Our overarching goal is to build a school culture with meaning, purpose and belonging. The school we are building together is based on our ‘KIDMAP’ values of kindness, integrity, determination, manners, ambition and positivity. Longbenton is a caring school and we know our students well. We have a warm/strict approach and focus heavily on ambitious, high standards of behaviour. Routines are a key element: this leads to a calm, positive atmosphere and climate. This is a school where the chances of all children are championed and where your background is no barrier to success.
We have a thriving school culture, with groups such as our LHS Equalities Team driving positive change around diversity and inclusion. Our school is about creating opportunities, instilling confidence and building the foundations for success.
At Longbenton High School, we use a traditional 3-year KS3 and a 2-year KS4 model. Whilst our curriculum is traditional, all areas of learning thrive and are valued. Most ‘English Baccalaureate’ subjects have high rates of entry, but so too do Art, Music, Drama, and PE.
Students choose two additional option subjects at GCSE outside of the core curriculum - this is deliberate (some schools ask students to choose 3) so that our young people can focus on excelling rather than spreading themselves too thin. We offer Spanish and French as
languages and students can study additional Further Maths at GCSE if they are gifted in that area, as well as subjects such as Computer Science and Photography.
Our focus on reading and oracy ensures we can deliver real cultural capital and remove social mobility barriers connected to literacy, to guarantee our students can compete with peers from all schools including the private sector for jobs, apprenticeships and university places. Students are expected to read for 10 minutes at school each day during form time.
We believe wider curriculum opportunities are crucial for student development and aim to deliver a high quality before and after school enrichment offer to cater for a broad range of interests and talents. Our ‘Inspire’ curriculum allows students to gain experience and skills in areas that might not be part of the everyday curriculum, develop personal skills and attributes, make new friendships and become a real part of our school community. There is an expectation that students will attend a minimum of one session until 4pm per week with clubs ranging from Lego to choir, animal care to Latin and everything in between.
