THE FARLINGTON ETHOS

We are extremely proud of the Farlington ethos: to inspire curisoity through learning, and to celebrate academic and extra-curricular achievements equally, thus building a strong foundation for future professional and personal success.

Our students are firmly at the heart of all that we do; we are committed to providing a creative, inclusive and purposeful learning environment where opportunities abound. We aim to create globally aware citizens who have confidence and understand the value of collective responsibility.

A Happy Learning Environment

Our staff pride themselves on an ability to harness your child’s academic talents and their priority is to provide an education which challenges and inspires all pupils, irrespective of ability.

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This is done in different ways throughout Lower School, Middle School, Senior School and Sixth Form, but for all age groups, the Farlington learning style is designed to suit the needs of pupils in a supportive environment.

Our small class sizes strike the right balance of challenge and nurture, academic rigour and inspiration, and success is apparent in our consistently strong examination results, and in particular in our exceptional 'value added' score, which places Farlington in the top 1% nationally.

For a smaller school, Farlington offers an impressive range of subjects at both GCSE and A-Level, and results are consistently impressive. Whilst examination results are of course only one measure of a school's success, we are justifiably proud of what our pupils achieve at both GCSE and A-Level each year.

In addition to our excellent academic results, Farlington achieves fantastic 'Value Added' results. In 2019, Farlington was placed 35th out of 4,470 schools and colleges in England when comparing 'Value Added' scores (progress made between the end of GCSE and the end of A- Level studies, compared to similar students across the country).

Every year, our Sixth Form students are successful in gaining places at their first choice of university. Please see Academic Results & University Destinations to find out more.

A Focus on Wellbeing

Just as you do, we want your child to achieve their very best at Farlington, but – more importantly – we want every pupil in our care to be happy. For this reason, the school has a very strong pastoral vision and a whole-school ethos geared towards wellbeing, promoting a positive and holistic approach to good mental health.

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In practice, this means that we encourage an engaged and enthusiastic approach to life, from awareness of healthy eating, exercise and relaxation, to strategies on how to cope with the pressures of examination season. Wellbeing is a key topic discussed at our Student Council meetings, where pupils are given a voice and can raise concerns and put forward ideas. We also carry out regular surveys throughout the year, to gauge students’ confidence levels and mood.

In recent years the importance of increasing resilience levels in young people has been highlighted and Farlington is proud to say that we are at the forefront of this initiative. As part of this we include the Penn Resilience Programme throughout the school as part of our Life Skills programme. The Penn Resilience Programme is considered the gold standard of resilience training and aims to provide our students with the necessary skills to bounce back from the potential adversities that life may throw at them.

For those pupils who do need extra support, our Tutor system, overseen by Heads of School, ensures that a tailored and individual plan, supporting and meeting the needs of that student, can be set up quickly and efficiently.

At Farlington, you can be confident that throughout their time with us, your child will be supported and encouraged to surpass their own expectations; staff will take time to really get to know and understand your child and will work with them to achieve their very best.

The Farlington Wellbeing Centre

In May 2024, we were delighted to welcome the wonderful Alicia Drummond of Teen Tips to officially open our new on-site Wellbeing Centre.

Find out more about our fantastic PTA-funded Wellbeing Centre here.

Wellbeing Centre 1

Inclusion & Achievement

At Farlington, we endeavour to support all pupils to achieve their potential. We offer a diverse curriculum that will be accessible, engaging and challenging to all.

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Farlington's Inclusion & Achievement Department acknowledges that each pupil is unique, and aims to support individual needs with a varied approach. Personal development is considered important and all members of staff are responsible for nurturing individual progress.

If you have any queries about our Inclusion & Achievement Department, or would like to talk to a member of staff about your child's needs, please contact our Admissions Team, by telephone on 01403 282573 or by email: admissions@farlingtonschool.com.

Pupil Voice

Pupil voice is important throughout the school, and Farlington students are encouraged to be part of our Student Council, which is made up of pupils from Reception right up to Year 13.

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The Student Council enables students to contribute their ideas about how to ensure that the school offers the best possible environment for young people. We invite opinion on all matters pertaining to school life, from the range of clubs on offer to the catering provision; from the books available in the Library to the decoration of the Boarding House.

Student Council elections take place termly, and meetings are organised on a regular basis.

A Strong Community

It may be a cliché, but Farlington truly does have a family feel, and our community is tight-knit and welcoming.

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We understand that it is not just your child who is joining our school; it is the whole family. We are justifiably proud of the work that parents and staff do together to ensure a cohesive and fun experience for all members of our community.

All parents are automatically invited to join the friendly and flourishing PTA, which supports the school in a variety of projects and events. We encourage all parents to get involved with these events, whether organising or simply attending. Supporting PTA events helps to enrich school life for our students, and is also a great way to get to know other parents.

Charity Fundraising

Pupils of all ages are encouraged to have an awareness of the wider community, and, through charity fundraising and voluntary service, appreciate the impact that they can have on the lives of others. As a result, students leave us with the skills and experience to make a difference to the community around them and the wider community.

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Throughout the year, we support a wide range of charities. Often we respond to a charity that has a particular significance to us as a school, and at other times we respond to disasters or issues which are occurring at a national or global level.

We are always keen to connect with our local community, and a significant number of students and staff give their time generously as volunteers, sometimes on a one-off basis but more often on a regular basis, for example volunteering in a charity shop or in a local drop-in centre.

Every year, the school runs the following charity fundraising intitiatives:

Harvest Festival - food donations are collected and given to local charity Horsham Matters for distribution each autumn
Every December, Farlington pupils collect and deliver wrapped boxes of chocolates to the elderly and those in need in our local community
The annual Farlington Carol Service at St Mary's Church in Horsham raises money for Shooting Star Children’s Hospices
Each year, groups of Year 9 students fundraise for Chestnut Tree House, a local hospice that provides respite care for families of children with terminal conditions