Academic Enrichment

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Pupils at Francis Holland have access to a wide variety of Academic Enrichment both within and beyond the curriculum.

Consistently impressive academic results show that pupils at Francis Holland are more than capable of passing exams with flying colours. Every girl enjoys grappling with challenging material throughout the curriculum since our conviction is that academic stretch is for all and not simply the preserve of the very brightest. An FHS education stretches all students to achieve the very best they can, beyond exam requirements. We strive to develop a genuine love of learning for the real world, a breadth of knowledge well beyond the curriculum and an appreciation of cross-curricular discovery.

Academic Life

Our Academic Ambassadors make an important contribution to the leadership of the school’s academic life which has included producing journal such as Catalyst (below) and leading other academic enrichment projects.

This year, Catalyst has taken China as the theme, using an interdisciplinary approach, through essays, poems and reports contributed by our Senior School girls.

Engage Explore and Discover

This superb booklet has been put together by our incredible teachers who have used their extraordinary energy, creativity and intellectual curiosity to serve up a feast for those with a hunger to learn.

The 7 Cs

Curiosity, creativity, confidence, communication, collaboration, commitment and craftsmanship are integrated throughout the curriculum, ensuring that all learning is focused on preparation for the real world. The 7 Cs are given particular prominence in the enrichment programmes and during Year 7 and 8’s TIPS Week (Thinking Innovatively and Problem Solving).

Trips and Lectures

Francis Holland runs a wide range of academic and co-curricular trips, both in the UK and abroad. These are a key part of the enhancement of academic learning, as well as helping to develop confidence and the full range of skills needed for success in a world of rapid change. There are day trips to local lectures, museums and galleries, choir trips to a variety of European destinations, sports trips to South Africa, art trips to New York, geography trips to the Grand Canyon, religious studies trips to Poland and many more besides.

The core and elective components of the Upper School Enrichment Programme provide important opportunities for girls to choose electives from a range of disciplines and topics beyond the curriculum, as well as using the 7 Cs to think innovatively and solve contemporary problems such as climate change and sustainability. Girls are encouraged to approach themes such as the Good Society in an interdisciplinary way that moves from philosophical foundations through to social entrepreneurship to bring about positive change in the real world.

Examples of recent enrichment events that girls have been encouraged to attend include:

Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition: talks, activities & exhibits from the cutting edge of science.
Holiday workshops (for different age groups) on STEM topics, from robotics to forensics, from rocket-building to fractal geometry at the Royal Institution
The Last Caravaggio. Special exhibition of Caravaggio’s last painting – ‘The Martyrdom of St. Ursula’ – on a rare visit to London at the National Gallery
My Father’s Fable: new play by Faith Omole, a gripping drama of family & identity at the Bush Theatre
Mnemonic: revival of Theatre de Complicité’s modern classic of physical theatre at the Olivier Theatre
Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind at the Tate Modern
Judy Chicago: Revelations. Six decades of work by the great American feminist artist at the Serpentine North Gallery
Kiss Me Kate: classic Cole Porter musical gets a big production with a full orchestra and chorus line at the Barbican Centre
David Hockney: Bigger and Closer at the Lightroom
Now You See Us: Women Artists in Britain 1520-1920 at the Tate Britain
The Secret Garden & Fiddler on the Roof at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
Fuerza Bruta: renowned Argentinian company bring Aven, their latest spectacular, immersive show of dance and aerial acrobatics to London.
Fangirls: new Australian musical about the giddy joys and pains of teenage girl fandom at the Lyric Hammersmith
BBC Proms: 8 weeks, 73 concerts at the Royal Albert Hall
Jazz Re:Fest – one-day free jazz festival (indoors and outdoors) on the Southbank.
Taylor Swift Songbook Trail: a trail through the V&A featuring 16 of TS’s iconic looks.
Camden Fringe Festival: London’s alternative to Edinburgh, a feast of comedy and low-budget theatre
The Globe’s summer season includes: Much Ado, Richard III, The Taming of the Shrew, Antony and Cleopatra.
Outdoor Cinema at the Barbican: festival of classic films (inc. The Grand Budapest Hotel and An American in Paris) in the Barbican’s sculpture court.

If all of this were not enough, we also have our fabulous Sixth Form enrichment programme with a range of electives and an engaging lecture series, complemented by Miss Boon’s incredibly stimulating history lectures, the superb research involved in the EPQ and much more. In addition to these, the penultimate week of the Summer Term is our Expeditions Week, where girls take part in a series of successively more exciting and demanding expeditions and challenges around the UK. This week is designed to develop courage, character and resilience in our girls and is a key part of our coherent programme of challenge and leadership training that runs throughout their time at school. The expeditions range from hiking and survival skills in the Lake District to surfing and water sports in Cornwall. A sense of adventure and risk taking is vitally important for academic achievement and the line between the academic and co-curricular is permeable.

Careers Guidance

‘Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life’. Confucius (BC551 – BC 479).

At Francis Holland School, careers education starts in Year 9, when the girls are required to make their first major decision, namely the choice of their GCSE option subjects. It accompanies the girls until their final year and in some instances beyond as some girls might come into school for further help and advice even after they have left, and we are very happy to help. Careers education is very much a whole school effort as not only the Head of Futures and Innovation, but also form tutors, subject teachers, the Head and many other people get involved in its delivery.

STEAM at Francis Holland

FHS is a strong believer in promoting STEAM to our pupils. We believe that the skills required to excel in STEAM are part and parcel of our creative curriculum, as well as possessing a rigour which is highly valued by both universities and employers. FHS also recognises that STEAM subjects, especially Physics, Computing and Engineering are areas where girls are underrepresented and we are addressing this imbalance by providing inspirational opportunities to our pupils.

We continually offer new opportunities which include a STEAM Club where girls can engage in electronic, engineering and computing projects. We have also broadened our already exciting programme of guest speakers and we provide challenging problems every week on the website to stretch and challenge our best and brightest. Our STEAM ‘Lunch ‘n Learn’ series sees guest speakers attend FHS to deliver engaging and informative lectures to both staff and students. Finally, we advertise external opportunities in STEAM that are available for the girls to apply to independently (with our support if required).