Academic Overview

Parent Quote 1

Our daughter has achieved beyond her expectations, mainly due to the good advice she received when joining, and watching her academic confidence grow has been lovely to watch. 

Whether your child becomes one of our Oxbridge candidates, or successfully achieves a much-strived-for C grade in end of year exams, you can be confident that they will have been stretched to achieve their personal potential.

The academic programme for pupils of all ages at Felsted is dynamic and progressive. Throughout both the Prep and Senior Schools, teachers draw on the latest research into teaching and learning to deliver lessons that are exciting, engaging and tailored exactly to the class and the individuals within it. Learning is brought to life on a regular basis, through visits and talks by outside experts, workshops and hands-on sessions, and a round of trips and excursions designed to demonstrate to the pupils that their knowledge they are learning has an application in the real world.

Much of the academic challenge comes from within, from our relentless focus on a growth mindset, working hard and being the best you can be. This is summarised formally in the Senior School, in the qualities of our Philosophy of Learning – readiness, resilience, reflection, resourcefulness and responsibility – on which your child’s curriculum and learning experience will be founded. Our tutor system ensures that your child’s individual needs are constantly being met and reviewed, whether that’s through our More Academically Able (MAA) programme or personalised learning support.

Mindful of the current pressures on young people, particularly in adolescence, academic challenge is accompanied by generous helpings of support, nurture and encouragement so that your child does not fall prey to the pitfalls of performance anxiety.

GSG Senior Quote 4

Without being highly selective, and despite the lure of local grammar schools, pupils do very well in exams with a solid cohort getting top grades across the board at GCSE and A level. Results in English, maths, history, and all three sciences stand out at GCSE, with languages and the creative subjects (especially drama, music and DT) also doing well.

The Good Schools Guide

GSG Senior Quote 5

At A level, there is a high take up for economics, politics and psychology and results in these subjects are particularly good. Maths, further maths, history and languages all popular too. The IB runs alongside and is taken by roughly a third of pupils. ‘Two of mine opted for the IB and one for A levels. It is great that both options were possible in the same school,’ said a parent.

The Good Schools Guide

GSG Senior Quote 6

Subject staff are all involved pastorally and know pupils well - ‘they are a really committed and able bunch.’

The Good Schools Guide

GSG Senior Quote 7

The move to online teaching during the pandemic speeded up digital teaching methods already underway and now, ‘we have incorporated so much that we learnt during that time into our regular classroom practice,’ says school. It helps in tailoring personal work programmes and sometimes means pupils can ask for help without drawing attention to themselves.

The Good Schools Guide