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Eltham College is a co-educational independent day school. We are committed to giving each child an outstanding education, a positive approach and values that will steer them throughout their life.
We have a straightforward commitment: we will give our students an outstanding education, a positive approach and values that will steer them throughout their life.
Our founding fathers were guided by their Christian faith; those values are still fundamental to who we are today. We believe in nurturing each child as an individual, and will help them to explore their abilities, find their strengths and thrive. We place a strong emphasis on self-respect, humility and service of others. And we work hard, because we believe in making the most of our gifts every day.
We are no exam factory: at Eltham College, our students’ academic success grows from their love of learning for its own sake. We’ll challenge their understanding of how the world works and give them the tools they need to explore it themselves, so they can go as far as they want to.
Overview
It is the Art Department's aim to inspire each student studying Art to consider their place in the world and to communicate their personal response to it. Studying Art at Eltham College helps students to develop a sense of their own identity as they are given the chance to learn how to work with a range of materials and techniques so that they develop confidence, competence, imagination and creativity.
The Art Department is an exciting place to study; previous exam students have made films, built large-scale installations, used photography, drawn with wire, printed with a variety of objects through the etching press, made sound pieces and projected images over sculptures amongst many other interesting projects. The subject matter is as varied as the students themselves – from composing and realising beauty in everyday objects, mapping the stars, aviation, architecture, political beliefs, politics, ecology, movement, archaeology, reflection, family history, memories, human interaction, pattern, experimental travel… The ideas are inspired by artists relevant to their lives and eclectic interests. Art can bring a welcome balance to other academic subjects.
Studying Art develops transferable skills such as problem-solving, creative thinking, experimentation, critical analysis, research skills, resilience, making and building skills, team work and debating.
Teaching and Learning
Studying Art at Eltham College encompasses creating art, learning about art and, most importantly, learning from art. One of the department's major tasks is to provide learning experiences, which stimulate and encourage investigation to develop personal ideas, feelings and responses to a subject, issue or problem.
There are regular extra sessions set up for the exam groups so that they can keep on top of their studio work. The classrooms are open for students over the Easter holidays to complete coursework. There are also courses offered in the gallery, both evening and holiday courses, that support those studying Art at exam level.
Trips, activities and clubs
The Art department organises exhibitions in Central Hall each year for students in Years 7, 8, and 9 and then the work is exhibited around the College. We often invite artists to run workshops with students and all years have the chance to work with the Artist-in-Residence.
There is an Art and Photography Club each Thursday lunchtime which is a chance for students to develop their skills and explore ideas. The department also has a lunchtime session for any student wanting to develop their own work, which is supported by the art staff.
There are also opportunities to attend workshops in the Gerald Moore Gallery. There is an optional after-school club in the gallery each week for students in Years 7 to 9 and an evening class for GCSE students. The gallery also hosts some exciting one-off workshops, which are well-attended by Eltham students.
Trips
- Every Easter there is a trip for Year 10 students to St Ives, Cornwall.
- There are trips to London Galleries for multiple year groups.
Overview
Biology is the study of living organisms and their environments. During the last century our knowledge of Biology has expanded at a staggering rate, and we now take for granted many of the greatest advances in Biology and medicine, which have improved our health and general lifestyle. The biological sciences are the most diverse of subjects – from molecular Biology to the biosphere.
A qualification in Biology equips you with key skills: literacy, numeracy, social awareness, and an ability to make connections between natural, social, economic, political and technological fields.
Biology is a strong and popular subject at Eltham College with many students choosing to follow Biology-related degrees.
The department aims:
- To provide Biology teaching of the highest quality in an environment that encourages a high quality of learning, good relationships and scientific integrity.
- To engage, motivate and challenge all students and to develop an interest in and enjoyment of the study of living organisms.
- To encourage the spirit of enquiry and tolerance of others' views.
- To encourage an attitude of curiosity and scientific enquiry and to give a variety and range of work for learning and understanding biological principles.
- We do this by delivering lessons which maintain a balance between biological theory, demonstration and students' experimental work.
Overview
Chemistry is the study is matter, its properties and its interactions with the things around it. From the molecules from which we are made to the materials in our mobile phones, Chemistry is an integral part of everyday life. Students explore both the theory and applications of Chemistry throughout Years 7 to 11.
We firmly believe that Chemistry is not simply something that is ‘learned', it is also something that is ‘done'. Practical work is consistently used to illustrate concepts and develop students' ability to analyse and interrogate data. Teachers encourage students to ask questions and to challenge current theories. Students can discover and pursue interests in Chemistry through various research-based projects across Years 7 to 11. Uptake at A Level is strong and many students go on to study Chemistry, Biochemistry or a related subject at university.
The Chemistry Department provides a supportive and nurturing environment in which students can learn about the important role of Chemistry in the modern world and explore the increasing contribution which Chemistry makes to human advancement.
We are committed to developing our practice as educators and to this end we are a Royal Society of Chemistry Learn Partner.
Trips, activities and clubs
Students in the Chemistry Department are able to participate in a variety of enrichment activities; these include:
- The Salters' Festivals (Year 8 and 9)
- RSC Chemistry Challenge (Year 10)
- GCSE Science Live (Year 11)
There are a variety of co-curricular clubs which we offer, although changes occur from year to year. In recent years they included a forensics club and a pyrotechnic club.
Overview
At Eltham College, we aim to provide all students with a basic education in Latin and Classics, whether they choose to continue with the subject to GCSE and beyond or not. By studying Latin, students learn about how languages develop, exploring relationships between this ancient language and many modern languages. We also study the history of the Classical world through ancient literature, art and archaeology
Trips, activities and clubs
The Classics Department recognises the importance of seeing Classics ‘in action', whether that be by visiting museums and galleries to discuss and handle ancient artefacts or taking trips to ancient sites such as Bath, Hadrian's Wall, Rome and Pompeii.
Recent and future trips include:
- The National Gallery and Museum of London with Year 7
- The Roman Galleries at the British Museum with Year 8
- Hadrian's Wall and Vindolanda with Year 8
- Cambridge Greek Play with Years 11 and 12
- Rome and Pompeii with Years 10 and 11
- The Cambridge Classics Faculty with Years 10, 11 and 12
We also offer Ancient Greek for Beginners as an optional club.
Overview
A high-quality Computing education equips students to use computational thinking and creativity to understand and change the world. Computing has deep links with Mathematics, Science, and Design and Technology, and provides insights into both natural and artificial systems. The core of Computing is Computer Science, in which students are taught the principles of information and computation, how digital systems work, and how to put this knowledge to use through programming. Building on this knowledge and understanding, students are equipped to use information technology to create programs, systems and a range of content. Computing also ensures that students become digitally literate – able to use, and express themselves and develop their ideas through, information and communication technology – at a level suitable for the future workplace and as active participants in a digital world.
The department aims that all students can:
- Understand and apply the fundamental principles and concepts of computer science, including abstraction, logic, algorithms and data representation
- Analyse problems in computational terms, and have repeated practical experience of writing computer programs in order to solve such problems
- Evaluate and apply information technology, including new or unfamiliar technologies, analytically to solve problems
- Be responsible, competent, confident and creative users of information and communication technology
Trips, activities and clubs
In addition to our teaching there are a range of opportunities to support the development of Computing knowledge including:
- Lower School Code Club
- Senior School Cyber Security Club
- Weekly Senior School Clinics and Programming Club
Overview
Drama works on many levels: our emphasis is the aesthetic but we do not ignore the social aspects of our discipline and it is through this that we can foster the atmosphere from which great creativity can flourish.
We aim to offer a wide ranging and stimulating syllabus that encourages performance and an understanding of Drama. All students work solo, in pairs and in larger groups and are encouraged to realise the academic side of the subject, not just in a written sense, but also in a practical sense. We aim to ensure that every student that studies the subject has the opportunity to think of themselves as an accomplished practitioner of the dramatic art.
The department aims to create, understand and appreciate a variety of theatrical genres, alongside developing social and communication skills. Students will explore the history of theatre from the Greek's to contemporary performance practice through text and improvisation work. Whilst working on dramatic projects they will learn to work together imaginatively and cordially. This will enhance their negotiation skills and those associated with presenting an argument or an idea to their peers. Showing these performances to the rest of the class will improve their self-presentation and increase their confidence in this most necessary aspect of personal development. Working like this, students will also develop their voices for everyday and theatrical use, and learn to make the most of their capacities for physical expression.
Drama is based in the Antony Barnard Theatre, a 230 seat theatre with a green room, workshop and prop and costume store.
Trips, activities and clubs
With the diverse range of theatre on our doorstep in London students are able to see a wide range of theatrical genres to practice their review writing skills for examinations and to inspire their practical work. GCSE classes will write at least one controlled assessment theatre review each term.
Workshops with professional theatre companies (such as Frantic Assembly and Splendid and Complicite) are arranged to develop students' understanding of their working practices or theatrical genres.
Co-curricular work in Drama is seen as essential to the success of the department providing opportunities for all of our students to take part in performances if they wish to. Every lunch time and each night after school there is a rehearsal of some kind taking place in the Antony Barnard Theatre and frequently the dance studio too.
Each year there will be a range of opportunities for students to be involved in including:
- A Senior School musical
- A Lower School play
- A Middle School play
- The House Drama competition
Overview
At Eltham we intend to encourage and extend an enjoyment, appreciation and understanding of English, and to create an atmosphere where students wish to learn.
Students will experience a variety of activities during their course of study and be given opportunities to discuss, argue and debate their views. Department staff will aim to show the benefits that language and literature have brought us, by way of well-chosen resources and careful comment.
The department enthusiastically pursues the following academic aims:
- To foster students' ability to read accurately and independently, and to distinguish between a broad spectrum of texts through extensive reading
- To develop students' ability to write clearly, accurately, imaginatively and analytically with a wide vocabulary in a variety of forms
- To develop students' knowledge about different kinds of English, and about language, by exploring the structure and origin of words
- To enable students to speak confidently in a range of circumstances, and to listen and respond appropriately
- To encourage students' informed personal responses, and to promote an awareness of, and respect for, other people's perspectives
- To create an environment where students enjoy their English lessons and increase in confidence orally and on paper
Trips, activities and clubs
There are opportunities for students to be involved in the following activities:
- Writing for, and editing, the school magazine;
- Taking part in the Lecture Competition for Years 7 to 9;
- Weekly Scrabble Club;
- Weekly Debating Club;
- Lunchtime assistance for those who find certain aspects of English challenging;
- Creative Writing group – a group that meets weekly to produce an anthology of writing and is open to all years;
- Reading clubs, across all year groups.
We also regularly run trips to London theatres.
Overview
Design and Technology covers a large skill set from the applied art skills of Graphic Design to the applied physics and maths skills of electronics. At Eltham College, we teach all the areas of Design and Technology and specialise in Product Design – Resistant Materials and Electronic Systems at GCSE and Product Design and Systems and Control at A level.
Design and Technology is one of the youngest of subjects, having been created in 1989. Since then it has developed to reflect the rapidly changing world that we live in. We still teach some of the skills that were taught in the days of CDT or woodwork and metalwork, but the subject has changed considerably since those days.
The Design and Technology Workshops are an exciting place to work; students have made everything from a hovercraft to a robotic fish and educational tables for primary school students to display units for the Mervyn Peake Library.
There are three workshops, all of which are equipped with computer facilities to enable the students to use the subject specific software that enables 2D and 3D drawing along with circuit simulation software. We also have the complete Microsoft Office package that enables the students to use the basic programmes for presenting work alongside the project management software that enables mind maps and project planning to be undertaken.
The workshops are all capable of completing KS3 work as well as being designed for the specialist areas taught at GCSE and A level. The department has a dedicated CAD/CAM suite which includes a laser cutter, combined routing/milling machine and A3 printer/scanner. Some of the older CAD/CAM machinery is in the progress of being updated including our smaller milling machine and vinyl cutter. We are also waiting for the delivery of a new 3D printer to complete the facilities that the students will be able to use.
Trips, activities and clubs
It is always possible to find a student working on something when the workshops are open, but we also run specific sessions including:
- KS3 Electronics and Programming Club – students learn to use PIC's to create programmable electronic products.
- DT – Resistant Materials Club – students use the facilities to manufacture products they want to make but don't know how to.
- Greenpower – students design, build and race an electronic car as part of a national competition.
- The Design and Technology Department run the Arkwright Scholarship each year. This nationally recognised award promotes engineering and financially rewards those students who are thinking of studying engineering or a design related subject at degree level. Promising Year 11 students are selected and helped through the application process both by members of the department and the current Arkwright Scholars within the school.
The Design and Technology Department run regular trips to various places around the UK including, The Design Museum and The New Designers Show.
We also run an Easter trip to Germany and Italy for Year 10 Design students where they will investigate some of the Design and Technology the two countries have to offer including exploring Autostadt and Bauhaus Museums, Audi, Ferrari, BMW Motorbikes and Lamborghini.
Overview
The Geography Department aims to stimulate within students an interest in their surroundings and to develop further their awe and wonder of the natural and human environment.
Geography trips covered aim to explore the variety of landscapes on the Earth's surface and discuss with the students the opportunities and constraints for human beings. We want to make students aware of the quality of the environment in which they live and the positive and negative consequences of a wide variety of human actions upon it.
We endeavour to develop in each student an awareness of how their actions can impact upon both the environment and other human beings around them. We aim to develop their understanding of their responsibilities for the management of the planet, without seeking to make any student feel ‘guilty' for global inequalities.
Trips, activities and clubs
Fieldwork forms an integral part of the Geography taught at Eltham College:
- Providing opportunities to learn through direct experiences
- Increasing interest through interaction with the environment
- Encouraging students to be responsible for their own learning
Destinations include:
- Lower School – students conduct fieldwork in the school grounds as well as visiting London Docklands, Stratford and the Dorset Jurassic Coast.
- GCSE – the department has led a number of overseas trips. Students have visited Southern Spain and Sicily to study tourism and environmental issues.
- The department aims to offer an awe and wonder opportunity each year to a variety of combined year groups. In recent years trips to Iceland, Sicily, Iceland/New York combined have all been successfully undertaken.
- The Geography Society meets each week and is chaired by prominent enthusiastic Sixth Form geographers. This is an opportunity to debate, present and discover a range of geographical issues and topics.
- The Meteorological Society meets once a week to collect data and look at weather patterns.
Overview
History is best seen an ongoing debate about what happened, and what mattered, in the past. The History Department at Eltham College encourages all students to take a critical approach to both contemporary sources and the work of historians, so they can reach their own considered judgements on important historical questions. Ultimately, we encourage students to see that ‘what happened' and ‘what mattered' are issues of interpretation.
All students study History in their forms in Years 7 to 9 before it becomes an optional subject in Year 10 and 11. We offer a broad History curriculum in Years 7 to 9, to provide students with a secure understanding of some of the major transformations in English and European history, across the medieval, early modern, and modern periods. We also expose students to different types of history – political, cultural, military, social and economic – to offer a number of ‘lenses' through which the past can be viewed.
History Department aims:
- To stimulate all students' innate passion for studying the past, by using our teachers' specialist knowledge to deliver a range of engaging and challenging learning episodes.
- To develop students' precise knowledge of different periods, regions, approaches, and debates between historians.
- To cultivate students' broader skills as scholars. Through their History lessons, we hope students will become:
- ‘Critical consumers' of sources and interpretations. Students will learn to take a judicious approach when investigating how the ‘traces' of the past can be used as evidence for claims. They will also become increasingly comfortable evaluating the claims of other historians.
- ‘Persuasive producers' of historical writing. Our lesson activities provide regular opportunities for students to practise constructing a logical argument, whether orally or on paper.
Trips, activities and clubs
From Year 10, students are invited to attend the Sixth Form-led History Society, exposing them to talks by fellow students and invited guests, in order to broaden their understanding of different historical themes, periods, and debates. In addition, the Department currently offers two popular educational visits: Year 9 students visit Ypres and the Somme battlefield region as part of Field Week, and Year 10 students take a trip to Berlin in the Summer Term to support their study of the Germany and the Cold War.
Overview
To ensure breadth and depth of understanding in Mathematics, teaching in the department is supported by a detailed programme of study linked to comprehensive textbook schemes at all levels.
Trips, activities and clubs
In addition to our teaching, there are a range of opportunities to support the development of mathematical knowledge including:
- Junior Maths Club – Maths Masters – This weekly club is for students in Year 7 and 8 who are interested in exploring interesting and challenging mathematical activities and problems. There are opportunities to engage in mathematical games, trails, and use of ICT to extend an interest in mathematics.
- Middle School Maths Society (MS)² – This weekly club is for students in Years 9, 10, and 11 who are ready for the challenge of Mathematical Olympiad style questions and who enjoy taking part in the UKMT Maths Challenges.
- Maths Clinic – provides the opportunity for all students to seek individual help and support with the development of mathematical understanding. Students may choose to attend on a regular or occasional basis, or their attendance may be recommended by their mathematics teacher. Whilst the Maths Clinic will be supervised by members of the department, it will be led by members of Sixth Form Mathematics groups as part of their contribution to community service.
- UKMT Mathematics Challenges – we enter every student in Year 7 and 8, the top sets in Year 9 to 11, and Sixth Form mathematicians into these national competitions.
- UKMT Maths Team Challenges – selected students in the Sixth Form will take part in the Senior Team challenge, whilst a team comprising of students in Year 8 and 9 will participate in the Junior Team Challenge.
- Hans Woyda Competition – the team for this competition comprises just four mathematicians, chosen from the best in the school – one each from Year 9, 11 and the Lower and Upper Sixths.
Overview
The Modern Languages department at Eltham College is vibrant and flourishing. We offer French, German, Spanish and Mandarin through to A Level and we seek to foster in our students a lifelong enthusiasm for all the benefits and rewards that studying modern languages offers. We aim for our students' experience of studying languages to be engaging, challenging, thought-provoking and fun, through the work done in the classroom but also through visits to the cinema, theatre and, of course, trips abroad. We guide our students to develop a rich and varied vocabulary, as well as a thorough understanding of grammar, so as to communicate with confidence and eloquence in the languages they choose to study. We also help them to develop an understanding and appreciation of the cultures that underpin these languages in order to shape and develop their understanding of the world.
As students progress through the school, they will discover that we are also the subject through which they can explore a whole range of other academic areas: literature, politics, philosophy and history, whilst also developing the ever-important, valuable skill of fluency in another language. The department is fortunate to be based in the new Turberville Building, a bright, modern, well-equipped environment that enhances our students' learning experience and where one often hears the distinctive sounds of the languages taught, in preference to use of English.
Language study trips
This is always the first question prospective parents ask us on open days. The Languages Department runs the largest number of trips in the school.
There are cultural trips or study trips for both GCSE and A level European languages. There is a biennial cultural trip to China, open to all Senior School students.
Overview
The study of Music at Eltham College goes way beyond simply listening to some core repertoire, or playing on classroom instruments. We encourage students to think like musicians, constantly asking questions of themselves, developing their ability to listen, to appreciate a wide variety of music from cultures from all around the world. Students regularly work in groups on creative tasks, as well as developing the confidence as individual musicians to explore parts of musical worlds previously unfamiliar to them.
Trips, activities and clubs
There are a range of trips for our exam students to extend their knowledge of the set work composers and works.
The music calendar is extremely active with over 30 performances taking place every academic year, ranging from small intimate performances within the College, to large scale concerts in external venues such as Cadogan Hall, Blackheath Halls and the Royal Naval Chapel, Greenwich.
Eltham College is one of the few schools to have exclusive use of Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club on a Saturday lunch time slot, which is testament to the quality and ability of our musicians.
Overview
Physics is the most fundamental of the experimental sciences, as it seeks to explain the universe itself, from the very smallest particles, quarks, to the vast distances between galaxies.
Physics is the natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through space and time, along with related concepts such as energy and force. Many students who take Physics at A-Level go on to study Engineering, Architecture, Astronomy and Physics related courses at university.
The Physics department is committed to providing a supportive and purposeful environment in which students are well supported and encouraged to peruse opportunities to beyond the taught syllabus. All lessons are taught by subject specialists and in dedicated teaching laboratories. Lessons and topics have been developed with an emphasis on a student centred approach to learning, with lessons usually built around investigative practical work.
The Physics department is also committed to developing our practice as educators and are a member of the Institute of Physics.
Trips, activities and clubs
In addition to our teaching there are a range of opportunities to support the development of Physics knowledge including:
- Faraday Day Challenge (Year 8)
- Lego Robotics League (Year 7 and 8)
- UKSDC Galactic Challenge (Year 9)
- GCSE Physics Challenge (Year 11)
- GCSE Science Live (Year 11)
Overview
Religious Studies is very relevant for the world in which we live. Religion and beliefs inform our values and are reflected in what we say and how we behave. A study of religion provokes challenging questions about the ultimate meaning and purpose of life, beliefs about God, the self and the nature of reality, issues of right and wrong and what it means to be human.
Since Eltham College was founded as a school for the sons of missionaries, the Religious Studies Department aims to embody something of that tradition; creating a thriving department where RS is taught as a rigorous academic discipline. The underlying philosophy of our approach is two-fold, firstly that every human being has a belief system of one kind or another, and secondly that we can draw on the resources and experiences of our students who come from a variety of faith communities and backgrounds.
Throughout the Senior School at Eltham College, Religious Studies is taught in dedicated lessons by subject specialists. The principle of ‘spiral learning' is in operation so that students are learning skills and being introduced to knowledge and concepts that will be developed throughout their studies at Eltham College.
The department aims:
- To provide teaching of the highest quality to stimulate an enthusiasm for the study of religion.
- Develop the religious literacy of students which goes beyond merely factual understanding to include empathetic understanding of the multi-faceted phenomena that religion is.
- Build upon the natural curiosity of students about ultimate questions and to help them be able to think constructively about such questions.
- We do this by delivering lessons which are designed so that students learn in a variety of ways through group work, paired work or individual study as appropriate; building skills of reciprocity, resilience, resourcefulness and reflectiveness. We also encourage our students to ask questions and to reach their own informed conclusions.
Trips, activities and clubs
In addition to our teaching there are a range of opportunities to support the development of Religious Studies' knowledge, including:
- ECCE (Eltham College Christianity Explored)
- Philosophy Society
- Lunchtime drop-in exam surgeries
We take sport seriously; not simply because we produce some of the highest performing school teams and players in the region but also because sport gives all our students vital physical and mental skills, on and off the pitch.
We have over 70 acres of grounds that cater for all our core and co-curricular sports. Add to this a team of professional coaches with international and county experience, and the Old Elthamians Rugby, Cricket and Hockey professional teams that are based on site, and it becomes clear how we inspire every student to play sport to the best of their ability.
Participation in co-curricular sport is positively encouraged at all levels and there are various practices and clubs that take place at lunchtime and after school that the students can take part in.
Eltham College boasts strong fixture lists in all of its major sports, competing against nationally renowned schools. In addition, there are multiple additional sports to take part in, either as part of PE lessons, through the co-curricular programme or in House activities.
Our priority is to help every student find the sport they love, so we give them the chance to try everything and we celebrate very success.
At Eltham we provide a wide ranging core and co-curricular programme that enables our students to engage on many different levels and at any different sports. We pride ourselves on giving everyone the opportunity to train, develop and in turn represent the school. Our core sports for girls are hockey, netball, rounders and cricket and for boys rugby, hockey and cricket.
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