With so much being talked about by educational professionals about the benefits to a world-class education, including better grade outcomes and higher future earning potential... hear from Finham Park School students the honest reasons why they come to school each day. (2:31 mins)
Developing resilience in young people is an important part of any educator's role, particularly. Considering the global context, it is important to equip them with the tools to face challenges, to face changes in their lives and to equip them with the tools to face things that are of concern.
This week, Finham has continued to prepare students for upcoming external exams, utilising one-to-one mentoring, taking students on external revision courses, utilising 'thinking hard' strategies in mentoring time and providing revision tools in lessons to support them.
This is also true for staff who face many challenges each day. Wellbeing charters and employee assistance programs are an important mechanism to ensure that all are supported in a structured way.
But there is also the need for less formal support. When key staff leave for example, adapting to new ways of working, communicating and presenting to others is essential as the old ways change overnight.
This is made much easier by the support of excellent colleagues who ensure that functions of the school continue uninterrupted.
Following a rigorous selection process, Finham Park School is celebrating a 4* rating from the online platform SchoolGuide.co.uk and is confirmed as a 'Centre of Excellence' in recognition of the work the school is engaged in as it provides valuable learning experiences for its pupils.
TheSchoolGuide.co.uk is a valuable online resource for families navigating the complex process of choosing the right school. By offering data-driven insights, real reviews, and detailed school comparisons, it empowers parents to make well-informed choices about their child’s education. Whether seeking top-ranked academic institutions, schools with strong arts programs, or those with excellent pastoral care, the platform provides the necessary tools to find the best educational fit.
Finham Park School turned into a literary wonderland this World Book Day, and the excitement was contagious! The theme "Reading is a Superpower" took over the school as students and staff celebrated books in the most creative ways possible.
From superheroes to wizards, students arrived in a dazzling array of costumes, each more imaginative than the last. Dressed as characters ranging from Roald Dahl’s mischievous Matilda to the adventurous Harry Potter, the school took part in the "Guess the Character" quiz.
(NB: Can you guess the character / book of the staff dressed up?)
The library remains a book lover’s paradise! The shelves, as always, were bursting with titles, and students eagerly dove into reading challenges, uncovering hidden literary gems.
Following the recent publication of Finham Park School's Ofsted report, it is heartening to reflect on all the school is doing to support the children and young people within the community of learners. Staff at the school continue to work exceptionally hard to ensure the very best support and education is given to all pupils. Ambitious trips, engaging lessons and once-in-a-lifetime opportunities continue to be provided (including the recent trip to Auchswitz, Poland, this week).
Finham Park is a highly inclusive school where everyone is valued and expectations are high for pupils to achieve well. Pupils and staff embody the school’s values, which include humility and kindness. Relationships between pupils and staff are warm and respectful. Pupils speak positively about the support they receive from staff and enjoy their learning.
Pupils feel safe and say they are happy in school.
Pupils welcome the broad range of subjects they can study. For example, the school specialises in a breadth of modern foreign languages, including Mandarin Chinese. Pupils speak positively about the opportunities to continue at least one modern foreign language to GCSE.
Students in the sixth form are exceptionally positive about their learning experiences and the wider opportunities the school provides. The school has rapidly developed its ambitious curriculum in the sixth form. Sixth-form teachers engage students in challenging and independent learning. This enables students to achieve highly. Students make a significant contribution to supporting the school, including through student leadership roles. Students benefit greatly from this exceptional provision.
‘Education is not knowing that Hitler murdered 6 million Jews in WWII. Education is trying to understand what led ordinary people to commit such atrocities against other people so that it never happens again. So tell everyone our story’. (Jewish tour guide).
Thanks to Holocaust-Awareness.org and the Chesterhill Charitable Trust, Finham students returned from a trip to Auschwitz I and II this week. The experience was a meaningful one which reinforced the responsibility to share the stories and experiences of those who were targeted, murdered and abused for their differences.
Jews were the main target of the Nazis, and the greatest number of victims of the Holocaust were Jewish. Nearly seven out of every 10 Jews in Europe were murdered because of their identity (6 million). The Nazis also killed other groups of people, including Roma and disabled people. They arrested and took away the rights of other groups, like gay people and the Nazis' political opponents. Many of them died as a result of their treatment.
‘Those that cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it’ (George Santayana)
‘Auschwitz is a powerful reminder of the unimaginable’
'The most important questions have no answer'
‘Hate is a disease. It destroys others and will also destroy you. If you don’t learn from our experience, we have no future.’ (Holocaust survivor)
‘It happened, therefore it can happen again… it can happen anywhere’ (Primo Levi)
Following very recently validated 2024 outcomes data nationally, Finham Park School is rightly celebrating being 'significantly above national' for the first time ever, according to Ofsted's 'Inspection Data Summary Report'. This was both in terms of progress and attainment. Since the Progress 8 and Attainment 8 measures were included in the accountability measures for schools, the school has been 'above national' averages. However, this recent validation recognises and celebrates the success of students and the hard work they have put in over the many years of their school careers.
Coventry-born musician and ex-Finham Park School student, returned to his alma mater to share industry insights. (In 2022, Garrison played bass guitar on the Lewis Capaldi no.1 hit “Forget Me” and currently tours with James Blunt).
John Garrison, acclaimed musician, returned to his old stomping ground on Thursday, 13th February, to inspire the next generation of musicians. As part of the Ed Sheeran Foundation’s initiative to promote music in education, Garrison visited the school’s music department, offering invaluable advice to GCSE students considering a career in the industry.
Garrison, who attended Finham Park in the late 1980s and was taught music by Mr Todd, recounted his formative years in Coventry. John spoke of his rigorous self-discipline, spending hours in rehearsals each day and honing his craft without ever learning to read sheet music—an ability he acknowledges as beneficial but not essential in the industry. Reflecting on his journey from school band rehearsals to performing on global stages, he emphasised that perseverance and passion remain at the heart of musical success.
Finham welcomed back Christopher to this week. About 80 colleagues from across the region from across primary and secondary phases to discuss how to improve our way of teaching students reading.
He is the author of The Art and Science of Teaching Primary Reading and Primary Reading Simplified. He is an experienced teacher, school leader and consultant, who delivers professional development for schools, trusts and ITT providers on the subject of evidence-informed reading and curriculum development. He also works part-time as a member of Ambition Institute’s learning design team where he co-designed their NPQ in Leading Literacy.
What stood out was the need to expose pupils to as many different texts and opportunities as possible so that they can better understand inference and make predictions. (Like behaviour, unless we teach students how to behave, we are assuming they have an inherent and basic knowledge of the rules around behaviour). In reading comprehension, if students do not have a basic knowledge base for the world around them, then there is little point in teaching them how to infer or predict as they simply just lack the building blocks to demonstrate that skill.
We were delighted to welcome Mark Roberts (returning for the 3rd time) to present as part of our Connecting Learning Suite. Colleagues from across Coventry attended, representing 9 schools across Primary and Secondary schools.
Attendees commented on how useful they found the balance of theory (for example exploring the research behind impactful feedback) alongside the really practical discussions of using non-verbal cues to regulate student behaviour. Mark explored how we can make more positive connections with our learners, both male and female, and featured sections of his latest publication: The Behaviour Whisperer.
This week, Finham students engaged in the ‘Future generations research project’. They were representing future generations and the school in a partnership with Citroën UK and Big issue.
During the visit, the students explored the technical aspects and benefits of electric cars including the new Citroën ë-C3 and Citroën AMI. They posed questions on sustainability and how it is integrated into automotive engineering to Citroën’s UK Managing & Marketing Directors. The media team were blown away by how articulate and confident our students from Years 7, 8 and 9 were in discussing and critiquing the vehicles with adults that they had only just met.
2025 started with Finham Park Multi-Academy Trust's annual conference on 6 January. Colleagues and visiting speakers from across the country delivered superb training on 'Connecting Learning'.
How do we connect with learners and their families and enable connections to be made in their learning through opportunities we present to them, both inside and outside the classroom?