About Newtown School

Background

Founded and run by the Religious Society of Friends, Newtown draws pupils of all religious persuasions and appreciates the contribution of all denominations to our society. It is our belief that a caring society that dedicates itself to the eternal values common to all religions will lead its members towards a real religious commitment.

Aims

The School aims to promote a sense of caring for others, which includes pupils, teachers and other staff and extends to a commitment to the local community and the outside world. Within this caring community the school seeks to provide a sound liberal education for life, aimed at preparing its pupils for the environment that they will meet in the future. It is committed to a mixed ability intake and aims to foster adaptability, self-motivation, confidence and a sense of responsibility amongst all its pupils.

The school aims to communicate a set of values, which reflect a balance between the spiritual and material aspects of life. In such an environment encouragement is more desirable than negative criticism. All pupils are of value and worthy of respect and the school aims to convey this to its pupils so they should not only realise this but also behave accordingly.

Comment

Attitudes to discipline, work, games and general school life all arise from the central aims of caring for one another. School rules need to be seen to be relevant to the harmonious development of everyone and yet allow some flexibility. Encouragement to act responsibly is of the greatest importance and it is valuable for all children to be given responsibility appropriate to their maturity.

The intention is that staff find their work rewarding and despite the growing pressures of modern school life there should always be time for staff and pupils to talk together and work together, inside and outside the classroom. The individual attention that is required if we are to care for all our pupils implies the personal interest of the teachers and recognition must be made for the demands that this makes on them.

As an extension of our care for the individual the school should also have a commitment to the community. In this area of service, as in many other areas within school and outside it, the involvement of parents is of enormous benefit to the school.

In a rapidly changing world, education must concern itself more and more with the type of student it is producing rather than the actual content to be studied. Adaptability, confidence, the courage to make changes where they are necessary and above all the ability to get on with other people are amongst the qualities that Newtown fosters in its pupils. Where our teaching is becoming irrelevant we must work to change it, always remembering that children thirst for experience and learn through it. All too often the classroom is a containing exercise. We must move increasingly towards an education that is based upon practical experience. While good examination results are always desirable and offer pupils paths into the future, they are of little use unless the pupils have gained the qualities necessary to explore those paths with independence and courage. Therefore we should prepare are leavers for all aspects of life and not concentrate exclusively upon their academic requirements.