What do you think of when you think of a school? 

Many of us picture pupils in classrooms, or outside on the hockey pitch, or in the art or music rooms. We think of the hustle and bustle and sometimes forget that a school is far more than the current generation of pupils.

At Rydal Penrhos, it is a community that includes not only the pupils’ learning but also all those who have done exactly the same in the past.

It’s in school that we cultivate our sense of wonder, develop and exercise our curiosity, and learn how to treat our peers with respect and kindness – that, in summary, we are prepared to enter the world.

Leaving school – entering this Alumni community – is a beginning and not an end – and that’s why leaving is exciting and terrifying in equal measure.

It’s only when a pupil leaves school that we can ask, what will they do with their education? What sort of world will they build?

Leaving school is not the moment a pupil’s connection with the school comes to an end, but rather the moment this is realised most fully.

Staff at Rydal Penrhos make leaving school easier for our pupils in two ways. First, we give them lots of opportunities to make their own decisions in the years prior – our small A Level classes, for example, mean that pupils can work with teachers to guide their own learning.

Second, we ensure that when they leave, they do so knowing they are entering an alumni community that spans generations and whose programme connects ‘new ones’ with those who have already ventured somewhat further down life’s path.