Scholarship News
A few weeks ago, Mr O’Connell spoke of the many achievements of Heywood pupils in the sporting and Lego robotics arenas. I am now delighted to announce that Year 6 pupils who sat entrance exams to their senior schools have again achieved a 100% success rate of being offered places to their first-choice school. This success also includes a record-breaking number of seventeen scholarships across the disciplines of Academia, Art, Drama, Music, Sport. We are immensely proud of all the children, particularly in a year when senior schools have seen an increased demand for places in the independent sector.
This year’s results continue the trend of strong successes in previous years and we can be proud of a cumulative total of 38 awards over the last three years. Such success across all disciplines, both this year and previously, highlights the benefits of the academically ambitious and broad education that children enjoy at Heywood. Specialist staff, who are truly passionate about their subjects, inspire our pupils, and lay the groundwork for pupils to further flourish as they move onto senior school.
We consistently refer to a Heywood education as being centred on the individual. This value is reflected in our bespoke Senior School Preparation Programme for those in Years 5 and 6. Some children will sit entrance exams to gain entry to their senior schools, others will not. Whatever their route to senior school, our programme is tailored to each child so that they not only fulfil their potential academically and personally, but that they also ‘peak’ at the appropriate moment, be it for entrance exams in the Autumn or Taster Days in the Summer Term.
The pressure of exams may now be off, but the education of our Year 6’s certainly does not stop! Over the coming months, staff will be taking the opportunity to dip into the Year 7 curriculum and encourage children to further develop independence both in their learning and character. In true Heywood fashion, there is much fun to be had too with our post exam programme of life skills and social activities. These activities play an important part in developing crucial soft skills which are vital in today’s world.
In the meantime, while our Year 6s enjoy a change of focus, Mrs Mitchell and I start the process of meeting with Year 5 parents to select appropriate senior schools for their children; meetings which we always look forward to!
Leonora Martin
Director of Studies