Our Vision
At South Bank University Academy our students gain the knowledge, build character and have the experiences that lead them to be the change makers in their world; living a good life and improving the lives of others They will create a better future.
Our Values:
Social justice
Achieving this is about ensuring equity, diversity and inclusion in access and participation.
Kindness and Empathy
We try to understand others perspectives and meet them where they are. We approach all our interactions from a position of goodwill.
Endeavour
We expect and recognise effort and perseverance from staff and students.
Community
We aim to be a driver of community cohesion where we live in each other’s lives and understand the circumstances and perspectives of each individual. We want our students to have a real sense of belonging in our school and work in partnership with parents in the development of their children.
Our Motto
Create a better future
The motto speaks to our values:
Social justice – it suggests that there is work to be done to secure students personal future and for them to be empowered to improve the lives of others.
Empathy and kindness – the success is manifested in the wellbeing of themselves and others.
Endeavour – the motto is bold and not easy to achieve. It will require huge amounts of effort and resilience from our students over a long time.
Community – implicit in that this requires a better future for their community.
Our Distinctiveness
The enriched curriculum. We offer students diverse opportunities to extend their experience, become positive citizens and improve the lives of others. Our Day 10 and after school and holiday programmes provide a unique enriched curriculum of community work, educational and cultural visits and engagement with external businesses and agencies. This develops students’ employability and professional skills supports their personal development and increase their social and cultural capital.
Access to technology through devices and platforms brings opportunities for powerful learning. Every student is provided with their own Chromebook throughout their time at SBUA. All of our lessons and additional learning resources are available to students online.
We provide bespoke mentoring and tutoring programmes for students. Often delivered through our partnerships with external providers.
We develop our students’ ambition and prepare them for successful high value academic, professional and technical careers through our extensive advice information and guidance programme, our guest speakers programme, our workplace visits and our activities with London South Bank University.
We strive to make all of our enrichment opportunities available at no cost to all of our students. This includes trips, tutoring, musical instrument tuition and Duke of Edinburgh participation.
How we achieve our vision
Character: Students participate in a series of experiences through the subject curriculum and the enriched curriculum that guides them to become confident, ambitious and socially responsible.
Curriculum: Our subject curriculum focuses on powerful knowledge which pertains to the context of our students and ensures they achieve high academic standards.
Great teaching: Teachers deliver expert lessons. They commit to improving their teaching skills and work collaboratively to achieve this, keeping abreast of current pedagogy and developments in their subject specialisms.
Student Agency: Students are given opportunities to make decisions about their school and their learning. They are supported to make informed choices about the courses they study and the activities they engage in. They are trained to take ownership of their lives and their future such that they become the changemakers in their world.
Culture of learning: Our students develop a love for learning through challenging and stimulating lessons that encourage deep thinking. Students take responsibility for their own learning and know how to do this. They behave in a way that supports the learning of their peers and provides an environment where they feel comfortable to take risks with their learning.
Care and support: All our students are ‘seen’ and valued and enjoy being part of a safe and nurturing community. We identify all barriers to learning and work to meet the needs of individual students. We provide bespoke tutoring and mentoring programmes to support each student to maximise their outcomes.
Destinations: We focus on destinations as much as examination outcomes. Students understand the range of opportunities London has to offer, particularly in the academic, professional and technical realms, and the pathways that lead them to high-value destinations. We engage students with employers, academics and professionals and support them to choose and access the next step in their education, training or employees.
Enriched Curriculum: We provide a structured additional curriculum, carefully curated and delivered within the timetabled day and beyond it, which provides a range of experiences, often supported by industry and university partners. These are designed to develop their confidence, ambition and social responsibility, increase their social and cultural capital and build their employability and professional skills.
