The English School, a choice for life

119 years of legacy

What is The English School today? What does it stand for? What does it represent for the students that chose us yesterday and will choose us tomorrow?

Educators of The English School say they are in daily contact with their students and  have a deep understanding of how critical education is, and especially secondary education.

Indeed, high school education is much more than spending a few years developing knowledge about English Literature or Chemistry; it is a fundamental step that will significantly shape students’ whole lives. Its implications will stretch far beyond their school years. It will lay the ground for the future: which university students will enter, which career path they will follow, which doors will open for a successful future.  Education can prepare them for life, teaching them how to navigate the world, but it all depends on the type of education they choose.

“At The English School, we are here to support our students to reach their maximum potential.  We help them to access the highest quality tertiary education and to become global and democratic citizens, empowered to adopt key leadership roles in their adult lives,” they said.

How is this achieved? This is a product of a unique formula that has been enhanced throughout 119 years of history, combining excellence, innovation and legacy.

 

• Excellence: The English School provides rich and engaging educational experiences and challenges, thanks to both its academic programme and its extra-curricular The best students are selected thanks to its very competitive entrance examination procedure. Likewise, The English School selects the best teachers, who are excellent educators and are extremely well qualified, almost all with postgraduate level education.
• Innovation: The English School prides itself in using the latest technologies, modern pedagogical techniques in state-of-the-art facilities.
• Legacy: Last but foremost, The English School is a community of students, former graduates, staff and parents who support each other during the school years and beyond.

 

The English School: A long tradition

The English School was founded 119 years ago by Canon Frank Darvall Newham. Since its inception, the school’s mission has been to offer a high-quality secondary level education to children from all the communities of Cyprus.

From its very beginning the school has welcomed students from various communities.

In 1906, The English School’s roll rose to 40 and including Greeks, Turks, Maronites, Latins, Syrians, Smyrneans as well as Europeans.

From a very early stage, extra-curricular activities have played a key role in helping students to find their passion and to become well-rounded individuals. As early as 1911 The School Orchestra started.

In 1927, the first Old Boys’ reunion took place in the Savoy Hotel, Famagusta. The same year, for the first time, the son of an Old Boy became a pupil of the School. This event epitomized what The English School’s legacy is about: student today, parent of a student tomorrow; indeed, when one studies at The English School, he or she is forever a member of a community that will help him/her throughout life’s journey. As our motto ‘Non sibi sed scholae’ points out, students should be proud to be a member of the school and put the school community and other people before their own needs.

In 1948, for the first time the School roll exceeded 400.

Always ahead of its time, always a pioneer, The English School was the first co-educational school in Cyprus, when it incorporated in 1962 The English School for Girls which was itself founded in 1957.

Little known to the public The English School played a significant role in making football popular on the island of Cyprus, with Canon Newham being a fan of the game.

Today, The English School remains the only truly multi-communal high school on the island whose aim is to offer the best level of education possible to all its students, regardless of their ethnic, cultural and social background. It is  committed to an ethos that promotes respect of identity and diversity as part of a well-rounded education.

The English School: Academic programme & academic achievements

In today’s world, competition is fierce and being able to access the top universities in tertiary education is the key to secure a fulfilling career.  At The English School, the academic programme has proven successful in helping students enter coveted Russell Group universities as well other top tertiary institutions from around the world.

The academic programme follows the model of British independent secondary schools. For the first three years, all students follow a broad curriculum designed to lay foundations for public examinations and to give them a taste of all the subjects we offer.

At the end of Year 3 students choose their programme of International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) subjects with a compulsory core of English Language and Literature, Mathematics and Modern Greek/Turkish.

In Year 6 AS level courses are followed and in Year 7 the students choose either to continue with four AS Level subjects or drop one to continue with three of their subjects to Advanced Level (GCE).

The English School students’ achievements are outstanding.

The students’ results at IGCSE and A-Level are regularly among the very best in the field of international schools and measure up to the top independent schools in the United Kingdom. Most of our students gain access to their universities and courses of first choice including Cambridge, Oxford and London.

The English School academic highlights for 2018:

I/GCSE overall achievement: 73.1% A* and A grades

AS Level overall achievement: 62.1% A grade, 79.6% A and B grades

A2 Level overall achievement: 70.0% A* and A grades

Not only do the school’s students achieve top results but they consistently enter top universities. In 2018, the 10 most popular University destinations (in descending order) for graduates were:

• University College London (UCL)
• King’s College London
• University of Bristol
• University of Edinburgh
• Imperial College London
• University of Glasgow
• University of Cambridge
• University of Nottingham
• University of Reading
• University of Cardiff

Equally impressive are students’ non-UK university acceptances for September 2018, which included:

Boston College, Boston University, Brown University, Colby-Sawyer College, New York University, Towson University, Tufts University, UCLA, University of Groningen, Bocconi University and La Sapienza University.

As one of its more popular course destinations, Medicine/Dentistry/Veterinary Science sees a total of 89 applicants (5-year period) currently studying on these courses.

For more statistics visit www.englishschool.ac.cy/statistics-welcome and at https://www.englishschool.ac.cy/exams-statistics

Beyond the classroom: The English School co-curricular activities & related achievements

Academic education and achievements are essential in the pursuit of a fulfilling career, but it is the richness of the school’s extra-curricular activities that makes students well-rounded individuals.

Indeed, extra-curricular activities broaden a student’s overall education and develop team-spirit and self-confidence.  The School has over 70 clubs and societies.  The range of clubs and societies to choose from includes Astronomy Club, First Aid training, Choir, Orchestra, Junior Achievement, Drama, MEDIMUN, THIMUN, Debate club, Maths, Robotics, Science, Economics, Languages, The Duke of Edinburgh International Award and numerous others, including a wide range of sports. Many of these involve students representing the School abroad at various international events, with excellent results.

For example, the School’s Debating and Public Speaking Society always attains one of the top places in prestigious overseas competitions. Additionally, The English School has three times hosted the World Individual Public Speaking and Debating Competition in which students from schools from all over the world compete.

For the first time in Cyprus history, in 2018 English School students on the island were approved through the ARISS programme to speak to an astronaut on the International Space Station.  This was only made possible because of the enthusiastic and erudite Astronomy and Radio clubs which run at our School.

Sports have always been of great importance at The English School since its founding in 1900, in order to develop team ethic as well as a competitive spirit in the student population.  There is a House system which organises both competitive and non-competitive sporting activities.  The more able are encouraged to play in House and School competitions in football, basketball, volleyball, hockey, softball, athletics and cross country; other pupils participate in the same sports for enjoyment and fitness.  All the major sports are coached by an experienced team of Physical Education teachers and external professional coaches.  This has led to excellent achievements in Pancyprian and International sporting competitions.

The Choir and Orchestra have both been active and highly successful aspects of School life since they were first established by Canon Newham in 1911.  Students are encouraged to take up instruments by the School which provides training by specialist music teachers, free of charge for those pupils who reveal special aptitudes.

 

The English School new state-of-the-art building

The English School has a long heritage and has preserved its original facilities while modernising them and bringing from the ground up a new state of the art building: the new Newham building. This building, designed by the renowned firm EPITESSERA, follows a linear design and completes the shape of the existing building, thus creating a well-defined and positive exterior space, in the form of an inner courtyard.

Towards the west, the new building follows a different axis, stemming from the layout of the existing Science and Lloyds buildings, thereby achieving a consistent connection between all the school buildings. This gesture provides a new identity to the site and creates a sense of campus, enhancing the educational character and quality of the school.

The new building includes both general and special purpose classrooms, teachers’ offices, a new canteen and student recreational space, examination rooms and covered outdoor spaces, which can be used for various educational as well as leisure activities.

The works include also the renovation and conversion of the first floor of the existing main building to administration and teachers’ spaces. This will improve the effectiveness of the school’s staff by providing a compact administrative floor, distinct from the teaching space part of the building.

The Sports Centre was renovated this year by rebuilding the changing rooms, positioning lockers and creating a gym.   Among other upgrading, the sports centre floor was renovated with parquet and this enhanced facility is used for indoor tennis, basketball, handball, volleyball, badminton and futsal.  There are plans in the near future to renovate the outdoor facilities: creating new tennis courts, upgrading the futsal courts and sports field to be layered with tartan stack.

In the near future we will be creating a Sixth Form Centre – the former Art Centre will be refurbished as a Sixth Form Centre.  This will include canteen facilities, IT Workspace, Careers office, Offices for Heads of Year and a number of meeting rooms.

Looking after each other – pastoral care

The School is proud of its strong pastoral programme, which creates an environment where all students are actively responsible for their own conduct and development.  This ensures that they are emotionally literate, resilient and able to effectively deal with challenging situations, both in their personal life and in their education.

The English School believes that promoting the personal and social development of its students is as vital as encouraging their academic progress. The school offers all the opportunities of a large establishment but each student feels part of a smaller and caring unit. The English School seeks to be a well-ordered community providing educational excellence for all students, which is underpinned by a pastoral care system that meets the changing needs of students as they grow and develop. The welfare of each student is important because when they feel safe and secure in their environment they can develop all their gifts and talents to the full. To support and guide students, there is a counsellor, nurse and the  PSHCE (Personal, Social, Health and Citizenship Education) programme. This equips students with life skills and critical thinking, promoting talents, teamwork, respect and care for others, and creating innovative and reflective learners.