The academic life of a school is not just the learning that takes place in class but the breadth and depth of activities both in and out of the classroom. Heathfield is renowned for its strong and vibrant creative and dramatic tradition. What is not so well known is that we are also an academically ambitious and rigorous school, where we prepare our students for careers which have not yet been discovered. Therefore it is vital that our curriculum is skill based as well as ensuring that every student has the relevant academic qualifications to progress onwards to their own particular future goals.
The size of our school means that every student is known which enables our dedicated and talented teachers to engage and motivate every single student. Small class sizes and individual teaching boosts achievement. Heathfield students benefit from a remarkable 4 : 1 student-teacher ratio. Personalised learning plans and performance monitoring help staff and students to analyse progress.
At the heart of what we do is the ability to add value to every student’s education. Value Added is a score produced by the Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring at Durham University, which analyse subject performance and student ability data. For example, our average value added at GCSE was 2.1 (2025 results) of a grade above MidYIS baseline. We cater for all, be they Highly Able, with a Special Educational Need or Disability, with English as a Foreign Language or none of these. We celebrate the success of all and do so often with students regularly given public recognition for their achievement with Highflyer and Progress Awards.
