EDUCATIONAL
PHILOSOPHYEDUCATIONAL
PHILOSOPHY
The
success of the education that we offer our pupils is determined by criteria that
include the following:
Are we fulfilling our Mission?
Are we recognising and satisfying our pupils’ individual needs?
Are we encouraging and assisting them to fulfill their potential?
Have we channeled their development along constructive and enriching lines?
Have we laid a foundation for a sound and
moral character that will assist pupils in coping with the world’s
challenges?
CO-EDUCATION
We
believe that co-education is the best way to prepare pupils to become successful
and well-adjusted adults. By structuring ourselves to arrange for boys and girls
to mature together from Pre-Primary through to Bridging Year, we are able to
address specific gender issues at appropriate developmental stages. Our
structure also facilitates the development of healthy and natural attitudes
between boys and girls.
After its long history as a school for boys, Kingswood College took the decisive step of admitting girls in 1974. The consequences have been beneficial both inside and outside the classroom.
The Kingswood College experience is that co-educational classrooms are more stimulating for staff and pupils. Activities like Music, Drama and Art are made richer by the joint involvement of girls and boys.
Boys and girls learn to respect one another for the different contributions that they make to life in the College. Pupils leave well-equipped for the lives which they will lead in the world of men and women, having a keener sense of when gender differences are relevant or irrelevant.
VALUESReligious participation is necessary for teaching spiritual values.
With its Methodist foundation and tradition, Kingswood College stands firmly on the principles of Christian beliefs and values. In an increasingly muddled world, children need to establish their own faith and be given firm guidance about values and morality
The College appoints its own Chaplain in consultation with the Methodist Church. The Chaplain is readily available for pupils and staff on both spiritual and secular matters. Confirmation takes place every year and children of a diversity of denominations are confirmed, each in their own particular faith.
Tolerance is vital to the Kingswood ethos and children from a variety of faiths are enrolled and welcomed at Kingswood. The Chapel is at the centre and in the heart of the College. Worship is gentle but determined, infusing the broader ethos of the College with warmth and sensible Wesleyan values.
We aim to instil in pupils
the vital necessity for social skills, social awareness and social conscience. A
spirit of tolerance must be developed in each pupil.
While the Chapel may be at the centre of the College, it also aims to be part of the wider community. Pupils are encouraged to become involved in community development projects under the auspices of the Intergraded Community Development Programme Trust, and especially at the Lebone Centre for vulnerable children. Projects which pupils supervise include afternoon care, educational enrichment and computer literacy classes. Pupils are encouraged to show concern for and interest in those less fortunate than themselves.
