Page 4 . Farming Express
FARMING
EXPRESS
EDUCATION IN FOCUS KING HENRY VIII SCHOOL 2013
‘ STARS OF TRACK AND FIELD ’
King Henry VIII School can be found tucked neatly alongside the War Memorial Park in
Coventry , but this leafy , suburban location belies an incredible tradition of Outdoor Education . 2012 -13 has been another bumper year for the school , which continues to offer a truly rounded education to its students and a welcome change from the largely examfocused , academic thrust of some notable local rivals . The ‘ stars of track and field ’ at King Henry VIII School are not the sportsjocks of popular American culture , rather they are the fit , skilful , determined sort of youngsters who are often found ankle-deep in mud on the tracks and fields of Warwickshire . King Henry VIII School currently boasts the National Champions in no less than four different disciplines : Girls ’ U18 British School ’ s Orienteering ; U16 Boys ’ Orienteering winner ; Girls ’ and Boys ’ U16 British Schools ’ Fell-Running . The Orienteers will now go on to represent Great Britain at international level next year . The Senior Cross Country Running A and B teams have recently won the Birmingham Schools ’ League . King Henry VIII School is one of the leading providers of the Duke of Edinburgh Award in the country with the vast majority of students completing at least their Bronze and Silver awards by the time they are sixteen . The Sixth Form allows them to continue to the Gold Award . Many Sixth Formers will round off their time at the school by joining the South Africa Eco-Safari , a month-long expedition based on conservation , voluntary work and exploration . How do they do it ? The Headmaster , Jason Slack , attributes the success of his students to the unique atmosphere of the school where every student is valued and supported , to the tenacity of the youngsters themselves and to the skilled and endlessly supportive teachers who give of their own time in order to lead the training and trips that are required if such great success is to become so commonplace . The school ’ s success in the great outdoors is not at the expense of other areas of the curriculum , however . King Henry VIII School is very popular and currently boasts its largest ever Sixth Form as testament to the success of students recently in their GCSE and A Level exams . The school averages 19 % A * s at A Level and 45 % of students get all A * or A grades in these challenging exams ; way above the national average for independent schools . Academic and outdoor pursuits match one another pace for pace , it seems . King Henry VIII Prep School offers the same high standard of all-round education from 3 to 11 year olds and is currently over-subscribed in many of its year groups . Highlights of 2013 are likely to include the incredible overseas trips that are on offer to the fortunate students . The senior Rugby tour of Chile departs in August , whilst the boys ’ and girls ’ Hockey squads are off to Sri Lanka and Malaysia in July for some tough matches against club sides . At a time when some parents are finding it challenging to invest their hard-earned savings in an independent school education , King Henry VIII School ’ s students ’ successes surely show exactly why an outstanding education is better value than ever , even in tough economic times . The successes of the school can now be followed on Twitter using # KHVIII School or on the website www . khviii . com