational

boarding school founded on Christian principles. This was one of the first of its kind in England. He set out a

clear vision for his school and this vision remains at the heart of the school today. We aim to remain true to

his intentions, and believe that the aims and ethos of the school today are those that he would recognise.

At St George’s School we aim to help our students achieve a

sense of fulfilment at school and to prepare them for adult

life. We do this through providing:

A first-class academic education, delivered through

excellent teaching, a balanced curriculum and

appropriate individual support to enable all students to

achieve well.

An active Christian foundation to foster respect for

moral and spiritual values

A strong pastoral care system to encourage our students to become mature, well-disciplined and

caring members of any community

Equality of opportunity to encourage participation in activities, generate positive relationships

between individuals at school and within the wider community.

We cannot do this alone and seek to work in partnership with parents and carers together with other local

schools and groups in the community.

We believe that education for life means more than

academic and examination success, important though

these are. We offer students the chance to participate

in extracurricular activities. Our many field trips exist

to support the curriculum and also provide insights

into the context and background of what our students

have to learn. They also provide experiences which

students never forget and which inform their growth

and development as individuals.

We offer a curriculum which seeks to maximise the range of a student’s experiences. We are committed to

high expectations of all our students. All students follow a broad range of courses from Year 7. In lessons

and activities, we seek to stretch each pupil’s ability and help them to develop as a young person.

We offer students the opportunity to explore the social and moral

implications of growing up in the context of the school’s Christian ethos. We

aim to prepare them for making informed, independent decisions which will

help them as adults.

We regularly monitor pupils’ attainment and ensure that this is reported

back to families. We encourage students to reflect on their own attainment

and take responsibility for their own learning.

We provide comprehensive advice on course choices at GCSE and A levels,

and on progression beyond school to ensure that the choices they make are

well-informed and logical. Most students take 9 GCSEs and follow on into our

sixth-form.

For those that do not, we offer advice on alternative provision in terms of

other institutions and types of course. Most of our VI formers progress on to

higher education.

House System

St George’s is divided into four Houses. These play a very active and prominent role in the organisation and

activities of the school, and House membership is very important to our students. Each House has a Head

and Deputy Head of House, assisted by a team of tutors.

The tutor groups are organised into Lower School

groups (Years 7 and 8), Middle School groups

(Years 9,10 and 11) and Upper School groups

(Year 12 and 13). Thus a student will stay within

one House and should expect to have three tutors

to support them through their career in the

school. This means that our tutors get to know

their students extremely well. It also encourages

the family based ethos which was so important to

Cecil Grant.

The Houses engender fierce, healthy competition in extracurricular events, notably in competitive events in

sport, music and dramatic fields. Houses also provide students with pastoral care and academic support.

Each year a competition is held for the Chapman

Cup. This is the flagship inter-House tournament

consisting of over 20 events including competitions

in music, drama, sports (including all major and

minor school sports plus others such as golf and

sailing), chess, dance and a quiz. This is organised by

the Houses and where possible is largely

administered by the students.

Houses also provide students with opportunities for leadership: each House has a

group of prefects who support the organisation of the many inter-House

competitions and activities. They also play a major part in helping new students

settle into the school. The leadership provided by our students is very highly valued.

Boarders are allocated to one of the four day school Houses, and participate fully in

all school activities. They have their own activities within the boarding Houses as well

as the day school.

Chapel

St George’s School was set up as a Christian foundation and has

its own chaplain. However, the foundation is non-

denominational and services within chapel provide a mix of

worship styles. All students attend one chapel service as part of

their weekly routine. Additionally students in Years 7-11 attend

Sunday chapels on three occasions every term. The services

offer a range of worship styles to cater for Christians of all

backgrounds, ranging from Catholic masses to informal evening

worship. Parents are most welcome to attend Sunday services

with their children. Many families choose to do this.

Once a year St George’s offers a confirmation class and a confirmation service takes place in the spring for

any students who are interested in taking advantage of this opportunity.

St George’s also boasts an active and enthusiastic student Christian fellowship called “More to Life”. This

has a long track record of student-led activities which bring a meaningful religious dimension to the

experience of many of our students.

Boarding

A boarding education is a vital enriching experience for boys and girls providing a sound basis for academic

and personal development. When the school was founded in 1907, Cecil Grant was convinced of the

advantages of boys and girls being taught together and learning to live in a family atmosphere based upon

Christian ideals. For the whole life of St George’s this has been central to the philosophy of the school and

boarding remains an integral part of what it does. In recognising this, the Governors have made substantial

investment in boarding in recent years.

Our boarding environment provides a caring, stable environment for our students. Girls live in Keswick

House, at the front of the school site, and boys in the more recent Crosthwaite House. Our recently

completed sixth-form boarding house, Skiddaw provides up-to-date accommodation for our Year 13

students.

Boarding supports the work of the day school by providing students with a structured routine which

includes supervised prep time in the evenings to allow them to complete homework tasks, and a routine

which helps students to organise themselves to be ready for school in good time each day.

An important principle of our boarding community is that

the boarding houses are home for most of the year.

Boarding students are treated as such. Our boarders are

encouraged to develop a sense of responsibility and self-

discipline. We encourage them to nurture their individual

talents and abilities.

We realise that discipline is important in a community where students spend so much of their time. The

boarders’ pastoral care is given high priority. Discipline is important, with consistency and fairness playing

an important part in our procedures. Pupils take an active part in decisions affecting the Houses, and

assume increasing responsibility as they progress up the school.

Our boarding community is highly valued by our students. Many former boarders make lifelong friends

during their time with us, and frequently return to see us long after they have left.

Sixth-Form

St George’s aims to provide a wide and varied selection of courses, as well as a learning environment which

is calm, orderly, well-disciplined and focused. We passionately believe in promoting intellectual curiosity,

academic rigour, personal resilience, leadership and resourcefulness. These principles allow our students to

lead lives where they are able to take responsibility for their own decisions with confidence. In 2014

OfSTED described St George’s as a “thriving and cohesive learning community”.

We place great emphasis on personal discipline in our Sixth Form. In order to succeed, we expect that every

student will be prepared to work hard, contribute to the community, and take responsibility for their

decisions and actions. These are demanding expectations.

St George’s seeks to provide a structured framework to support learning. We expect that students attend

all lessons, and attend punctually, which they would be expected to do in any work place. A student’s

timetable will be full and demanding. Periods which do not have a taught lesson will include directed study

time in which students will work on specific tasks in their subjects. The pace of life in the Sixth-form at St

George’s is fast but rewarding.

Sixth-form students are also instrumental in leading the activities which take place in the extracurricular

calendar. We expect that Sixth-formers will make the most of opportunities to participate in these events.

We look forward to the prospect of working with our senior students as they make such a substantial

contribution to the life and character of the school and its wider community. It is the prefects, chosen from

the senior students in the school, who help the Houses choose the teams for the competition. Other events

in the school calendar such as our fundraising events – the Senior Prefects Week of Fun or SPWOF is a

student-led set of stage shows - in the Autumn, or the Great Curry Run in the Spring, involve substantial

support from the senior students in the school. Other opportunities such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award

are also open to students in the Sixth-form and all add to the unique opportunity of the St George’s

experience.

Without the contribution of the Sixth-form, the life of our community, based as it is on the Christian ethos

of nurturing and caring for others, would be diminished. This is why we see the Sixth-form as one of the

most vital parts of the family of St George’s.

For information on St George’s School please visit our website on:

www.stgeorges.herts.sch.uk

For the Admission Policy and Criteria for a day place :

www.stgeorges.herts.sch.uk/Information/Admissions/Day-Admissions

For the Admission Policy and Criteria for a boarding place:

www.stgeorges.herts.sch.uk/Information/Admissions/Boarding-Admissions

For information on the curriculum:

www.stgeorges.herts.sch.uk/Learning/Curriculum

For Examination Results in previous years:

www.stgeorges.herts.sch.uk/Learning/Exams/Exam-Results

For other policies including learning support, discipline, attendance and pupil premium:

www.stgeorges.herts.sch.uk/Information/Statutory-Information/Policies

For St George’s School google map:

http://www.stgeorges.herts.sch.uk/Contact-Us

…and see where it takes you.

St George’s School, Harpenden Academy Trust. Registered in England and Wales No: 8092358

Registered Office: Sun Lane, Harpenden, Herts, AL5 4TD. Tel: 01582 765477 E-mail: admin@stgeorges.herts.sch.uk Website: www.stgeorges.herts.sch.uk