High Performance Learning
St Lawrence College has a long record of providing an excellent academic education within a supportive community. Our aim is to maximise the performance of every pupil, ensuring that they leave school equipped with the knowledge, skills and qualities that will serve them well for university, the workplace and life.
The school’s ongoing programme of academic development, working with High Performance Learning, is informed by a wealth of evidence that a child’s intelligence is not fixed but can be grown, and that high performance in education is achievable by every pupil.
Pupils will learn to identify and use advanced thinking skills in a systematic way as well the key values, attitudes and attributes for successful learning, such as resilience and open-mindedness.
Parents can play a huge role in helping their children to fulfil their academic potential. We recommend the excellent new book “Great Minds and How to Grow Them” by Professor Deborah Eyre and Wendy Berliner, which explains what parents can do and why. As a taster, here are six things to encourage in your child:
Resilience
Children who do well at school are not put off by failing; they keep trying until they get better. Your job when your child says they cannot do something is to acknowledge the challenge, help them to believe in themselves and keep going.
Planning & Monitoring
Knowing how they are doing, that they are on track with their prep for example, and knowing where they need to put more effort in.
Open-mindedness
Be deliberately open-minded yourself, and model what it is like to be receptive to ideas that differ from your own.
Practice
It is the only way to get better. Make sure it is regular, deliberate and planned practice, working towards achievable goals.
Curiosity
This is at the heart of all learning; encourage questions and model it yourself. Answer your child’s questions initially and later encourage them to find out themselves.
Critical or Logical Thinking
The characteristic most associated with academic success is the ability to deduct, hypothesise, reason and seek evidence – be Sherlock Holmes!
If you would like to hear more from Professor Eyre on this, you will find an informative video presentation here.
High Performance Learning at SLC
St Lawrence College is a High Performance Learning World Class School, and was one of the first 14 schools globally to achieve this coveted accolade.
High Performance Learning (HPL) is an established teaching and learning framework that recognises that every pupil can be a high performer and it aims to create students who have the values, attitudes and attributes that enable them to meet the challenges of adult life.
Mr Ben Pennells
Deputy Head (Academic)
