SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE ARE NOT GIFTED. THEY JUST WORK HARD AND THEN SUCCEED ON PURPOSE.

Year 8 is the pinnacle of your child’s journey at Birchfield School. Friendships have been made that will be lifelong and there is an air of purpose as key exams loom on the horizon. This academic year delivers a potent mix of hard work in the classroom and at home, supreme effort on the sports field, teamwork and leadership, responsibilities and privileges.

What a fantastic year the final year at Birchfield is! Of course we have reached the business end of our pupils’ academic journey at Birchfield with the preparation for and taking of Scholarship or Common Entrance exams, but so much more is happening too. Sports tours, art workshops and gallery visits, a full and comprehensive Leavers’ Experience, topped with a challenging outdoor camp trip.

Year 8 pupils will have the opportunity to hold positions of responsibility by virtue of being Prefects in important areas, holding the positions of Heads of School and might be Captains of Sports Teams. Representing the school in First teams is always a highlight too and it is likely all children will experience this.

The privileges afforded to our most senior pupils coupled with responsibilities for supervising and mentoring our younger pupils help us to deliver confident, socially conscious and well-rounded young people to their next school. Innovative projects through Enterprise Club can give Year 8 pupils valuable experience in what the real world has to offer, as can important off-site visits to working environments, factories and the emergency services, revealing the realities and expectations of a working life.

But for this most senior year, it is the entrance exams and all the hard work that will result in the success of a prized place at their school of choice or an important and lucrative Scholarship award; a fitting end to a Birchfield pupil’s career. Year 8 pupils undergo a year of robust study and exam preparation for their 13+ senior school exams and they are under no illusion that hard work will bring positive results. They are expected to approach their studies in a mature and organised fashion and work closely with their Academic Tutors to ensure they are on track.

This is the ultimate year in which we see our pupils blossom in terms of their personality, confidence and achievement, before we celebrate their journey, recognise their contribution to Birchfield and send them on their way to a wide variety of prestigious Senior School destinations. We cannot overstate the importance of Years 7 and 8 in providing a supportive community and personalised experience for your child to allow them to blossom and reach their full potential.

Birchfield Award

The Birchfield Award is a programme that has been established to support pupils in the preparation for Senior School and beyond.  It involves a plethora of activities that encourage pupils to engage in the wider community of the School. In Years 7 and 8 pupils will create their own CV and develop their interview skills.  They will engage in the wider community of the School by organising a fund raising event for a local charity.  Furthermore, they are encouraged to complete a log of all the volunteering tasks that they carry out.  Within the programme pupils complete a Sports Leaders’ certificate in Year 7 and in addition, study styles of leadership and take part in a residential Leaders’ Experience, which puts their skills and knowledge to the test.

In addition to this the Year 8’s take part in a Leavers’ Experience.  This involves a variety of visits to museums, art galleries, National Trust sites, universities and sports venues.  One of the most exciting events is a week’s adventure training, where pupils are challenged through a series of outdoor activities.