“High Aims – High Challenge – High Standards”

We are a school that believes every child can achieve and we champion all of our children through their academic and holistic development. We know that human connection and working together is key to helping our children achieve their dreams. We want all of our children to leave Highcliffe as happy, independent and resilient learners who have reached their own potential, with enduring self-belief and an abiding respect for others.

We are proud to be a Lionheart school. We believe that ‘ANY young person from ANY background deserves an EQUAL chance to be successful in whatever they do’. Every child and adult at Highcliffe is encouraged reach their full potential regardless of their background.

We ensure this through

• Our school motto
• Having high expectations for all pupils
• Collaborative working, commitment and care from our whole team
• Embedding our 6Rs
• Developing character traits through our skills and dispositions
• Our robust and flourishing pastoral system
• An inclusive, high quality and enjoyable curriculum for all which teaches life skills so that our children develop into fully rounded, secure and fulfilled adults who are thoughtful citizens in our global community

Highcliffe 6Rs

Respect . Responsibility . Resilience . Resourcefulness . Reflection . Reciprocity

Through our 6Rs we encourage all children to be curious, creative problem solvers who value learning and are highly motivated. We want all children to:

• Learn in an atmosphere of belonging and value, where everyone is both physically and emotionally healthy and resilient.
• Develop a lifelong love for learning where everyone is encouraged to grow and reach their potential whatever their ability.
• Take ownership of their own learning so that they have the confidence and curiosity to ask questions, make informed choices, solve problems and respond to feedback. 
• Have high expectations and welcome challenge in the curriculum through outstanding teaching and learning. We want our children to value making mistakes and see them, not as set-backs, but as strategies to learn mo
• Experience rich and varied opportunities to improve their cultural capital.
• Learn the value of community cohesion through the active involvement of, and contribution from, parents, staff, governors, children and the local community in the life of our school.

“Every child deserves a champion, an adult who insists that they become the best they can possibly be”

For more information about the 6Rs can how you can use them at home, please click this link.

For more information about supporting your child to have a growth mindset and self-belief, please click this link.

6 Barriers to Learning

Life experiences and emotional issues can impact on the progress a child is making.

The main barriers identified as impacting on a child, leading them to make less good progress than would be expected are:

• Wellbeing Concerns
• Attendance
• Significant Learning Difficulties
• A Child's Motivation
• Parental Expectations
• Language Acquisition

We work hard as a school to ensure attendance is as high as possible and we have a creative curriculum to inspire and motivate children to learn. We work with parents to help them in supporting their child's learning and expecting good progress. We have a very strong SEND and pastoral team who work with our children with learning and emotional difficulties. We run social support groups, outdoor learning and we are proud to offer therapeutic counselling.

For more information about our research informed ethos, please see the videos and articles below.

Rita Pierson – Every Child Deserves A Champion

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) impacts adulthood

Professor Guy Claxton – Building Learning Power
Much of our philosophy is inspired by forward thinkers and researchers in education. Guy Claxton is one of them. 

Dylan Wiliam
Dylan tried out his theories in BBC's The Classroom Experiment