Aims
When Canbury School was first established in 1982, becoming a registered charity in 1990, the aim of its Founder and first Headmaster, Mr. John Wyatt, was “to promote and provide for the advancement of education (and in connection therewith to conduct, carry on, acquire and develop in the UK any boarding or day school or schools for the education of children of either sex or both sexes)”.
Mr. Wyatt, who now serves as one of the Governors of the School, set up a generous endowment fund from his own resources to support the School in providing a rounded education for boys and girls aged 11 – 16. That fund has provided help for physical developments and other pressing needs but more importantly, for the entire life of the School, it has funded Bursaries for children who were qualified for entry but whose families were unable to afford the fees.
There are two other important aims within the culture of Canbury which must be highlighted and which have been part of the culture of the School since its foundation. Firstly, Canbury has always provided excellent professional and specialist assistance to pupils with special educational needs, within the context of running a successful educational programme for children of all abilities; and secondly the School has always encouraged enrolment by pupils from other countries who have settled in this country, with special provision being made for them in English for Speakers of Other Languages courses.
These aims are accurately reflected in the founding documents for the School.
Strategy
The Board’s strategy continues to be, as it has been for the 25 years of its successful existence, to educate all the School’s pupils to a high standard, while retaining the School’s personal touch, and to encourage individual success.
An important strategic objective was recently achieved with the completion of a large building project, replacing temporary science laboratory and preparation room facilities; and with the improvement of the pupils’ changing rooms, three classrooms, the staff room and staff toilets.
The budgetary strategy is to remunerate the School’s teaching staff in line with increases agreed by the Government for teachers in the maintained sector; and to make provision for the School to provide adequate resources to deliver as broad a curriculum as possible, given the facilities; and to maintain School premises and buildings at a high standard, in compliance with all relevant legislation.
Significant Activities and Achievements: 2009/10
A: Class Sizes
While not itself an “achievement”, it is nevertheless a crucially important part of Canbury’s activities that the number of pupils remains limited, by the founder’s original decision and now also by a condition on the School’s planning permission. With a limit of 65 students, the staff:student ratio is 1:5.
This ensures that every child’s needs, skills and ambitions are well understood by the staff; problems in learning are identified and addressed at an early stage; and the individual styles of teaching required, and the workloads expected of the children, are all finely tuned. As a result pupils develop their self-confidence quickly, make friends easily and achieve higher levels of participation in class. More children experience the responsibilities of office – as prefects, members of the School Council and so on – than they would in a larger school.
B: Bursaries
In assessing financial eligibility for bursaries the School employs a number of criteria that take account of the income and capital resources of the applicant. The Head, in consultation with the Bursar, determines the level of support awarded. Individual eligibility is re-assessed annually.
Advertisements, notices in school guides, the prospectus and website advertise the availability of bursaries; and information is also sent to feeder schools.
For 2009/10, 7 bursary awards have been made, totalling £29,220; in effect to over 10% of the pupils.
C: Support for children with special or additional needs
While Canbury’s main objective is to operate as a mainstream secondary school, the School in fact provides an environment that caters for a number of pupils who are often highly sensitive, emotionally scarred and vulnerable. This calm, relaxed family atmosphere is not generally available in the maintained sector.
In 2009/10, there are 6 children attending Canbury who have statements of special educational needs from 5 LEAs. These are children who have not been able to deal with their maintained school environment and the benefits to them and to the supporting Authorities are clearly very important.
Apart from these, and in the same year, a proportion of the remaining pupils have lesser difficulties, which nevertheless require the particularly close care and attention which is the hallmark of the Canbury ethos. They include pupils from the autistic spectrum and those with Aspergers syndrome; children dealing with problems of dyslexia and dyspraxia; those with physical disabilities – as well as “school phobics”; and those who are emotionally vulnerable.
Special care is also required for those in public examination classes so that, for example, about 9 of the GCSE candidates in 2010 required additional time for their examinations. The School also pays particular attention to the needs of Gifted and Talented children on the School roll, and assists them in finding a suitable Sixth Form institution.
In summary, Canbury is a mainstream school catering also for the education of children with special or additional needs. The care and tuition of these children is clearly of great public benefit.
D: Support for non-British pupils
Canbury has always welcomed foreign pupils whose families have settled in this country and the School provides a special English language course (ESOL – English for Speakers of Other Languages) for pupils who speak little or no English. In 2009/10 there were 5 pupils enrolled on this programme.
Through the initiative of staff members, the School also actively supports a Kenyan School, (Shariani Primary School in Vipingo) in a variety of practical ways, including the provision of books, games equipment and clothing.
E: Academic Results
The School achieves academic results which are well above the national average for a non-selective school and which show excellent added value. In 2009, the GCSE pass rate at grade A-C was 82% of which 5.9% were A* and 22% A grades.
F: Teacher Training
We both train our own teachers and provide work experience for people, including sixth formers from a nearby community school, who are considering a career in teaching at no cost to the state. Non teaching staff are encouraged to benefit from the School’s in-service training budget.
G: Service to the Community and Extra-Curricular activities
Staff at the School have been particularly active in the organisation of sports tournaments in football, netball, basketball, athletics and tennis. These are opened up for up to half a dozen neighbouring State, and other specialist and independent, schools. At least one of the tournaments each year is organised for children with special needs.
Pupils are actively involved in local conservation projects for the collection of cardboard, paper and printer ink cartridges for recycling.
Places for children from the maintained sector are provided for them to gain work experience as Learning Support Assistants and as Clerical Assistants.
Despite its readiness to make its premises available for the use of other schools and the local community, Canbury is not able to do so due to the stringent planning restrictions applying to the site.
H: Charitable Outreach
The School is actively engaged in charitable work in the local community. This benefits both the community and those pupils engaged in the work by developing their sense of social responsibility. In recent past years, the local charities which have received support from Canbury pupils, staff and parents have been
- The Shooting Star Children’s Hospice at Hampton
- National Children’s Home Warren Park
- Kingston WelCare
- Born Too Soon (at Kingston Hospital)
- Kingston Churches Action Against Homelessness.
Future Plans
The Governing Body will be keeping all of these public benefits under review and will seek ways, with the help of the staff of Canbury, to enhance the School’s contribution to public benefit.
Among the possibilities now under active consideration is the organisation of a vocational course which will be open to pupils in the maintained sector, the rebuilding of reserves for bursarial support and the building up of links with former pupils of the School. The possibility of the facilities being used by other schools or by the community is ruled out at present by the planning conditions, but the possibility of some relaxation of these is to be examined further.