A message from the Headmaster

Thank you for your interest in The Crypt School. We pride ourselves on high academic standards, high expectations, strong pastoral care, and a personalised curriculum to tailor sixth form education for the individual. We support and challenge our students to ensure they meet their academic targets and grow personally so that they leave school as well rounded young adults, with the confidence, knowledge and skills required for life in the modern world. Our Year 13 results in 2010 and 2011 were the best ever recorded at Crypt, and demonstrated “value added” for our pupils – that is they achieved at least as well as could be expected. The message is clear: students who choose Crypt for sixth form studies will achieve as well here as they would in any other institution. Academic success lies at the heart of every school’s mission, and is based in large part upon a supportive structure in which teachers and tutors make time for each individual. A happy pupil is likely to be a successful pupil, and I am proud of our welcoming, friendly environment. Crypt also offers a wide range of extra curricular enrichment opportunities to support the formal curriculum. Sports, music, trips, the arts and other activities underpin a vibrant and exciting phase in your son’s / daughter’s life. There are numerous opportunities for leadership from formal prefect roles to mentoring younger pupils. The school itself continues to develop. Our VI form students now have use of a £1.4m state of the art Learning Resource Centre, which includes an ICT suite and four dedicated sixth form teaching rooms in addition to a library. This new building offers 21 st century private study facilities for our students, with formal work zones and an informal coffee bar area. The size of our sixth form has grown in the past two years, and the percentage of female students has increased markedly. With around 210 students in the VI form we retain the advantages of a middle sized school in which we can get to know each student personally. At the same time that growth has enabled us to develop our curriculum offer. For example we now offer our students the AQA Baccalaureate, which will enhance their chances of securing places at the most prestigious universities. Success is judged primarily upon academic results, but a sixth form education at Crypt entails so much more than this. Fond memories of my school days remain with me. I want our pupils to feel, as I did, that they are a part of something very special. My staff and I look forward to meeting you.

JP Standen

Headmaster