Future Changemakers

Future Changemakers is about standing up for what’s right. It’s about giving our students the critical thinking and leadership skills, the values and the character to be changemakers.

Preparing our students for a fast-changing world

As a leading values-led school, we create unrivalled opportunities for personal development and character education, while working with partners to create a better world. This focus draws on the impressive history of Quakers who set up forward-thinking companies like Cadbury and Rowntree; very successful businesses that also treated staff and suppliers fairly and created social good. Equally important, Quakers helped found leading charities and campaigning organisations, such as Amnesty International, Greenpeace, Oxfam and the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. Quakers won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1947.

Problem-based learning and STEAM academic approach
Take a look +

We equip our students to play an active role in tackling the global challenges facing humanity, such as Climate Change, Food Security, the 4th Industrial Revolution and Gender Equality.

This approach starts at the the beginning of Year 7, with all students taking part in an interdisciplinary Enquiry Week and developing their skills through experiential learning, trips and engagement with industry, with students undertaking the Fryer Project Qualification at the end of Year 8. This focus continues into the Senior School and Sixth Form with an impressive range of opportunities for students to further develop their creative problem solving skills. We are one of only a handful of schools to offer the Engineering GCSE and all our students take the Global Perspectives iGCSE.

Find out more about STEAM +
Play
Sol STEAM

Creativity, Activity Service (CAS) Personal Development Programme
Take a look +

Leighton Park won the national Independent Schools Association (ISA) Award for Pupil Personal Development 2022 – Read a Case Study from ISA. Students benefit from a complete personal development programme from Year 7 through to Lower Sixth with an emphasis on transferable skills and developing a strong sense of self:

Year 7 & 8 – Computer Science, Music and Cooking, Creative writing, Art and Textiles and Sports Leadership

Year 9 – Duke of Edinburgh Bronze Award

Year 10 & 11 – Literacy Changemakers, LP Buddies and Sports Leadership programmes, Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award

Lower Sixth – Oakleaf Diploma prepares students for adult life and a programme to support health and wellbeing.

Play
Award Pupil Personal Development

Curiosity-led learning and character development
Take a look +

Confidence building, participation, resilience and friendship. Our commitment to providing experiential learning opportunities through our co-curricular programme develops important skills in our students and forms part of the bespoke character education profile of our School. We are an inclusive, kind and caring school, which ensures this is within everyone’s reach.

There are over 90 co-curricular options available to students, all but a handful are included in the fees, offering the chance to fully explore areas of interest, develop new transferable skills and refine a strong sense of personal fulfilment and purpose. Students can also take advantage of a flexible school day to come in for breakfast and stay for tea, getting the most out everything the school has to offer – all at no extra cost.

Find out more about Co-Curricular +
Play

Future-ready leaders
Take a look +

Leighton Park leads the UK for its commitment to mutually beneficial partnerships and charitable engagement work, winning the prestigious national Independent Schools Association (ISA) Award for Outstanding Community Involvement in 2021 and 2020.

Developing kind and compassionate leaders for the future is an important part of how we give our Quaker values currency and purpose. Our students gain the proven wellbeing and resilience boost from helping others, refine their leadership skills and develop the insight, strength and courage to look within and strive for a fairer, better society.

Find out more about our Partnerships work +
Play
Fundraising for change

Climate Change
Take a look +

Climate change and biodiversity loss are two of the most pressing issues of our times. Sustainability is one of the School’s core values, alongside Truth, Respect, Integrity, Peace, Equality and Simplicity.

The importance of these issues is reflected in our curriculum, our interdisciplinary, cross-curricular projects such as Sustainability Week and our expansive co-curricular programme.

Our Eco Schools student-led groups have achieved the coveted Green Flag Award, an international accreditation that recognises young people’s environmental actions. The School has planted over 1,200 trees on the Park this year, with the community also sponsoring a project to re-wild an area of the ancient Caledonian Forest in Scotland.

Click on the image to watch a student-produced video about the work of our Eco Schools group.

Read about our sustainability initiatives +
Play
Cloc climate change video

Environmental and Sustainability Awards

City Kids Award logo

Winner - Green Senior School Award 2023

Awarded joint winners of the Green Senior School Award 2023 by Citykids magazine. According to Melanie Sanderson, competition judge and The Good Schools Guide Managing Editor, the award celebrates Leighton Park for delivering “An extremely impressive firm commitment to change-making at a high level.”
Indepenent School of the Year 2023 shortlist logo

Finalist - Award for Environmental Achievement 2023

We are currently a Finalist for the Award for Environmental Achievement in the Independent Schools of the Year 2023 Awards. Our submission highlighted our work around COP, our pioneering partnership with the University of Reading, our exceptional co-curricular programme and our students' leadership in this area.
ISA Award for Excellence in Sustainability

Finalist - Award for Excellence in Sustainability

We are currently a Finalist for the Award for Excellence in Sustainability in the Independent Schools Association Awards 2023, reinforcing the School's national leadership in this defining challenge of our times.

Values-led Education

Although only a small number of students and staff are Quakers, it is our Quaker roots to which we owe our forward-thinking approach to education. Our values-led education is characterised by:

  • Achievement – we inspire a love of learning, deep thinking scholarship and an inner drive for realising talent
  • Values – We foster a sense of responsibility, a commitment to helping others and a determination to make a difference
  • Character – We develop a confident sense of self, underpinned by resilience, perseverance and self-reflection
  • Community – We nurture a community of kindness, valuing the potential of each individual and seeking to understand and celebrate difference

Click on the image to watch a short video about Ayesha, one of our former students now working as a Climate Journalist.

Find out more about the values-led education at Leighton Park +
Peckover sunrise

Related news

Meet the Author 2024: Steve Cole
April 24, 2024

Meet the Author 2024: Steve Cole +

Leighton Park School’s Patron of Reading, Steve Cole, returned for another successful Meet the Author event with 323 Year 4 and 5 children and their teachers from eight primary and … Read More +

April 22, 2024

Super Chefs Final 2024 +

Eight star bakers returned to Leighton Park on Monday 22nd April for the Grand Final of Super Chefs 2024! The pupils, from four schools across Berkshire, were the winners of … Read More +

March 22, 2024

Combining Chocolate, Charity and Community +

 Leighton Park celebrated Easter early this year, raising money for charity in the last week of term in a gesture of generosity. Individuals were invited to contribute a fixed cost … Read More +

How can we help?

Take the next step by selecting an option below, or if you want to drop us a quick message, you can do so with the form.

Shinfield Road
Reading
Berkshire, UK
RG2 7DE
+44 (0) 118 987 9600
Request a prospectus Arrange a visit Make an application
Contact Us
I agree with your terms & conditions and privacy policy *
I would like to receive updates from Leighton Park, including updates about upcoming events