Life at School

Whitby School is an 11-19 community school which has a wide and varied curriculum at Key Stage 3, Key Stage 4 and Post-16.

The school strives for continuous improvement, aiming to bring leading edge teaching and learning to one of the most beautiful and historic places in the country.


Aims and Values

This is what we believe in:        

  • pupils/students have a duty to apply themselves to their learning and personal development, making the best use of all the support and opportunities available to them; effort is paramount

  • the school staff and governors have a duty to create conditions conducive to successful learning and personal development. They must meet, to the best of their ability, the needs of the full range of learners, by using all available resources as effectively as possible and by safeguarding pupils/students. Consistency and fairness are the cornerstones of this endeavour

  • parents have a duty to work with the school to support the successful learning of their sons and daughters, through encouragement and, when necessary, through challenge

  • all members of the school community have a duty to develop, both in themselves and in others in the wider community, positive strengths and values. These include: creativity, open-mindedness, understanding, knowledge, persistence, integrity, kindness, fairness, leadership, forgiveness, modesty, self-control, appreciation, thankfulness, optimism, humour, trust, courage, hope, tolerance, love, responsibility, humility, peace, cooperation, patience, generosity. 


Having vision, values and high expectations:

The school lives its values – everyone matters. It is also clear that we all – pupils/students and staff – have responsibilities as well as rights. We feel trusted and respond to this. The culture encourages innovation and experimentation but never allocates blame. If something does not work out or targets are not met, the leadership seeks to know how they could have supported the person better. The result is a staff team that works extremely hard in an appreciative and encouraging environment and pupils/students who understand exactly what is expected of them at school. Small things matter; staff are smartly dressed as professionals, and pupils/students reflect as well as respect this.

School Governors and leaders subscribe to the following pledge, which drives our mission and vision, as set out above:

  • we believe in authoritative leadership which is not authoritarian

  • we believe that leadership should be visible, engaged and authentic

  • leadership is about listening and consulting. It is about influencing, coaching and steering rather than directing

  • our leaders will develop, with others, a clear vision and lived culture

  • we believe that leadership is not the prerogative or role of a single individual – the leadership talents of all are needed if real sustainable progress is to be made.

We have much to be proud of in the school: wonderful young people with huge potential; a very hardworking and friendly staff and a team of people committed to bringing about rapid improvement through best practice in teaching and learning.