Finborough School

Finborough is a learning family in every sense. Each of our pupils are known really well, valued and cherished, for their individual abilities and attributes. From day one in our outstanding Nursery through to the Sixth Form, we do not relent in our care and unfettered ambition for every child. It is so special to be able to educate children from two to eighteen years of age, watching them grow, and emerge as young adults, ready for the world.

At Finborough, children can be the best version of themselves, without the impediments or insecurity that can plague the most formative years of a young person’s life. Our nurturing approach, set alongside high expectations and steadfast support, enables us to bring out the best in each individual.

Pupils’ extremely high standards of behaviour and conduct, alongside their positivity and receptiveness, make them a joy to teach, enabling the most productive and effective lessons.

Excellent teachers enjoy an exceptional, professionally rewarding experience. Comparatively small classes, of beautifully behaved and motivated pupils, supported by outstanding facilities and technology, enable consistently excellent teaching. Our comprehensive, professional learning programme ensures teachers are genuinely at the top of their game and continue to develop their skills.

Our traditional yet progressive curriculum and focus on ‘Learnability’ enables a truly bespoke approach to captivate and inspire every single pupil.‘Learnability’ is our unique approach to developing our pupils’ voracity for knowledge, understanding and betterment. The opportunity to perpetually focus on marginal learning gains is an exceptionally powerful tool for both school and life beyond.

Undoubtedly, being an independent or even interdependent learner with a ‘better never stops’ growth mindset are key factors in Finborough pupils becoming highly successful people, dovetailing perfectly with our focus on Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, at the core of our innovative and progressive leadership programme at the school.

This philosophy extends way beyond the classroom. It finds its way out onto the sports field, onto the stage and to the creative confidence required at the easel. The wealth of experiences on offer for Finborough pupils is astounding and, as you might expect, their engagement is quite exceptional.

For our community of boarders – full, weekly or those who stay over occasionally through our flexi boarding options – Finborough really is a home from home. They are cared for expertly by a fantastic team of house staff and enjoy a plethora of opportunities beyond the packed school schedule.

At Finborough we understand that investing in the culture of any organisation is key to success.

That is why over the past decade The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, written by Stephen Covey, has been used to develop and shape our culture. All our staff have attended the signature training which is an intense 2/3 day personal development programme. Our teachers are in the position of developing people every day, it is our firm belief that we should provide continual personal and professional development for all our staff, to ensure they are the best educators.

The seven habits is common sense, the benefits to individuals of adopting the habits are extensive and therefore the benefits to organisations and the people within are plentiful.

Upon entry to our sixth form you attend the Seven Habits of Highly Effective teenagers programme. This is a two day programme written by Sean Covey that adapts the habits with more age specific language. The Seven Habits teenage programme is a guide to help improve self-confidence, build friendships, resist peer pressure, achieve goals, and get along with parents! Finborough is the only independent school in the country to be running this prestigious course. Our students will be leaving Finborough and entering a highly competitive world for university places and careers. Students need more than great results now to get a job; they need the self-confidence and self-belief to really make an impact. This programme, alongside the other life skills sessions, will provide additional knowledge and tools that are required in our competitive marketplace.

Every half term the whole school focuses on one habit using age appropriate language and methodology. So our children in Year 1 will have written their mission statements (which is part of habit 2 Begin with the End in Mind) alongside our Year 11 students. The sixth formers help to deliver the habits to the younger pupils, which in turn reinforces their learning. As Covey states you only truly start to live the habits once you have taught them. A common language is developed both in and out of the classroom so it is not uncommon to here 6 year olds talking about being proactive and 14 year olds looking for a win win solution!

At Finborough School we are committed to providing each pupil with the best preparation for life. We are clear that this will be delivered through a number of different strategies.

We have an eclectic group of teachers who bring different life experiences, are from a wide range of countries and are a mix of age groups. Our teachers are involved in wider school life and therefore get a chance to see our pupils in and outside of the classroom. We are investing heavily in their personal and professional development to ensure they are the best educators.

When we say environment we not only mean the location and facilities but also the day-to-day workings of the school. Multi million pound investment has seen the opening of a new sports hall and the multi purpose Sky Room alongside a Paddy and Scotts café (which the sixth formers can work in around their studies to gain life experience and earn some money!) Refurbished boarding houses and classrooms, a dedicated forest schools area, a dedicated learning lounge and updated computer labs alongside dining room extensions, the list goes on!

Our school motto is strive for the highest. This ethos is in everything we do, from a piece of art work to maths homework, to playing for the rugby and netball team or singing in the school choir our pupils are encouraged to give it their all. Learnability is our unique framework which enables exceptional educational outcomes and truly inspiring life long learning through self awareness that drives the quest for continued improvement We have an outstanding track record of providing value added education, which simply means enabling your child to perform above expectations.

Our culture is shaped through the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (link) and the unique Learnability framework (link). A common language has been developed which enables our staff to assist each pupil in developing confidence, self esteem and a sense of identity which in turn ensures students achieve their best academically. At Finborough we want our pupils to be themselves and be proud of who they are.

The school has been in business for over 25 years. We are committed to seeing the school continue to grow. We never want to become complacent so we are always observing our competitors with a view to staying one step ahead. We have a sound financial plan which will enable us to continue the school’s development. The school is family owned and family run therefore we are not accountable financially to any other external bodies and do not have to use paying parents’ revenue to subsidise others.