Upper School
York House
Contact

Upper School

Contact
York House

Our Upper School is for girls and boys in Years 7 and 8, where the key focus is on strong academics, personal development and ensuring all students transition to senior schools as well-rounded individuals ready to take on their next challenge.

Within the Upper School, pastoral care continues to be focused on, creating an environment where all students feel safe and inspired to be the best versions of themselves. We encourage pupils to be motivated in contributing to every aspect of school life. 

Throughout our Upper School, we use specialist subject teachers and dedicated subject-specific classrooms, with pupils further benefiting from small class sizes. The approach at this stage is to guide students, to empower them to think critically and to work collaboratively. They are given new opportunities such as leadership and mentoring roles, and key responsibilities in school-wide events, in order to apply their learned skills.  

There is a strong focus on leadership and pupils are given responsibility as role models to display our pupil aims and set a positive example to all. Pupils display their maturity and self-reliance through their positions of responsibility as well as carrying out important duties around the school. Upper School students play a considerable role in helping the younger pupils during House Days and are able to demonstrate their attitudes as teaching assistants in Pre-Prep during school sporting events.  During out sectional assemblies we are able to reward, acknowledge and reinforce our school values with commendations and pupil badges. 

Our diverse range of extra-curricular activities extends to the Upper school with a wide variety of sports and outdoor pursuits available. Years 7 and 8 both embark on exciting residential trips, travelling to France and the Scottish Highlands respectively. The Year 8s also take part in a summer term school leaver programme, taking part in exciting activities to celebrate their time at York House as well as developing life skills through workshops, first aid courses, careers seminars and the opportunities to give back to the community through volunteer work. 

Every educational need is catered for with an emphasis on finding senior schools that are the 'right fit' for each individual student. Pupils with high academic potential follow an accelerated course leading to scholarship exams, and this tailored approach results in successfully securing places at leading day and boarding independent schools.

Preparing our students for the next stage of their educational journey is an incredibly important part of Upper School. We hope that through all of their experiences they are ready to move on to their new schools with confidence, enthusiasm and fond memories of their time here at York House.