Academic Success at all Levels

At the heart of the school's education philosophy is that at Trent, you are unique. A reflection of the school's motto, Sapientia Fons Vitae, (Wisdom is the Fountain of Life) is that the life of the mind is central to all that we do.

At Trent, we acknowledge that our pupils' intellectual journeys vary, and that academic success is enriched by their all-round education. We want our pupils to develop to be the best that they can be. This is reflected in the personalised learning programme that each will follow as they journey towards the Sixth Form, and continue that journey beyond Trent itself. It is important to us that we equip our pupils to learn, develop their individual interests, prepare them to achieve their personal best in examinations, and make the right choices for themselves as they move on in life.

Our curriculum equips our pupils to think. We believe that in order to appreciate the world which they inhabit, with all its history, diversity and fragility, our pupils should be exposed to a full range of subjects. We also believe that pupils should be able to exercise personal choice in the subjects which they study, and this is reflected in the flexibility of the current curriculum.

We believe that examinations make excellent servants, but poor masters. We therefore ensure that in our Examined Curriculum we provide an efficient and hugely supportive framework for our pupils to excel in public examinations, which has led to Trent being placed in the top 4% of schools in the country for Value Added performance in 2008. Success in public examinations is therefore acknowledged as a worthy educational aim.

However, this is not the be all and end all. Public examinations at GCSE or A level are merely points on an intellectual journey at which we can assess our progress. The life beyond requires a much broader engagement with the intellectual life. This is reflected in our wider Total Curriculum which we offer, and which we believe to be the hallmark of a Trent education.