JLife takes a look at the outstanding educational opportunities across Leeds and the surrounding areas.
The Grammar School at Leeds
At The Grammar School at Leeds (GSAL), a leading independent school in north Leeds, boys and girls can take an educational journey of up to 15 years at the same school.
Three-year-olds enter nursery at Rose Court, GSAL’s nursery and pre-prep department in Headingley, and progress through the junior and senior schools, at our Alwoodley Gates campus.
Pupils move confidently to each new learning phase, thanks to carefully planned transition activities and their familiarity with friendship groups and the wider school community.
The school also welcomes applications for children to join us in any year group up to year 10, and for sixth form. Students arriving from other schools soon feel at home thanks to their friendly atmosphere, small tutor groups and buddy system.
Being part of a big school offers many benefits including access to specialist teaching and facilities, superb extracurricular opportunities and interaction between age groups. Nonetheless each phase retains its own identity, with every pupil’s individual learning and pastoral needs supported by a dedicated staff team.
In Senior School we teach under the ‘diamond model’, so students learn in single-sex classes until GCSEs, while sharing form time and extracurricular activities.
The Grammar School at Leeds invite parents to their ‘open doors’ events, when you can experience a normal school day, see their facilities and meet pupils and staff. The school will be open to visitors between 9am and 12pm on 23rdFebruary, 15th March, 27th April and 16th June.
For more information visit Gsal.org.uk
Harrogate Grammar School
Harrogate Grammar School offers “outstanding” academic provision alongside all the other elements that make post-16 education both successful and enjoyable. The sixth form provides all students with the highest quality experience and teaching for success in A-level subjects including those with specialist pathways such as Medical Sciences, Business & Enterprise and Law.
The school welcomes students from other schools into one of the largest sixth forms in the country and in the top four per cent of highest achieving sixth forms nationally according to Ofsted (2011-2012). The sixth form achieved record breaking results in 2015 with 66 per cent of A-level grades being A* to B, making Harrogate Grammar School the top performing comprehensive sixth form in North Yorkshire.
With 40 subjects to choose from, students are offered support and guidance to enable each individual to achieve their potential. There are significant opportunities for students to develop their leadership skills and participate in a wide range of extra-curricular activities in preparation for their future. The recently built sixth form accommodation and the use of iPads for learning provide a stimulating and inspiring environment for students as they pursue the exciting experience of sixth form life.
The sixth form is easily accessible with bus services offered from the surrounding areas including Leeds, Wetherby, Pateley Bridge, Ripon and Boroughbridge.
Applications and appointments to visit the sixth form are welcome throughout the year.
For more information, call 0142 353 5235 or visit Harrogategrammar.co.uk
Harrogate Ladies’ College
Harrogate Ladies’ College was established in 1893 and is one of the UK’s leading independent day and boarding schools for girls aged 11 to 18 years.
Outstanding teaching, strong pastoral support and a secure, friendly community allow girls to excel academically and become confident, young women who strive to be the very best they can be.
As a girls-only senior school, we understand girls and the way they learn, and are able to adapt our teaching methods to suit their needs. We believe that this in turn enables them to learn more effectively and to ultimately achieve better results.
Academic excellence is at the heart of life at Harrogate Ladies’ College, with small class sizes, committed teachers and national excellence in public examinations. The college also gives students the opportunity to excel outside the classroom in an incredibly wide and diverse range of extra-curricular clubs and societies including sports, drama and music.
They are always incredibly proud of the achievements of our sixth form students and in 2015 they achieved four times more A* to A grades than independent baseline grade predictions. The school’s A-level results meant that over 80 per cent of students secured their choice of university, all gained a place in higher education and 52 per cent secured places at Russell Group universities.
The next open morning for Harrogate Ladies College will be held on Tuesday 8th March from 10am to 12pm.
For more information, visit Hlc.org.uk
Montessori Nurtury
The Leeds Montessori Nurtury at Moortown, allows every child to explore and learn according to their own early years of essential development. In a fun, secure nursery, our Montessori methods suit each unique child and allow that uniqueness to flourish. ‘Follow the child’ was Dr Maria Montessori’s often-repeated advice, and it forms the basic principle of Montessori childcare and education now, 100 years later.
Each activity and resource introduces an essential concept that their future life will need. To an active child, they are the stuff of life and they love it! As a result, they develop confidence and independence with real purpose.
The next open morning for the Montessori Nurtury in Moortown will be held on the 19th March from 10am to 12pm.
For more information, visit Yorkshiremontessorinursery.co.uk
The Mount School
The Mount is the UK’s only all-girls Quaker school, welcoming all faiths and backgrounds.
A broad and imaginative curriculum inspires a genuine love of learning, beginning from pre-school and continuing past the sixth form.
We were the first school in the UK to introduce into the curriculum the PeaceJam Ambassadors and juniors programmes, devised with Nobel Peace Laureates to educate today’s youth on building peace.
Our pupils take part in an extensive extra-curricular activity programme, encompassing a board range from debating to fencing and young enterprise to photography. We help pupils become confident learners and to have confidence in themselves. They are encouraged to set personal goals and meet new challenges.
While The Mount’s strong traditions and timeless values have underpinned our continuing success since 1785, our flexibility and vision allow us to adapt successfully to the needs of modern education and 21st century family life.
We welcome children from all faiths to share in the opportunity to discover their gifts and to become independent thinkers.
The next open evening for The Mount School, York will be held on Friday the 18th March from 6.30pm to 8.30pm.
For more information, visit Mountschoolyork.co.uk
Richmond House School
Richmond House School is an independent preparatory school in Far Headingley, for girls and boys aged three to 11 years with a nurturing, family atmosphere, specialist teaching and small class sizes. The school was proud to achieve the top grade of ‘excellent’ in all ISI inspection categories and consistently enjoys 100 percent 11+ exam successes.
As part of its ongoing commitment to providing exceptional quality in education, the school has recently invested in an exciting adventure playground with slides, balance beams and scramble nets. The new resources complement the school’s 10 acres of land, which is home to an outdoor yurt classroom and a range of sports facilities including a cricket square, tennis courts, rugby and football pitches.
The school also enjoys a strong culture of music and drama and delivers outstanding performances and concerts throughout the year.
The next open days for Richmond House School will be held on 9th March from 2pm to 4pm and 23rd April from 10am to 12pm.
For more information, visit Rhschool.org
Swarthmore Education Centre
Swarthmore Education Centre in Leeds is a centre for lifelong learning, community projects, family learning sessions, courses and activities.
Our main aim is to encourage people who want to learn but might not feel comfortable in more formal educational institutions. We work on a friendly, human scale, offering a confidential counselling service, on-site childcare and learning support. Many volunteers currently support the centre’s work and we welcome their contributions of time and energy.
Participation in part-time adult learning courses has significant positive effects on individual wellbeing including health, employability, social relationships and the likelihood of taking up voluntary work.
Why not improve your health and wellbeing by trying something new, join a course and meet new people? Swarthmore’s daily crèche takes children under five and the café is open to the public for delicious homemade cakes and snacks which are very popular with students and staff alike.
The next open day for Swarthmore will be held on 31st March from 10.30am to 1.30pm and 5pm to 7pm where taster sessions in different crafts will be available to try.
For more information, visit Swarthmore.org.uk