Ethos and Aims

Ethos and Aims

Highgate School was established in 1565 by a Royal Charter of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the First.

Our Ethos - the character and spirit of Highgate School

These actions define and determine our ethos:
•    Advancing the education and intellectual and moral development of our pupils, whatever their capabilities, attributes and interests
•    Promoting the welfare and safety of our pupils as individuals and as members of a community
•    Conducting the School in a manner consistent with Christian values and reflecting and celebrating the diversity of modern London
•    Sharing the best of what we do by funding and awarding bursaries, by supporting learning in partner schools and charities and enabling them to use our facilities as appropriate
•    Fostering open-mindedness and thoughtfulness in our pupils and our School
•    Striving for continuing improvement and development

Our Aims

Our aim is to be an academic school and a place for learning and scholarship, where
•    we are ambitious about what pupils should know and we provide a cultural framework for their studies and their living
•    we work to ensure pupils are knowledgeable and are active, independent learners
•    teaching is rigorous, critical, engaging and learned
•    pupils leaving school will be intellectually and emotionally prepared for higher education and the world of work

Our aim is to be a reflective community where pupils
•    learn the instincts of courtesy and good manners
•    develop a moral code and practise living it out in readiness for their adult lives
•    care for others and learn to see service to others as a way of life

Our aim is to be an exemplar for the healthy life where pupils
•    are supported in developing strength and resourcefulness to meet the challenges of day-to-day life
•    develop healthy, transferable interests and pursuits in a coeducational setting
•    learn and practise the skills of friendship through participation in a wide range of activities
•    grasp the value of the community, and its price

AS Pettitt
January 2010