Pate’s is a unique and special place to learn. We take a holistic view of learning, emphasising the rewards of deep understanding of the subject, and instilling a love of learning and its challenges.

We aim to cultivate in our students lifelong skills of aspiration and resilience, setting challenging but manageable tasks, and using appropriate praise to build student self-esteem.

We ask students to see failure as a key part of the learning journey. Students and teachers alike are encouraged to take risks and to try new things, to be creative, solve problems, and to inspire others around them.

We recognise the importance of self-reflection, and we encourage students to use a wide range of thinking approaches. We have high expectations of staff and students alike; our students are encouraged to take responsibility, articulate views, ask questions, and lead their peers. Collaboration, feedback and support also sit at the heart of The Pate’s Learner, our community’s agreed definition of world-class learning that sits visibly in every classroom.

We pay close attention to the latest in educational research, and our teaching team are well versed in applying pedagogical best practice, using techniques such as spaced retrieval and metacognition.