It’s not easy to capture the essence of Highgate School in 250 words but Tatler have managed to convey our values well this year.
“Highgate is a prodigious school with over 1,700 pupils spanning from 3 to 18 years of age. Occasional conversations are had if the senior school is not deemed the right fit, but most children soar straight on through to the top. Sports facilities are extensive and all pupils are taught by sports specialists. Academics are strong and on the up, with last year’s Year 11‘s and sixth form achieving record-breaking results (32 took up Oxbridge places, for example) Learning is not simply focused on results, though. In 2018 the English department staff went out on a limb and put forward their selection of the best books ever written. The result, known as Highgate 21, is a list of books for seniors to work through during their time at the school; its aim is to foster a lifelong love of reading. Given Highgate’s leafy location near Hampstead Heath, it’s fitting that there is a growing emphasis on sustainability: the school has introduced a flagship Highgate School bus service in order to cut parental reliance on cars, slashing 13,000 car journeys. In one term they estimate the service has prevented 10 tonnes of CO2 emissions: nearly the weight of two elephants. The school’s devotion to philanthropy is well known, and through its Chrysalis Partnership it supports over 50 state schools in seven London boroughs. These feed sixth formers into the acclaimed London Academy of Excellence in Tottenham, where Highgate has been primary education sponsor since 2017. Head Adam Pettitt is energetic, ambitious, academic and renowned for his commitment to helping the local community, and the same could be said for his pupils.”
