Primary children who live on Bryher boat daily to Tresco for schooling. All secondary age students attend school on St Mary’s; those who live on off islands boat and board weekly, staying in Mundesley House which offers a home-from-home arrangement. Class sizes are small, particularly in secondary, and the pastoral provision is exceptional.
Our pioneering work in developing a conceptual 4-16 curriculum is transforming teaching and learning and we are making increasingly creative use of our outdoor environment to inspire and engage students.
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Primary children are taught mainly on their bases, in mixed age classes, but on Collaboration Friday Years 3-6 come together to learn in individual year groups and make use of specialist facilities. Primary learning is divided into blocks of terms or half terms, driven by shared topics and working collaboratively across bases. In Secondary, learning is divided into four ‘quadmesters’, each lasting nine weeks and culminating in a Project Week where students can work collaboratively to find out more about areas both within and outside the curriculum.
We are very proud of the progress our students make over their time at FIA. We are the top performing school across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly according to DfE Progress measures. Many students leave with outstanding results across a range of subjects, particularly in English, Maths, Humanities, Science, Design Technology and Engineering. Our 2023 Ofsted Report has warmly recognised that we are a ‘Good’ school with ‘Outstanding’ Personal Development for our students. Our Progress 8 scores have been well above the national average every year for the past five years. Progress across the eight GCSEs measured by the DfE in 2023 was +0.73, and our Attainment 8 average grade was 5.3, against a national average of 4.6.
We are a proud founder member of the Leading Edge Academies Partnership and our shared Trust values of Excellence, Evolution, and Equity underpin everything that we are and do. As a Church of England VC school we turn our focus to the key attributes of dignity, wisdom and hope by working with and for our close and supportive community. We build, maintain and repair relationships with one another through powerful restorative practices.
If you would like to know more, or would like to visit us, please contact enquiries@fiveislands.org or call 01720 424850. Our facilities are outstanding and we will offer you a warm welcome.
