Our Vision and Values

During the academic year 2024-25 we reviewed and refined our school vision. All students, parents, staff and trustees fed into the vision which can be seen below. We wanted to make it absolutely clear what we are aiming for as a school – that we create women who are able to confidently take their place in the world, to have choices to follow their interests and passions and know that their views and opinions are important. Girls’ schools give a space for students to be fully themselves, to be known and understood and to be validated. We know the barriers that women face in society and Swakeleys School gives students a place to grow in confidence before entering that world. You will notice the values and qualities that we feel are important – from being kind and compassionate to being culturally and globally aware and having self-confidence and self-respect.

Vision for a Swakeleys School for Girls leaver

We are kind, patient and compassionate to ourselves and supportive of others. Resilience, self belief and adaptability enable us to overcome the challenges that life may throw at us. Confident in our abilities, we are able to think critically and with curiosity about the world around us. We are culturally and globally aware, accepting, open-minded and inclusive. We develop strong and trusting relationships. Upon leaving Swakeleys we enjoy academic and personal success because we have worked hard and this gives us self-confidence and self-respect. We are honest, optimistic and ambitious for our future – whatever that may hold

We also spent time as a school community in 2024-25 to consider what we feel to be important – our school values. Again, everyone involved in our school community was invited to contribute. We decided on three value statements which are what we stand for as a school. The value statements are:

We are resilient and successful
We are trusting and kind
We are diverse and respectful

Having clarity on our school values helps all of us to understand how we should act and behave and helps us to know right from wrong. We talk about our values a lot at Swakeleys. It is who we are and what we stand for. We asked Swakeleys students to clarify what our values really mean. Please see below what they said:

Resilient

We try hard and we keep trying. We develop our character through learning, clubs, activities and leadership opportunities.  We are adaptable. We are open to advice and support. We value and work at our mental and physical health. We understand that life will bring challenges and that we can develop the skills to meet them. We are optimistic.

Successful

We strive for excellence in everything that we do. We work hard in every lesson and set high expectations for ourselves. We aim for small improvements every day. We believe in ourselves and set personal goals. We think critically. We are present and punctual. We act on academic advice. We learn and refine new skills. We think and plan ahead. We celebrate progress, perseverance and hard work. We show commitment to learning in the classroom and beyond. We are ambitious.

Trusting

We believe in our school values. We work towards common goals. We understand that a school is made of the people in it and their actions. We do what we know is right. We have identified adults that we can confide in. We work hard to develop strong relationships. We listen to the ideas and opinions of others. We raise concerns using the structures and policies of our school. We listen actively. We explain our choices and decisions. We feel safe on our school site. We are consistent and clear.

Kind

We support and encourage others and celebrate their success. We are friendly and welcoming. We keep hands and hurtful comments to ourselves in the real world and in the virtual world. We are compassionate in our thoughts and in our actions. We have patience. We care about other people and our society. We give our time in the service of others. We are charitable. We forgive and move on.

Diverse

We promote equality and celebrate the unique qualities of all individuals.  We make everybody feel valued. We take action against discrimination through our policies. We celebrate our difference and our unique qualities. We are globally and culturally aware. We are open minded and accepting. We grow and learn from our diversity. We are open to enriching ourselves through learning from each other.

Respectful

We stand together against prejudice, racism and intolerance. We understand and follow laws and rules. We listen in silence while others speak. We follow instructions at the first time of asking. We are polite and courteous in our speech and in our actions. We understand what good manners are and demonstrate them. We say please and thank you. We understand our own value, and that of people around us. We accept responsibility for our words and what we do. We consider the impact of our actions on our community and environment. We look after property and premises. We understand that we are all important.

At Swakeleys we support our students to become confident women who are empowered to manage the challenges that they can experience at different stages of life.

There is no one type of girl welcome here – Swakeleys is for all girls and the girls tell us how safe they feel at school – safe to be themselves.