King Henry VIII School, Abergavenny

We are committed that every pupil should get the best possible opportunities and education allowing them to succeed and flourish. Learning is at the heart of all we do, through high quality teaching we ensure every pupil’s talents and abilities are catered for allowing them to excel academically but also develop skills that allow them to become more independent in their learning and prepare them for life beyond school.

The school is recognized as having a positive ethos with a strong sense of purpose that maintains and promotes a safe and caring attitude based on mutual respect between all members of the school community. We aim to develop responsible young people that show a ‘can do’ attitude, show respect for themselves, others and the local community and use their time wisely, including having excellent attendance and punctuality.

School days must be a period of enrichment and enjoyment. Pupils are encouraged to enjoy and participate in a healthy balance of extracurricular activities. The school offers many activities in:

• Performing Arts (there are orchestras, choirs, brass bands, Dance and Drama clubs)
• Sport (there is a vast array of mainstream and contemporary sport clubs)
• Departmental enrichment opportunities (departments encourage participation in subject related trips, clubs and lunchtime activities)
• External competitions (including Rotary Public Speaking and other local and national competitions)
• Charity work (pupils are encouraged to be responsible citizens and to contribute actively to the life of their community)

Our values as a Sixth Form at KHS are based around providing a student centred education in which our students can develop intellectually, morally and spiritually. As they make the transition from compulsory to post compulsory education, it is vital that they are encouraged to take ownership as they make the transition to adulthood. We aim to create a challenging and yet caring environment in which this can take place.

The majority of graduates of our Sixth Form go on to higher education, with over a third obtaining places at Sutton Trust 30 (formerly The Russell Group) universities annually. A proportion of those who go on study at other HE institutions do so in receipt of excellence scholarships and bursaries. The rest of our graduates either follow Network 75 courses, combining paid work with a university degree, secure higher level apprenticeships, enter the workplace or continue in further education. As part of our induction process, we survey students to ascertain which of the routes they intend to take so that we can tailor our support and guidance specifically to this ambition. Expert tuition is available to students who wish to take entrance exams for applications to Oxford or Cambridge.