The Liberty Woodland School Education
We are preparing our young people for an extraordinary life in the 21st century, guiding and teaching them to become successful citizens in school, in their careers and in life.
The world we are living in is fast-paced, dynamic, exciting and challenging. Our young people need different skills to thrive than previous generations have needed. Schools were designed in the industrial era with a focus on impersonal, efficient, and standardised learning in a world where life was stable, predictable and where careers followed a clear and unmoving path. Mainstream state and independent schools, for the most part, haven’t changed significantly from this original design. The world has changed. Our schools need to do the same.
Liberty Woodland School is a revolutionary re-imagining of school. A school designed around the needs of the 21st century learner and deeply rooted in research of neuroscience and how young people learn best. A school where to prepare young people to become the best they can be, through a global context, young people are developed to be problem-solvers, critical thinkers and deeply reflective lifelong learners with a strong sense of social responsibility.
“I never lose. I either win or I learn.”
Teaching towards GCSEs develops hollow understanding and comes at the expense of a rich, highly engaging and deep learning experience.
As a school we strongly believe in developing young people to be the best version of themselves, to prepare them for the exciting and as yet unknown future.
We have chosen the International Baccalaureate for our secondary school, meaning we have a world leading and widely recognised exam system which allows for a pedagogical approach which continues to emphasise intellectual challenges.
Alongside our school curriculum and ethos which ensures all learning is relevant, meaningful and purposeful, developing life skills and attributes, our pupils will through the IB be equipped with the knowledge, skills and dispositions to succeed in the 21st century - alongside earning fantastic, world recognised exam results.
The International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (MYP) is designed for pupils between the ages of 11 and 16. It is taught in 108 countries around the world, is accredited by Ofqual as having the same status as GCSEs and respected by universities in the UK and abroad.
The MYP enables us to nurture in our pupils the character and strength of mind for them to succeed in adult life. There is a strong focus on ‘learning to learn’ through the systematic development of approaches to learning, skills for communication, collaboration, organisation, self-management, reflection, research, creative and critical thinking.
It also fosters intercultural understanding and global engagement – essential qualities for young people today. Interdisciplinary teaching and learning builds a connected curriculum that addresses the developmental needs of pupils and prepares them for further academic study in an increasingly interconnected world.
Language Acquisition
At Liberty Woodland School our pupils learn Spanish as the most widely recognised international language, with the emphasis placed on practical speaking and listening skills that are most useful when working and living abroad.
Language and Literature
We offer pupils a rich curriculum that develops skills in listening, speaking, reading, writing, viewing and presenting. Pupils are introduced to a diverse and wide array of contemporary and classic literature, including novels, plays and poetry, with the opportunity to unpack the writing techniques employed by the author, as well as the moral, social, economic, political, cultural and environmental themes within the texts.
Individuals and Societies
This covers all areas of the humanities, including history, economics, geography, philosophy, sociology and anthropology, business management, psychology, and world religions.
Sciences
This encompasses biology, chemistry and physics, as well as offering pupils the opportunity to pursue a variety of interdisciplinary areas of scientific study, such as environmental science or sports science.
Mathematics
The MYP mathematics framework encompasses number, algebra, geometry and trigonometry, statistics and probability.
Arts
The MYP takes a broad approach to the Arts, incorporating Visual Art and Performing Arts.
At Liberty Woodland School our Visual Art seeks to stimulate young imaginations, challenge perceptions and develop creative and analytical skills. Involvement in the arts encourages students to understand the arts in context and the cultural histories of artworks, thus supporting the development of an inquiring and empathetic world view.
Autumn term - developing as videographers and working towards the production of a short feature film or documentary.
Spring term - developing as musicians as we spend a term learning to play a specific instrument.
Summer term - developing as actors as we work towards a summer theatre performance for all of our families to attend.
Design
Design challenges all pupils to:
* apply practical and creative thinking skills to solve design problems
* explore the role of design in both historical and contemporary contexts
* consider their responsibilities when making design decisions and taking action
Physical and Health Education
Physical and health education courses foster the development of knowledge, skills and attitudes that will contribute to a student’s balanced and healthy lifestyle. Through opportunities for active learning, courses in this subject group embody and promote the holistic nature of well-being.
In our Sport, Liberty Woodland School teaches one team sport, one individual sport and one sport selected by the students. In 2022/23 our sports are:
Term 1 - Basketball
Term 2 - Judo
Term 3 - Student Choice
Community Project
The community project provides an important opportunity for pupils ages 13-14 to collaborate and pursue service learning.
Students will apply their knowledge of the approaches to learning skills, the IB learner profiles, and understanding of the global contexts through an in-depth investigation. During the course of this minimum 15 hour project they will independently propose, plan, implement, and present a project that serves a need in our local community. Students may work in groups of up to three, where they will collaborate in the research, goal setting, action plan and presentation together.
Define a GOAL to address a NEED within our local COMMUNITY, based on PERSONAL INTERESTS.
Personal Project
The MYP personal project is a student-centred and age-appropriate practical exploration through a cycle of inquiry, action and reflection. It allows pupils to consolidate their learning throughout the programme. This long-term project is designed as an independent learning experience of approximately 25 hours. Pupils are highly experienced with project-based learning following their time engaging in project-based learning at Liberty Woodland School and so will be able to pursue their personal project to a deep level.
Schools register all pupils for external moderation of the personal project, promoting a global standard of quality.
The MYP will allow our students to continue with our powerful Liberty Woodland School meaningful, purposeful and relevant cross-curricular Project-Based Learning, as well as develop mastery skills in core subjects. They will complete their education with a set of recognised qualifications ready to continue their learning post-16, whether this be to continue to the Diploma Programme, Career Related Programme, an Apprenticeships or straight into a career
Our passion towards the IB programme is that it not only delivers skill acquisition, breadth and depth of knowledge, it also fosters compassion alongside promoting physical health, mental health and wellbeing. Research and studies into the IB compared to GCSEs and A-Levels, as well as feedback from top universities and graduate employers consistently shows that, quite simply, the IB MYP and Diploma programmes better prepares students for the wide range of academic, personal and societal challenges ahead of them. The IB builds students who learn better and are able to apply their learning more cohesively and successfully in the real world.
In addition to the 8 core subjects delivered through the IB, Liberty Woodland School teaches 2 enrichments subjects, designed and created to further challenge and develop our secondary school pupils
Environmentalism
Young people today are the future custodians of the planet. Like never before they need to be equipped with the knowledge, skills and motivation to address the increasingly complex environmental challenges of the 21st Century. This generation of young people are the game changers of the future; the ones who will be solving the problems of climate change, global resource limitations, long term sustainability; as well as many other complex issues that global leaders aren’t even aware of yet.
In year 7, our students begin their journey into environmentalism with a year-long project which aims to make LWS a carbon neutral school. This project allows young people to learn more about climate change and feel empowered to take action in their school community. Pupils:
Develop leadership, communication, problem solving and teamwork skills
Calculate an estimate of their school’s carbon emissions
Lead meaningful projects to reduce the school’s carbon footprint.
This is the defining issue of our time. By adopting a whole school, student-led approach, our school models to our pupils how to show leadership in the face of the climate emergency.
IB Policies at Liberty woodland School
“Climate change is the defining crisis of our time and it is happening even more quickly than we feared. But we are far from powerless in the face of this global threat.”
Liberty Woodland School is a Candidate School* for the IB. This school is pursuing authorisation as an
IB World School. These are schools that share a common philosophy—a commitment to high quality,
challenging, international education that [School Name] believes is important for our students.
*Only schools authorised by the IB Organization can offer any of its four academic programmes: the Primary
Years Programme (PYP), the Middle Years Programme (MYP), the Diploma Programme, or the Career-related
Programme (CP). Candidate status gives no guarantee that authorisation will be granted. For further
information about the IB and its programmes, visit www.ibo.org