Chiltern Hills Academy
Welcome to the Chiltern Hills Academy. The Chiltern Hills Academy presents a unique opportunity for us to radically transform learning and the aspirations of students, families and the wider community in Chesham and the surrounding area.
Our highest priority at the Academy is to provide an environment to our students that excites, motivates and challenges them and encourages lifelong learning and an interest in the world around them. I want all our students and our team of staff to be happy at the Academy and to be able to realise their full potential in all areas of endeavour.
The Academy is founded on Christian values and principles through an ethos that promotes personal responsibility, self respect, a valuing of the beliefs and views of others, self confidence and a commitment to success and achievement. Embedded within the curriculum are the values of honesty, respect, compassion, love, forgiveness, self-discipline, creativity and hope. We expect all in our community to accept these as a foundation for their work. We have high expectations of our students and encourage our young people to also have high expectations of themselves and others.
We help students to reach the very highest standards of excellence and meet each individual's academic, personal and social needs. We expect students to wear the school uniform, we insist on good discipline and we are proud of the excellent partnerships which exist between students, staff and parents. We continue to make strong efforts to improve communications with parents, to listen to comments and to suggestions.
We have a central place in the local community. We have very strong links with primary schools, and we work with business and industry to enhance the relevance of the school curriculum. We are keen to work in partnership with companies to enhance the part we play in the education and life of the whole community, and we have ambitious plans to develop this role. We have a range of partners to support our dual specialism of Design and Performing Arts. They have committed to support and work collaboratively with our applied learning programmes. These partners will provide visiting specialists and advisers for our students and staff. The co-location of teaching and sharing of facilities together with work based opportunities will ensure that students are fully equipped for their future in the work place or further education.
The students who left here this year, left with the best set of exam results that the predecessor school, Chesham Park, has achieved in the last decade, and with that behind them they have gone on to important courses at Universities and Colleges across the country. This was just the beginning. As we build up strength and expertise we expect results to continue rising.
We aim to provide exciting and challenging teaching which encourages students to learn, to want to learn and to be independent learners; young people who can think for themselves, express themselves easily and function in a wide variety of environments. In order to do this we have created a positive ethos which is focused on raising the students' self-esteem through reward and recognition. The more successful you feel, the more successful you will be.
We take every opportunity to involve our students in the school whether it be through the Student Council or extra curricular activities. This year we have also made some exciting, important, changes to the curriculum. From the moment your children come into the Academy they will be supported to do their best in courses that suit their aptitude and ability.
Our mission is putting learning at the centre of life and we want students to develop and grow through bespoke learning and strong links to business.
We recognise that to provide world-class education we are going to have to continue to innovate – adopting the best ideas from around the globe – and to develop and support our staff. We already have a great team who are excited and enthusiastic about what we can offer students at the academy.
These are exciting times in education and I am personally extremely proud to be at the helm of the new Chiltern Hills Academy.
Mr Kevin Patrick
Principal.
