The aim of the Falkland Islands Community School is that all our students are supported to reach their potential and leave as happy, curious and well-rounded individuals with the knowledge, skills and qualifications they need for the next stage in their lives. Our students are at the centre of all that we do as a school.
The school building was opened by Lord Shackleton in 1992. It includes specialist classrooms with interactive whiteboards. These include two IT suites, three science laboratories and well-resourced subject rooms for Art, Music, Computing/ICT, Design technology and Food and Nutrition.
The school building also incorporates the leisure centre and PE makes use of its facilities which include a 25 metre heated swimming pool, a sports hall and playing fields.
A Falkland Island Community school we are committed to developing the whole child and developing learners who
- are resilient in their learning and willing to take a risk
- become increasingly aware of how they learn
- take responsibility for and are active in managing their own learning
- are able to set their own targets
- are confident about expressing their thinking and listen to and respect others’ ideas
- review their own and their peers’ progress and have a very good idea about improvement
- exploit skilfully the opportunities afforded by ICT to extend their knowledge and skills
The curriculum at FICS is designed to encourage a love of learning and be delivered by passionate teachers. At KS3 it is based broadly on the principle of the English National Curriculum and it give all students the opportunity to study a breadth of subjects while individual subjects will focus on a depth of learning that are relevant to our unique local, regional and global communities. It draws on the unique opportunities presented by the history and environment of the Falkland Islands. The curriculum is knowledge rich and ambitious but is accessible to all and builds on foundations laid at KS1 and KS2. While we will are committed to prepare our students for GCSEs the KS3 curriculum will not be driven by GCSE and each subject has a carefully developed rationale and topics are carefully sequenced to ensure knowledge is embedded.
At KS4 we offer a range of GCSES and IGCSE from a variety of examination boards: AQA, CIE, EDEXCEL, OCR and WJEC. Those students who meet the academic and residential criteria for Falkland Islands Government sponsorship are funded to complete A Levels or equivalent overseas. The school and the Education Department have very close links and a long standing partnership with Peter Symonds Sixth Form College in Winchester and Chichester College of Further Education and are developing links with other colleges.
An ever developing programme of Personal Health Social and Citizenship Education (PSHCE) augments the main curriculum with a number of external agencies contributing to its delivery: including the King Edward Memorial Hospital, MLAs, the Police and the Social Services.
FICS is committed to providing students with opportunities to find and develop their interests and talents. There are a variety of extra curricular activities available ranging from homework support to music groups to science club to sporting clubs. There is also a strong Student Council.
The school has a vertical pastoral tutoring system with each pastoral tutor responsible for a small number of tutees from either KS3 or KS4. This allows older pupils to develop a nurturing and mentoring attitude towards their younger classmates.
Parents receive a number of written and data reports throughout the academic year and there are frequent opportunities to discuss their child’s progress with teachers in school both formally during official Parents’ Evenings and informally.