Senior Department

The Senior Department

The curriculum has been developed from the British National Curriculum and adapted for Zimbabwe.  Our curriculum has been tailor made to suit different students in the Commercials, Sciences, Humanities and Fine Arts faculties across the year groups.

Our Year eights and nines have a very wide base of subjects.  Currently we offer Art and Design, Food and Nutrition as their practicals in addition to a wide range of other subjects.  At Year 10 the curriculum gives the students many options of IGCSE subjects, with a wide base of choices for possible careers.  In Art and Design, our students produce pieces with a professional touch in expressions realism and portraiture.

Year 12 and 13 subject options are designed in such a way that they prepare a good grounding for our students. Some of which have gone onto computer engineering, electrical engineering, aviation, finance and management, law, actuarial science, insurance and sport to mention a few.

The Senior Department is made up of three sections;

  • Lower Seniors Year 8 & Year 9 – 13 years old to 14 years old
  • Middle Seniors Year 10 & Year 11 – 15 years old to 16 years old
  • Upper Seniors Sixth Form Year 12 & Year 13 – 17 years old to 18 years old

We have a maximum of three classes per year group with a maximum of twenty-eight students in each class.
Places are offered to students who excel in the entrance test, our own papers in English and Mathematics and the candidate’s previous school report.

Academic Monitoring

It is expected that every pupil will work very hard at his/her studies and do his/her best. The teachers will monitor student’s academic progress as will his/her Form Teacher and Head of Section. If a student fails to hand in homework to a satisfactory standard, a demerit card will be completed by the subject teacher and this will be passed to the Head Section of the year group. The Form teacher and Head of Section can provide support and intervention at an early stage if awareness is raised. This may take place either in a single subject or across subjects. A discussion will be organised with the pupil and, with his/her parents.

Facilities and Development

The Senior Department has modern classrooms which are airy and have plenty of light. Our specialist rooms include four Science Laboratories, an attractive, modern Food Science Suite, two very specious Art rooms; one for Senior students and the other one for the Juniors, a well-equipped Information and Communication Technology Laboratory, and Music Room. To supplement the Library we have a Research Laboratory with internet. This is open to Form Four and Sixth Form students. The School’s Apollo Hall is used for Assemblies, public examinations and social gatherings.
Sports facilities and the pavilion are shared with other departments in the Heritage school.

Daily Routine

Registration at 7.15am marks the beginning of the Heritage day. The first lesson commences at 7.30am. Each lesson is forty minutes long. The teaching ends at 3:00pm Monday to Thursday and 1.10pm on Friday. Pick up time varies according to the student’s afternoon activities. The last afternoon activity ends at 4.30pm We sometimes have compulsory sports fixtures on Friday afternoon and Saturdays for those in the school teams. There are designated rooms for students waiting to be picked and teachers supervise these study rooms.

Attendance

If your son/ daughter is not going to be in school, parents must telephone or e-mail by 8.00am on the day of absence and send a letter, addressed to his/her form teacher, with him/her on return to school. If your son/daughter arrives late to school, she must sign in at the school office.

Permission for routine absence(e.g. medical appointments) should be sought in
advance and addressed to the Form teacher.
Permission for exceptional absence for any reason should be addressed,
well in advance, to the Headteacher.

Assemblies

The organisation of assemblies is the responsibility of the Headteacher. A rota is drawn up each term to provide a wide and varied programme of morning assemblies.

Assemblies are held on Tuesdays and start at 7.30 am prompt. The themes of school assemblies are varied but are Christian in nature and usually include a hymn and a prayer. Achievements are celebrated with the presentation of awards and the announcement of results.

Form Tutor/Teacher

Each class has its own Form Tutor/ Teacher and have their tutor base where they are provided with a security locker. Students move from one teaching room to another for their different subject lessons. Heads of Sections have been appointed to work with Form Tutors on the general welfare of Students.

Staffing

The Senior Department has its own Headteacher, Deputy Headteacher and staff of specialist secondary teachers equipped to deliver the curriculum offered at this level. All our staff are well experienced and deliver an education of the highest standard. We recruit teachers from a range of backgrounds, some locally and some from overseas.

Learning and Working Environment

We encourage a friendly and supportive learning and working environment within the bounds of courtesy and good discipline, and we find that most of our students appreciate this approach. Parents constantly tell us how happy their children are here. Teachers, likewise, tend to enjoy working here.

Homework Policy

Homework policy plays a crucial part in ensuring a successful, happy school career. It is a way of making sure that pupils are developing independent thoughts and habits of work which will secure individual success. Parental support is vital in this area and helps parents keep in touch with the learning process. A homework timetable is produced for every year group each academic year showing when homework is set and how long, approximately, it should take.

The purpose of homework;

  • To develop in pupils the key concept of independence and personal responsibility for learning.
  • To promote the key concepts of a partnership between pupils, staff and parents.
  • To reinforce and consolidate classroom learning.
  • To prepare for future classwork.
  • To learn, revise and review work already covered.
  • To provide opportunities for individual research.
  • To promote enjoyable and purposeful learning at home through an interesting variety of achievable
  • tasks of different levels.
  • To encourage pupils to engage in a degree of self-assessment regarding their understanding and
  • progress of work done in school.

Events

During the school year, a wide variety of events including plays and concerts are held to which parents and friends are warmly invited. The pupils and staff greatly appreciate the parental support at these events. We also encourage parents to release their children on Saturdays to come and support sport especially the home fixtures.

Public Examinations

We offer IGCSE (The International General Certificate of Secondary Education) and ‘AS’ and ‘A’ Level. The Ministry has approved our intention to offer the external examinations, and we are a recognised Centre for the Cambridge Board (UCLES) for IGCSE. IGCSE offers students internationally recognised qualification, which will be recognised by institutions offering Higher Education Course anywhere in the world. We offer both May/June and October/ November CIE examinations. 

Behaviour policy

The Aims of our school are clear that we wish both the individual and the community to thrive, and they tell us in themselves a great deal about the kind of behaviour we need from every member of the school if they are to be fulfilled.

As a staff we started, therefore, by looking closely at our Aims and asking ourselves the question: what sort of behaviour do they tell us or suggest is necessary and desirable? Our response can be summarized thus:

We believe we should show respect, kindness and consideration for others; we should cooperate and work together harmoniously, we should be thoughtful, responsible, helpful and appreciative in all we do.

Code of behaviour for all members of the school community we should:

  • Consider the implications and effect of the way we act.
  • Speak courteously and calmly to others, especially when we are feeling angry or upset.
  • Listen attentively to others and not talk whey they are.
  • Speak well of others and not participate in gossip or rumour.
  • Be punctual.
  • Keep our word in respect of what we have agreed to do.
  • Look out for others, their wellbeing, happiness and safety in all situations and at all times.
  • Show our appreciation for what others do, saying thank you at every opportunity.
  • Set an example by our own conduct, especially when we are in a position of leadership or have
  • dealings with younger ones.
  • Observe all the small everyday courtesies that make life pleasanter e.g. saying good morning, holding doors.
  • Apologise graciously when need be and not bear any grudges.

Rewards or Merits

Students should always be encouraged to find satisfaction in conducting themselves well for its own sake. They do, however, respond well to a variety of rewards which are listed below:
The personal satisfaction of knowing one has done well.
Verbal praise/encouragement/feedback.
Written praise/encouragement/feedback on work and in reports.
Commendations.
Sixth Form: award of good grades in monitoring.
Prizes and awards.
Public congratulations in assembly.
Sent to receive congratulations from the Headteacher for a special achievement.