School life: Importance of educating the whole person at Heathfield

However, any School that focuses too narrowly on old-fashioned notions of what constitutes academic success in the 21st Century risks letting down the children in its care. Heathfield runs about forty different clubs and activities through the year, all designed to stimulate and encourage a wide range of skills and abilities. It is important that young people enjoy as many different experiences as possible, within a safe and nurturing space.

With activities ranging from chess to gymnastics, from story-telling to fencing, or from sit’n’stitch to rock climbing, Heathfield takes the opportunities presented by a huge site, by a range of facilities and by a staff of specialist teachers to ensure that there is every opportunity for the true education of each and every pupil, whatever their strengths and whatever their interests. Anthony Wilkins, the Head of Heathfield, said: “At a time when there is growing concern about the mental health of our young people nationally, practical ways of boosting confidence through competence are essential, both for the children themselves and for the wider community in which they will live and work.”