Test Valley is a small, rural, high achieving school whose motto “in pursuit of personal excellence” underpins our daily ethos.

What does this mean in practice?

Test Valley is a small, rural, high achieving school

• The small, rural nature of the school allows every child to be nurtured, grow and flourish. Because of the safe environment pupils feel they can challenge themselves academically and socially, without fear of failure.
• Test Valley school is a happy, friendly, family environment in which pupils, parents and school colleagues work together in partnership. The size of the school means that everyone knows each other – parents, pupils and colleagues alike.
• The size of the school means there is an extra ordinarily strong sense of belonging and community. Because every child is known as an individual and appreciated for who they are, they feel safe and included.
• Every child is known so they can be challenged and supported to achieve personal excellence. We add particular stretch and challenge for our most confident learners while offering support and scaffolding for those less confident.
• The size of the school allows all pupils to the skills of leadership at some level. Opportunities such as D of E, pupil committees, pupils as leaders of learning, pupil mentors and Sports Leaders are just some of the ways we do this.

Test Valley is a small, rural, high achieving school

• The school sits in an extensive rural setting which creates a sense of calm, awe and wonder. We have a quiet environment away from the hustle and bustle with all the advantages of a beautiful natural setting.
• The uniqueness of our environment is reflected in our strong links with the community and businesses who support us.
• We utilise this aspect to broaden our curriculum and make clear links with the rural environment to enhance learning and develop real life experiences. For example, we make real our learning in science through links with the Leckford Estate.
• The concept of Stewardship is at the heart of our school – stewardship of each other, stewardship of our learning and stewardship of our school, local, national and global environment.

Test Valley is a small, rural, high achieving school

• We are aspirational for all our school community – in pursuit of personal excellence underpins our ethos for pupils and colleagues alike.
• As a school we believe in being curious, learning from experiences. We have a growth mind-set- always questioning and learning.
• We have high expectations for every pupil’s academic performance – through careful monitoring, intervention and challenge. We aim to ensure all our pupils achieve to the very best of their ability, whatever their starting point. There are no ceilings to success
• Our high aspirations go beyond academic performance – We want our pupils to be lifelong learners; to face challenges and problems, learning from mistakes and finding solutions. We want them to build resilience, confidence and the ability to thrive independently and together in today’s challenging modern society.