Farringtons School

Farringtons is a truly remarkable school, one steeped in history and tradition, but forward thinking in its approach.

I feel very privileged to have been entrusted with leading its happy and vibrant community and ensuring that we continue to provide its pupils with an outstanding all-round education.

The school’s motto ‘Posside Sapientiam’ (‘Growing in Wisdom’) very much reflects our educational philosophy. Our dedicated and inspirational teachers are wholly committed to helping every pupil achieve their full academic potential. We encourage them to be independent, curious and creative in their thinking, yet, at the same time, not to be afraid of failure, since it is often by making mistakes that we grow intellectually and personally and become more resilient as a result.

Equally, however, we believe strongly that learning should not be limited to the classroom, nor measured solely by exam results. Indeed, we place great emphasis on providing opportunities for pupils to pursue a wide range of extra-curricular interests, on developing the art of leadership and teamwork, as well as those all-important soft skills. This is seen not only in sport but also in Music, Drama and the Arts.

Underpinned by the school’s strong Christian ethos, we also take great pride in the quality of our pastoral care and the excellent relationships which exist between staff and pupils. The fact that we are a deliberately medium-sized school certainly helps with this – as teachers we know the children in our care extremely well. Moreover, with boarders choosing to come to us from all over the world, as well as from closer to home, we are blessed too with a very diverse and cosmopolitan community, something we consider to be a real strength.

Besides the blend of beautiful, historic buildings and state of the art facilities, all set in wonderful grounds, yet within a stone’s throw of central London, what invariably strikes visitors to Farringtons is the friendliness of everyone they meet and the sense of family. The values of service, honesty, kindness and respect for one another matter greatly to us; indeed, one of our fundamental aims is that all Farringtonians leave us as well-balanced, young men and women, fully prepared for the challenges of the 21st Century and keen to make a positive contribution to society.

Our Mission
To inspire, assist and challenge young people to achieve their potential.

Our Aim
To be recognised as one of the leading independent, co-educational day and boarding schools in Kent, providing education for children aged 3-18. To be the first choice of school in the local area.

Our Values
The School motto, Posside Sapientiam, (Growing in wisdom) influences much of what we do.
Underpinned by Christian values, Farringtons School aspires to be a place of trust and respect where teachers take an active interest in the intellectual, physical, moral and spiritual development of every student. We know co-education to be the right platform for developing the interpersonal skills necessary to succeed in the modern world. The importance we place on nurturing individuality and the manageable size of Farringtons ensures that students do not get lost, but rather thrive in their own way – they are encouraged to ‘Develop and Shine’.

Our Core Objectives
To make our vision reality, we will be working towards six core strategic objectives:

• To recruit, develop and retain staff of the highest calibre, such that we ensure every pupil achieves their full academic potential, develops a long-lasting love of learning and is fully
  prepared for life beyond school, both at university and in the world of work.
• To ensure that Christian values continue to underpin Farringtons’ Methodist ethos and that Chapel remains a central part of school life. To encourage ongoing outreach in the local community and to instil in the pupils a sense of social and global responsibility, as well as a desire to support and be involved in charitable work.  To explore how we can develop our existing school partnerships further as part of MIST, as well as establishing new ones.
• To promote further the school’s holistic approach to education, ensuring that Farringtons thrives, attracts a diverse wide range of pupils and is increasingly well-known for the quality of opportunities it provides in Sport, Music and the Performing and Creative Arts, as well as for its distinctive Floreat Programme and approach to character development.
• To establish a programme of capital projects, in order of priority, so as to ensure Farringtons’ impressive site and facilities remain a real selling point of the school and inspire pupils to strive for excellence, whilst at the same time providing a safe, accessible and fit for purpose environment in which everyone can flourish. To explore the potential for fundraising in support of new projects and bursaries, as well as ways to market the school’s facilities positively
• To re-establish boarding as a central and recognisable feature of Farringtons, maximising the benefits of the school’s geographical location and attracting pupils both from the UK,    as well as from an increasingly diverse range of countries overseas.

The schools’ aim

• to be caring Christian family communities committed to the development of the full potential of each individual, having regard for their personal attributes in addition to their academic aspirations;
• to maintain high educational standards in all their academic, cultural and sporting activities, stimulating excitement in learning and requiring discipline in study whatever the ability of the child;
• to work with and in the communities they serve;
• to worship as Christians in the Methodist tradition; to uphold Christian values in practice as well as in theory and to make religious education a strong feature of the curriculum, whilst welcoming members of other faiths (and none) in a spirit of openness and tolerance;
• to encourage pupils in a critical examination of the standards and values current in society and to discover and develop a personal faith to guide them throughout their lives.

Farringtons School values its Methodist heritage and Christian foundation which fundamentally shape the aims and values which emerge from the Methodist Independent Schools’ Mission Statement