Academic

Whitgift offers an unparalleled breadth of subject choices across all year groups so that students can shape their studies to meet their interests and aspirations. For example:

• Students in the First Form take three languages from a choice of French or Spanish, German or Latin, and Mandarin Chinese or Japanese. 
• At Sixth Form, students have a choice of taking A-Levels or the International Baccalaureate.

We want students to see beyond the compartmentalization of knowledge as individual subjects, and to understand the philosophical underpinnings to different disciplines.

• In the Second Form, student complete the Ignite course. This is an interdisciplinary subject designed to help pupils question and understand how they know what they know.
• At Sixth Form, A-Level students are offered the chance to complete an Extended Project Qualification (the EPQ). All IB students complete an Extended Essay in a field of their choosing, as well as completing the Theory of Knowledge course. 

The greatest proof of a student’s love of learning is to see what they produce when given complete freedom to explore their interests. For the last five years, the Academic Enrichment programme has provided students with a space in which to explore, report back and write academic papers.

Enrichment opportunities are also embedded into all subjects to challenge and inspire students further.

Modern students need a chance to understand that their perspective is but one amongst billions in the world and develop their ability to disagree well:

• Students in the Lower First and First Form study Global Citizenship to explore important political, social and ethical issues from a range of perspectives that they may otherwise have no exposure to.
• Ideatum is embedded across all year groups, with one of its aims being to develop our students to collaborate respectfully and address challenging situations with confidence.

We do not want our students to merely be able to use technology, we want them to understand how to use it to increase their progress and accelerate their opportunities.

• Lower First and First Form students undertake timetabled lessons in Digital Literacy
• The use of online research skills is embedded into the curriculum for all academic subjects, but it also receives particular attention in the Second Form Ignite course, the EPQ programme, and the Extended Essay in IB.