Being a Student at Newfield
We look at the world with wonder and it is Newfield School’s moral responsibility to harness this wonder through a rich curriculum and explicitly cultivate a desire to be our best self.
Our ethos of providing opportunity and choice is embodied by our curriculum intent and the way in which we develop character. The Three C’s of The Newfield Way – being curious, considerate and committed embody the good character in our students.
Good character is not formed in a week or a month. It is created little by little, day by day and protracted patient effort is needed to develop good character. It is imperative that we have good character and it is our job as a school community to promote and model this.
Developing good character means we thrive in education and are able to play a full part in society. We take pride in developing good character to ensure we are mature considerate citizens who conduct ourselves in a professional manner and have a desire to be our best self.
Success is achieved by following the Newfield Way; being forged with powerful knowledge and strong character.
The Newfield School Diploma
At Newfield School we fundamentally believe that ‘Achievement Leads to Opportunity and Choice’ and our Year 7 students receive a unique induction into our family. The year starts with a Year 7 only day where students embrace the core values of our school. Being the only year group in school on the first day really helps set the tone for the exceptionally high standards at Newfield School. We are able to model what it means to be a student at Newfield, be explicit about how we expect our students to conduct themselves and practice the learning routines which will support their educational achievements across our curriculum.
Each week starts with a Community Breakfast where the whole year group have breakfast together in the dining room and we use this time together to celebrate achievements and start the week with a rich experience to support student well-being. Students recite poetry, read proudly together and sing songs that echo soulfully around our school building.
We also launched the Newfield School Diploma and as part of the Newfield School Diploma students;
- are immersed in a rich culture based around knowledge and curiosity, community values and ambition;
- know what it means to be a student at Newfield School and the standards they should uphold;
- become more rounded individuals with exceptional manners and learning habits;
- conduct themselves in a responsible and professional manner as they have a desire to be their best self.
Our Year 7 students take advantage of the wonderful opportunities available to them to provide evidence towards their Newfield School Diploma with the eventual aspirational target of graduating with honours at the end of Year 8. Form time is dedicated to reading but once a week there is opportunity to record entries towards their Diploma. Our students have really embraced the ethos of the Diploma and have shown dedication and commitment to shaping their diplomas with their achievements and wide variety of experiences.
In previous years students have completed the Sheffield Round Walk as a community, experienced enriching aspirational trips to Universities, visited the Showroom cinema to watch the film Wonder (the inspiration for the Diploma), collected for our local Food Bank, taken part in Criminology Day’s and volunteered to take part in litter picks in our local community to ensure we nurture and care for our environment. This list is not exhaustive but really shows the rich opportunities that our students are fortunate to experience.
Students also provide evidence of achievements and experiences they have been involved in outside of school. Past achievements and experiences have included a junior member of parliament, a black belt in Judo, a Blue Peter Diamond Badge holder to name just a few. All this whilst negotiating being part of a new school and we are so proud of the students who join our Newfield family.
Year 7 students are exceptional in lessons and fully embrace the learning habits needed in one of the best schools in the country. We have high expectations for all new students and they certainly rise to this challenge as wonderful ambassadors for Newfield School every day.