Welcome to the Upper School

In the Upper School, as the students continue their education at The Cavendish High Academy we are always working hard to inspire, learn, enjoy and achieve. The specialist teaching staff give the students lots of opportunities to develop a range of new skills and apply them in lots of different ways. The students build on the knowledge gained in Lower School moving forward in their learning to aid their journey into being a young adult. We want to ensure they are fully prepared for the challenges of sixth form life and therefore the students are encouraged to take more responsibility for their learning, behaviour and social skills. We work together to raise their aspirations and self esteem, removing barriers to allow them to reach their full potential. All students are working towards an appropriate level of independence, by accessing such opportunities as ‘Travel Training’ and ‘Work Experience.’

Upper School Vision & Curriculum

We aim to provide our students with a rich, stimulating and creative learning environment that allows access and achievement for all. We accomplish this through a carefully planned child-centred curriculum that has been designed to reflect the learning needs of our students. We have high expectations for all of the students and we continue to ensure they are accessing the most appropriate learning pathway. Working in partnership with parents/carers guarantees that we are all working towards the same outcomes for our students. The curriculum topics have been chosen to ignite the students’ interests and engagement in learning. We follow a carefully planned two year cycle of study, for years 9 & 10 and years 11 & 12.  During this time students are also able to choose ‘options’ such as dance, cookery and wood work. 

Organisation of Classes

Students are taught in year groups based on their learning styles and needs. Our groupings allow lessons to stretch students and match work closely to their ability. It also ensures that students with greater needs can access higher levels of staff support and that the curriculum can be adapted to meet their specific needs.

Our classes are arranged into, year 9, year 10 and years 11 & 12. Occasionally, we may have groups which cross both Key Stages, depending on the needs of the students.

Each student’s Class teacher is responsible for overseeing the personal and social needs of their class. As well as a Class Teacher, each class also has Teaching Assistants (TAs); who have an important role in supporting the work of the Class Teacher and meeting the needs of the students.