Open Events
For Year 7 and Year 12 Entry from September 2021
Welcome to our school. Whether selecting a place for your child in Year 7, looking for a place for yourself in Year 12 or simply wanting to know more about Guildford County School, I welcome you to this webpage and our virtual open events for September 2021 entry and beyond.
Guildford County School - or ‘County’ as we call ourselves - has a purpose: we are entrusted to provide young people with the best education in the country, an education that is focused on delivering outcomes of every description. We use that word ‘entrusted’ for a reason, recognising the trust that you have placed in us by choosing our school and Sixth Form. This is a responsibility that we take seriously.
You have chosen our school and Sixth Form, we hope, because you value what we strive for: providing an environment where children thrive, becoming resilient learners who are healthy, happy, and successful.
You have also chosen our school, we hope, because you know of our reputation for helping to shape young people who live our values: demonstrating a generosity of spirit; showing creativity in all of their endeavours; and celebrating success in all of its forms. These values are important to us, and members of our community will become familiar with them in the short-hand version that we use every day: Give, Create, Succeed.
But what does this mean in practice? What are County students like?
A County student holds the door open for others. They walk with their shoulders back and their head held high. They look you in the eye and smile. They say ‘hello’, ‘please’ and ‘thank you’. They think about others before they think of themselves. They wear their uniform correctly, smartly and with pride, recognising that, in this act, they communicate humility to their peers: we are the same as each other and share in a common purpose of learning. They approach life with optimism and enthusiasm, knowing that difficulties will come, but being confident that they can work with us and find ways to overcome them. A County student will throw themselves into every opportunity that comes their way: choirs, ensembles, sports teams, clubs, trips and myriad other activities. They willingly take on roles of student leadership and responsibility. They enjoy their many successes, always celebrating the success of others first. They seek to become the very best version of themselves that they can be, understanding that this is always a work in progress.
County students, in short, make us proud, as they make you proud. They do this within a loving school and Sixth Form community that is big enough to offer an exciting curriculum, yet small enough to know each student by name. As they begin their County journey, we are excited about what they will achieve here, about what progress they will make and we are excited to watch as they leave us for university, travel, work or further training.
My team and I look forward to working in partnership with you to help shape young people into resilient learners who are healthy, happy, and successful. I very much look forward to welcoming you next September.
With my very best wishes,
Steve Smith, BSc (Hons), MA, NPQH
Head of School
