Welcome to the Upper School. The aim of the website is to show the variety and quality of the education our young people receive at the Sir James Henderson.
There are currently 356 students in the Upper School, a vibrant mix of over 28 nationalities.
The ethos of the Upper School is well established and immediately sensed by newcomers to the school. We are committed to ‘educating the whole person’. Our excellent discipline, the high degree of individual attention our students receive and the caring and tolerant environment of the Upper School make it a very positive and comfortable place for the individual to thrive in.
As a non-selective school we encourage our young people to achieve their best in both academic and personal terms. Our academic results at all levels are impressive.
Students are encouraged to become involved in the wider life of the school. Around 300 students are currently studying a musical instrument, we are the centre for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music for the North of Italy, numerous sports teams represent the Sir James in Italy and abroad, we are a centre of excellence for Edexcel Art and our drama programme is going from strength to strength. All these diverse areas of education have equal weighting at the Sir James and the blend of students participating in them is remarkable.
We follow the British National Curriculum in KS3 and KS4 with GCSEs taken at the age of 16. In September 2008, Year 13 began our last year of the traditional A-level courses whilst our Year 12 students have embarked on the first year of our IB Diploma Programme. National testing in English, Science and Mathematics at the end of KS3 was replaced by Internal Examinations in May 2008.
Our Italian students are prepared for the National Terza Media examinations which are taken at the end of Year 9 . In Years 10 and 11 the Italian National Course has been replaced by an Italian Pre-Diploma Programme which prepares our students for the changes in the IB Italian syllabus in Years 12 and 13.
There are currently 80 students in the Sixth Form at the Sir James.
Our success at A-levels has been impressive over the years, aided by our low teacher/pupil ratio in many of the subjects we offer and our focus on monitoring and pastoral care. We had a 100% pass rate in 2009. The current Year 13 will be the first cohort to take the International Baccalaureate. Our performance at GCSE is equally impressive – see examination results.
As a member of ISCO, the Independent Schools’ Careers Organisation, our students receive professional careers guidance from Year 10 until the end of university.
Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any queries related to the Upper School.
Head of Upper School