Basic Information & Location
Giggleswick School is one of the leading independent boarding and day schools in the north of England for boys and girls aged 2 to 18 years. Set in 250 acres of stunning Yorkshire Dales countryside, the school is renowned, both in the UK and internationally, for its rich and broad education that brings out the best in the best in every child. The school currently has around 65 international students in school from 13 different countries, giving all pupils the opportunity to broaden their horizons and learn about other cultures and languages.
Academic Development
The curriculum at Giggleswick is broad and varied offering its pupils the opportunities to gain a wide range of skills. The school uses the new National Curriculum as its foundation to core subjects, but are not restricted by this, allowing teachers to teach beyond these expectations and standards.
Giggleswick dedicates time within its weekly curriculum for further enrichment for its pupils. The school identifies pupils with a variety of gifts and talents, and work them in small groups to provide further challenge. The school uses a ‘More Able’ register to record and monitor these children.
Meanwhile, The Junior School’s Learning Support Co-coorditor, alongside the Early Years SENCO, provides support and management of the learning of pupils with additional needs.
The school sees specific learning issues as a different way of learning, not simply a set of difficulties. At the same time as helping pupils to improve in their weaker areas through guidelines and recommendations specified in the updated SEN Code of Practice, the school emphasises their strengths and celebrate their successes too – whether academic, sporting, Art and Design or in Drama and Music. The school helps pupils to develop successful strategies which work for them and supports pupils to suit their individual needs.
Pastoral Care & Boarding
The school’s pastoral care has teachers, personal tutors and senior house staff all on hand to support alongside parents and guardians at home. Each student has regular access to their personal tutor and their Housemaster/mistress has complete oversight of their welfare, providing continuity in the multi-layered house and family feel the pupils and their families value so much.
As well as the small group tutorials, Giggleswick has drop-ins and guest speakers on a range of topics, such as ‘dealing with isolation’, and ‘strategies to reduce screen time’. The school will also continue running its Curriculum for Life programme tailored to the challenges of the current climate and consequences upon different year groups.
Giggleswick enjoys a well balanced mix of full boarders, flexi boarders and day pupils which means that every boarder will make friends with children from the local area as well as from across the country and around the world. They all share a close sense of community with the House system forming a central hub of life, activities and pastoral care.
As a modern boarding and day school, Giggleswick offers a wide range of options tailored to fit the needs, lifestyles and budgets of families based locally, nationally and internationally. Students can choose to be a day pupil, a full boarder, 3 or 5-night flexi boarder or board occasionally if there is an activity in school that’s not to be missed.
All pupils benefit from the school’s extended day with lessons and activities running from 08:40 to 18:15 and a full school day on Saturday’s too, providing plenty of time to take part and get fully immersed in everything Giggleswick has to offer.
Extra-curricular & Personal Development
The social programme at Giggleswick is recognised as one of the best. The school’s dedicated entertainment team makes sure that everyone has fun and that everyone is involved in the programme of games, movies, music, dance and talent shows.
Every day at Giggleswick is busy and filled with exciting activities and opportunities. Through the extended day the school offers a broad curriculum including arts and crafts, performing arts, specialist sports coaching and outdoor pursuits. It also gives students time to take learning beyond the classroom door with an extensive enrichment programme including regular trips and visits, themed activity and charity days, sports fixtures, music performances and many clubs and activities to take part in every week.
There are a variety of full day excursions each Saturday – past visits have included Manchester, home of football, Leeds, city of dance, Liverpool, a former European City of Culture, Scotland’s capital city Edinburgh, historical York and Blackpool, which has one of the top two shorelines in the world. All of these cities have sights of cultural interest, as well as providing a number of exciting activities that international students will enjoy. School staff are very experienced in organising these trips and students will be well supervised with clear and safe boundaries.
