SECONDARY SCHOOL
Learning at Arbor
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QUICK LINKS
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Ecological Approach
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Scholarships
From Year 7 to Sixth Form, students follow an increasingly specialised academic pathway, supported by expert teaching, Ecoliteracy, pastoral care and individual guidance for their next steps.
Secondary education at Arbor combines the English National Curriculum and internationally recognised qualifications with Ecoliteracy, interdisciplinary learning and opportunities for students to apply their knowledge through research, service and action.
From Year 7 through to Sixth Form, students are taught by specialist teachers who develop their subject knowledge and prepare them for increasingly independent study. As students progress, they follow personalised pathways through GCSE, IGCSE, A Level and vocational qualifications, supported by academic, university and careers guidance.
Through Arbor’s Community Impact and Global Impact programmes, students investigate local and global issues, participate in service learning and apply knowledge from different subjects through research, projects and action.
Academic ambition is supported by a strong pastoral structure. Form Tutors, Heads of Year, counsellors, inclusion specialists and senior leaders work together to ensure students are known, supported and appropriately challenged.
Explore the Secondary curriculum
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Why families choose Arbor Secondary
- A rigorous British curriculum taught by specialist subject teachers
- Broad academic foundations at Key Stage 3
- Personalised GCSE, IGCSE and vocational pathways at Key Stage 4
- A Level and vocational pathways in Sixth Form
- Ecoliteracy integrated across academic learning and student life
- The opportunity to complete an Extended Project Qualification
- Pastoral care underpinned by Positive Education
- Personalised support through the Thrive Team
- Dedicated university, careers and future-pathways guidance
- Enrichment, leadership, service and residential opportunities
- Specialist facilities for academic, creative, technical and independent learning
The Secondary curriculum develops secure subject knowledge while giving students opportunities to examine how that knowledge relates to wider ecological, social and economic questions.
Students learn to analyse evidence, communicate clearly and approach complex problems from different perspectives. Specialist teaching and structured subject curricula prepare them for public examinations and increasingly independent study.
Alongside their subject learning, students engage with ecological, social and economic issues through interdisciplinary projects, fieldwork, research and service. Ecoliteracy provides a framework for examining relationships between people, communities and natural systems and considering the consequences of different choices and actions.
Explore our Secondary curriculum
Key Stage 3: Years 7 to 9
Key Stage 3 provides a broad academic foundation across creative, technical, physical and traditional academic subjects.
Students build their subject knowledge while developing the organisation, independence and critical-thinking skills needed for later study. Arbor’s Community Impact Certificate connects interdisciplinary learning with research, community engagement and action.
Key Stage 4: Years 10 and 11
During Key Stage 4, students follow a personalised programme of GCSE, IGCSE and vocational qualifications.
English, mathematics and science form the academic core, alongside additional subjects selected to reflect each student’s strengths and future plans.
All students also participate in Level 1 of Arbor’s Global Impact Certificate, incorporating Global Perspectives IGCSE, Arbor Action and Service, presentations and exhibitions.
Key Stage 5: Years 12 and 13
Arbor Sixth Form offers personalised academic and vocational pathways supported by pastoral care and individual university and careers guidance.
Students specialise in subjects aligned with their future plans while developing the independence, research skills and personal responsibility required for further study and employment.
Through the Global Impact Certificate, Branching Out pathways and the optional Extended Project Qualification, students can also pursue interests beyond their principal courses.
The Arbor Promise brings together the experiences and opportunities that support students’ development alongside their academic studies.
Through interdisciplinary learning with an ecological focus, students examine local and global issues, consider relationships between people and natural systems and identify ways in which knowledge can inform action.
Service and action learning may take four forms:
- Direct service: Working with people, communities or the environment
- Indirect service: Supporting causes through fundraising, donations or community initiatives
- Advocacy: Raising awareness and encouraging action
- Research: Investigating issues and using evidence to inform potential responses
These experiences give students opportunities to apply their knowledge through service, research, leadership and environmental action.
Pastoral care is an important part of life in Arbor Secondary.
Students meet their Form Tutor each morning and take part in a dedicated weekly tutor session. The pastoral programme covers wellbeing, positive psychology, relationships and social health education, digital wellbeing and values-based learning.
The wider support network includes Form Tutors, Heads of Year, the Secondary Counsellor, Secondary SENDCO, Thrive Team and senior leaders. Working with families, they support students through the academic, social and personal demands of Secondary School.
Positive Education gives students practical strategies for developing resilience, recognising their strengths and supporting their wellbeing. Restorative approaches support responsibility, reflection and positive relationships across the school community.
Students have a range of opportunities to take responsibility and contribute to school life.
Leadership opportunities include:
- Student Council and year representatives
- Wellbeing Council
- Eco Council
- Global Awareness Council
- Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Council
- Innovation Council
- Library Council
- House representatives
- Sports captains
- Senior student roles
Student leaders receive training through the Student Leadership Challenge®, supporting the development of practical leadership skills.
The Arbor Enrichment Experience brings wider opportunities together through seven strands:
- Arbor Competes
- Arbor Explores
- Arbor Inquires
- Arbor Inspires
- Arbor Performs
- Arbor Creates
- Arbor Extends
Activities take place before school, during lunchtime and after school and may include sport, performing arts, innovation, academic enrichment, outdoor education, enterprise, service and leadership.
Secondary students have access to specialist facilities for subject teaching, practical work, independent study, performance, sport and student life.
These include:
- Science laboratories
- Art, food technology and design and technology facilities
- Music technology facilities and professional recording studios
- IT and computing spaces
- Library
- Sports courts, pitches and swimming pools
- Black box and performance spaces
- Biodomes and indoor and outdoor green learning spaces
- Dedicated Sixth Form facilities
- Flexible seminar and breakout spaces
The Marketplace provides a flexible setting for study, collaborative work, presentations and exhibitions.
The Wahah, at the centre of Secondary, provides spaces for students to meet and spend time together, alongside a mini-auditorium and the Farmhouse Café.
Visit Arbor to meet members of our Secondary team, explore our specialist learning spaces and discover how academic ambition, purposeful action and personalised care come together.
