Learning at Dr Challoner’s Grammar School is about equipping students with the knowledge, skills and experiences inside and outside the classroom which will allow them to flourish, not only in their academic studies but also in their wider lives and the relationships that they cultivate with their peers, their teachers, and beyond the school gates. With its origins in the work of Professor Guy Claxton and the work he published in his book Building Learning Power, Learning at Challoner’s encapsulates our firm belief that learning is much deeper than simply knowledge of facts and now champions five core learning habits which were agreed by students and staff which are:

  • Engagement - the attention, positivity and commitment required to recognise and make the most of every opportunity.
  • Questioning - the intellectual curiosity to want to know more, to want to know how, and to want to know why.
  • Independence - the ability to follow instruction, be organised and to be responsible for one’s own learning.
  • Perseverance - the determination to keep going, even when things may not come easily, and the flexibility to consider different ways of achieving the same end without giving up.
  • Reflection - to look back on previous learning, successful and not successful, to recognise and develop one’s strengths and diagnose and improve areas of weakness.

The principles of Learning at Challoner’s not only underpin our expectation of the attitude which students display when they come into the school each day but also our expectation for the opportunities to be presented by staff inside and outside the classroom through the broad range of co-curricular activities on offer at the school. The learning culture at Dr Challoner’s Grammar School extends to the staff too. Teachers are encouraged to engage in research activities and routinely visit colleagues’ lessons to inform their practice.