Our school values of Courage, Pride and Resilience ensures that in addition to academic growth, a huge emphasis is placed on the development of each individual.  We use courage to take the first steps on this exciting and challenging journey at Chessbrook, Pride to celebrate achievements, talents and abilities and Resilience to deal with challenges we may face at school and in the community along the way.

Chessbrook students exemplify courage and a willingness to explore new lessons, engage in various activities, and establish connections with both fellow students and staff.

Within our broad curriculum, we extend opportunities for our Key Stage 3 (KS3) students to cultivate courage. This curriculum combines practical and academic elements, nurturing a genuine passion for learning from an early stage. Simultaneously, within our Key Stage 4 (KS4) programme, students actively participate in the Duke of Edinburgh Award, which pushes them out of their comfort zones to embrace novel challenges. This award not only encourages our KS4 students to try new things but also complements their leadership development, fostering the confidence to communicate effectively with their younger peers and staff

Recognising and taking pride in students achievements holds significant importance and at Chessbrook, we keenly observe the distinctive skills, talents, and attributes of our students, even those they might not always recognise in themselves. Within our lessons, we actively work to nurture and enhance these talents. As students gather the courage to share their unique experiences, our dedicated staff create opportunities to further develop and celebrate them.

Chessbrook is committed to valuing and acknowledging the diverse accomplishments of every individual in various forms. Our annual awards evening serves as a platform to highlight and celebrate these achievements, fostering a strong sense of pride within our community.

Navigating life as a young person can be quite demanding, and at our school, we place a strong emphasis on the importance of resilience in every aspect of our approach. Our curriculum is designed to be both exciting and challenging and we support students to be resilient in order to achieve success. We have exceptionally high standards because we firmly believe that they are the key to long-term success.

In addition to our aspirational environment, we incorporate inspiring stories into our circle time sessions. These stories come from our own staff or guest speakers, who share their experiences of how they've had to embrace the value of resilience in their own lives. These narratives serve as powerful sources of motivation, allowing our students to learn from real-life examples and gain insights into the practical application of resilience.

Enrichment

We provide many enrichment opportunities at Chessbrook which capture our values.   The frequent offsite visits and trips embraces learning outside the classroom and enhances cultural capital. This builds on the outstanding relationship we have with our students and their families; our learning extends well beyond the academic and vocational aspects of the curriculum. The personal development of our students is of utmost importance and the careful way we guide and nurture has a direct impact on their opportunities for the future.

Voluntary and charity work is important to the students. They offer their time to make up Christmas shoe boxes, raise money for charities and support learning to overseas students who they recognise are less fortunate members of the global community, this drive to help others and forms part of our enrichment programme. 

The recent introduction of the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme provides a further platform for personal development and this prestigious award is nationally recognised developing the skills and attitudes they need to become more rounded, confident adults. The award scheme supports the skills that colleges, universities and employers look for which enhance opportunities for later life.