A I M H I G H

Ach i e v e H i g h e rA Science, Mathematics and Technology School

The origins of the present day Sydenham School can be traced back as far as 1862. In this year a private school in Westbourne Road, Forest Hill was opened. The school soon became popular with local parents

and so it was eventually relocated to Manor House off Honor Oak Road, where it flourished for nearly 40 years as a boarding and day school.

In 1905, Manor Mount School was purchased by the London County Council and established as Forest Hill County Secondary School. This school was one of London’s first County Secondary Schools (Grammar Schools) for girls.

In 1912, a new school was being built in Sydenham High Street now known as Dartmouth Road, to bring together both Manor Mount School and another local County Secondary School into one permanent building as one school. It took nearly five years to build and was opened in 1917 with a roll of 398 pupils; the school was named Sydenham, a name it has kept ever since.

Under the leadership of its first headmistress Miss Edith Turner, a serious and academically ambitious school developed, with modern ideas for the time including excursions into community service and a Parent-Teacher Association. The school was very successful, gradually reaching a roll of 500 students and having a notable record of university scholarships.

Sydenham School has continued to serve the community for over 95 years as an all girls’ school; each generation of girls has contributed to the good name and reputation of the school, always living up to the school motto adopted in 1917 ‘AIM HIGH’ and now we ‘Achieve Higher’ too.

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“This is a good school, the attitudeof students themselves is an asset.”

Ofsted 2010

“Students in my class work hard in lessons and take their studies seriously.”

Student Quote

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“The curriculum is practical and relevant, enabling students’ good progress. Students take responsibility for each other, through evaluation of each other’s work or sensitive involvement in groups.”

Ofsted 2010

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learning,

creativitySydenham has a long tradition of educating girls, often pioneering

innovation and development. We believe that creativity inspires, evokes learning and enables students to make connections across subjects,

between our school and other schools, as well as the local community and the wider world. Student achievement is at the centre of all we do.

Sydenham School is a STEM school – with strengths in Science and Mathematics and an additional focus on Technology and Engineering. Equally committed to the Arts, Humanities and Languages, we provide a curriculum which is broad, exciting and challenges students, across the full range of national expectations.

By bringing together teaching programmes, imaginative projects, events and development opportunities, our aim is to offer our girls the chance to see how the world and society could

be different. We want our students to feel empowered to make their own decisions and to be confident and motivated to learn, to perform and make things happen.

To achieve this, we have a strong vision and expectation of every student is high. We nurture each individual to help her explore her own talents and make sure that she makes the most of all the opportunities available. When she leaves Sydenham, the young girl has become a young woman.

“We are absolutely ‘over the moon’ about her excellent progress and achievement at Sydenham, which have amazed us beyond description.”Year 11 Parent

Innovation has become increasingly important because of the rapid evolution of technology, products and business models. It is particularly

relevant to students who are interested in entrepreneurship or are soon to enter the challenging job market. Their achievement has to

be high quality and their thinking independent and innovative.

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At Sydenham, we fly the flag for women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) and as a STEM Specialist Girls School, we challenge the gender stereotypes that sometimes exist in this often, male dominated field. Our STEM work has been recognised nationally. In 2010 we won the national Best School Award, from STEM Net, for our innovation and effective practice and our Science curriculum was awarded ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted in January 2012. We offer a wide range of STEM courses. All students gain a GCSE in Science and over half of our Key Stage 4 students take Physics, Chemistry and Biology at GCSE and can continue these subjects at A-Level.

With our close links with business and industry, the Royal Society, Royal Institution and STEMNET, our students are provided with a fantastic range of additional opportunities. They take part in STEM learning days, club activities and if they are appointed as a STEM Ambassador, they get involved with local primary school projects. Whatever a student’s interest, at Sydenham they will be provided with an enriched experience that inspires new thinking and encourages problem solving at extraordinary levels.

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“I really enjoyed my first year at Sydenham, and I’ve learnt a lot too.”

Student Quote

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“The school provides an inclusive and enjoyable education, which students and parents value highly.”

Ofsted 2010

At Sydenham each student, whatever her aptitude or ability, experiences an appropriate level of challenge in order to achieve her potential. It is also important that she understands the purpose

of her activities and sees the relevance of her learning to her life, present and future. Good two-way communication between

school, parents and students is essential to this success.

Sydenham is a comprehensive school up to GCSE and our curriculum offers a wide range of subjects. This includes Graphics, Design Technology, Textiles, Food, Drama, Dance, Media Studies, History, Geography, RE, ICT, Skills for Learning, Languages (French, Latin, Spanish or German), Mathematics, English, Science, Personal and Social Education, Health and Social Care, Citizenship, Sociology, Physical Education, Business Studies, Music, ICT and Visual Arts. A complement of additional subjects and extra-curricular activities are also on offer, to challenge and inspire our students, at every opportunity.

There are many enrichment opportunities for SFH6 students including learning Mandarin,

visiting the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland and work experience in Spain.

As they progress, students draw different strands of their learning together, achieving a deeper understanding of the world. Choice becomes as open as possible at certain points, leading to very successful results. At 16, students go on to the 6th Form (SFH6 is Sydenham and Forest Hill Schools’ Joint 6th Form). Year on year our 6th Form students achieve the best A-Level results, with most going on to University including Oxbridge, Kings, UCL, Warwick, Liverpool and Nottingham to read a range of subjects including Medicine, English, Law and Physics.

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“Thank you for all your support during her first year at Sydenham, she has excelled in her learning ability and matured so much and exceeded all of my expectations. I could not have asked for more as a mum and it has confirmed all the reasons why we chose Sydenham.”

Year 7 Parent

We make it a priority, through our Tutor Groups, that everyone feels known and cared for. That way the girls will have a smooth path through their education and will feel an integral part of their form, year group and whole school, knowing they are Sydenham Girls. Any student experiencing any personal or emotional difficulty can rely on the staff responsible to look after her mental and physical wellbeing. Staff include: Learning Mentors, Family Liaison Workers and Attendance Officers. We actively encourage and welcome communication with parents, through letters, phone calls, texts, email, parents’ meetings, or notes via the Homework Planners. Appointments can also be made to meet with staff, should there be any concerns. Our Parents’ Forum provides a

place for parents to feedback their views and to contribute to the school’s strategic plans, as key partners. Parent, student and tutor, or subject teacher meetings take place regularly throughout the year. In September we invite parents to our ‘Report Review’ where we discuss the most recent written report and assessment and look at strategies for improvement. All parents have access to our online ePortal, where they can view their daughter’s attendance, grades and progress.

For new parents of Year 7 students we hold ‘getting to know you’ sessions to meet the Headteacher and discuss their experiences so far. Other parents are welcome too!

We believe that the personal welfare of each individual student is important, as it is only when they feel safe, secure and happy in

their environment can they develop to their fullest potential.

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care & nurturesupport,

“I’ve made lots of new friends in my Tutor Group, and in other classes as well.”

Student Quote

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“You should be VERY proud of your pupils! Please do let them know that they were excellent and helped to create a superb evening.”

Visiting Community Arts Worker

The way students behave at Sydenham stems from a shared ethos where altruism (thinking of others) is very much at the fore.

We strive to be a warm, welcoming environment, where everyone is kind, thoughtful and generous towards one another.

Students and staff alike are valued as individuals with distinctive needs and talents and must treat each other with respect and good manners. Success is celebrated by everyone. Equality is a central part of our ethos.

All of the above forms the basis of our ‘Good Behaviour Policy’ and our codes of conduct have been mutually agreed by staff and students. Staff, governors, parents and students have all worked together to develop an ‘Anti-Bullying Policy’, as well as a programme of measures to combat any bullying behaviour. The consequences of poor behaviour are very clear and sanctions are rigorously applied to ensure every student’s learning is strong.

Our Citizenship and Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) curriculum is designed to encourage each individual to think about her role in the school and the local community, as well as acting as a member of the global community. Students take responsibility for their own learning and are encouraged to make good decisions, respond to change with confidence and optimism, and become independent, strongly motivated and focused. Student Voice provides a forum for opinions to be listened to and acted upon, often by the Student Leadership Team and the Student Ambassadors. Students also contribute to the School Improvement Plan in the School and Year Councils.

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“The school is a very cohesive community. Students are often mature and reflective with high aspirations and future aims, ready for a promising future’.”

Ofsted 2010

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Sydenham girls actively pursue their interests and ambitions beyond the

curriculum boundaries and it is our job to ensure that everyone, whatever their academic level, has an opportunity to excel and succeed.

Our governors and staff work together with our students and their parents, as a team. As part of our inclusive ethos, students with learning difficulties or disability are supported to develop and achieve by specialist teachers who work in small groups at the A+ Centre and in the mainstream classroom. In addition, we provide dedicated support to those girls for whom English is not a first language. In 2012 our school was nationally recognised for the inspiring provision for our most academically able and talented students by The Schools’ Network (SSAT). To broaden everyone’s horizons, a large number of clubs and societies enable hundreds of students who are talented actors, dancers, scientists, historians, musicians and athletes to develop their skills further. In addition, most subjects run field trips abroad, and there are frequent visits to the London theatre, museums, and exhibitions and to universities, to bring life to special projects. We run a residential trip for Year 7 and Year 8 to Margaret Macmillan

Centre to build confidence, teamwork and promote the Sydenham identity. Older students take part in the Duke of Edinburgh scheme. Sydenham has one of the best learning resource centres in the country, with state-of-the-art technology including 30 computers, interactive whiteboard, videoconferencing and a new e-book service, which can be accessed remotely from home. Our fiction collection encourages a love of reading and newspapers and magazines provide the latest on current affairs. We also boast close contact with authors and publishers, who regularly visit to support creative writing projects. The Sydenham team is highly professional and their commitment underpins the warmth and vibrancy of our community. The school is a friendly, well-organised environment that provides fantastic opportunities for each individual student, helps our girls to learn and enriches their lives as part of the Sydenham ‘family’.

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Sydenham School, Dartmouth Road, London, SE26 4RDTel: 020 8699 6731 Fax: 020 8699 7532 Email: info@sydenham.lewisham.sch.uk

www.sydenham.lewisham.sch.uk

Aim HighAchieve Higher