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Hazelwick School

Our Shared Vision:

For each and every student to achieve their maximum potential.

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Open Evening Frequently Asked Questions

What is the deadline?

The deadline for applications is 31st October. All applications received by West Sussex after this date are processed last, after school allocations for applications received before the deadline. There is no additional benefit to submitting an application particularly early.

How are places decided?

This video gives an overview of the admission process.

The Admission Policy can be found here and includes the Oversubscription Criteria against which all applications are considered

Can I visit the school?

The Open Evening took place on Tuesday 14th September. There are small group tours taking place on different dates throughout September and October. Details can be found here:  www.hazelwick.org

How many children in a Year group? 

There are 300 students in a year group which is divided into 11 tutor groups of 27 or 28 and class sizes in Year 7 range from 22 to 31. Hazelwick has an outstanding pastoral system and all students at Hazelwick are known individually. Form teachers get to know their tutor group quickly, seeing them every morning, and remain with them throughout their time at the school.  Hazelwick was featured in Teach Secondary magazine as an example of a strong, caring and highly supportive pastoral system in a large secondary school.

How are the children taught?

At Hazelwick, students benefit from committed, highly skilled and specialist teachers. Our recent Ofsted report made particular mention of their expertise. Our students are taught in a range of different teaching groups. In Year 7, some subjects are taught in mixed ability tutor groups, whilst English, Science and Modern Languages are taught in broad ability bands and Maths is taught in sets. 

How is Pastoral care arranged/delivered?

Pastoral work and support for our students is a high priority at Hazelwick. The school has been praised for its pastoral care and the ability to know and support each child. Every year group has two Heads of Year and a non-teaching Pastoral Coordinator. They provide the main pastoral support for all students. There is also an extended pastoral team that includes our Education Welfare Officer, our Inclusion Welfare Officer, our Welfare Assistant and our School Counsellor as well as a safeguarding team of 10 senior staff. Through PSHE and Citizenship, all Hazelwick students are taught how to stay safe and look after themselves and each other. This, combined with the vigilant and caring school ethos that pervades all that we do, means Hazelwick is a safe, nurturing and enormously supportive school environment.

What is the Curriculum?

The Curriculum offered at Hazelwick is engaging, exciting, broad and balanced. The Curriculum fully covers the National Curriculum for Year 7 and includes the core subjects of English, Maths and Science, as well as Music, Art, Drama, History, Geography, PE, Design Technology, Food Technology, French and either Spanish or German, Computer Science and Personal Social and Health Education (PSHE). A Year 7 student’s timetable is delivered in specialist rooms by specialist staff that use a range of teaching methods and expertise to provide a rich and diverse educational experience.

Are there trips?

There are a wide range of trips that run, across Years 7-11. These trips are linked to a variety of subjects and have recently included a visit t to Lewes Castle for History, a visit to Paris for French and a visit to the South Downs for Geography, as well as the residential trip to the Calshot Activity Centre that forms part of the transition programme. There are also a number of in-school experiences that further enhance the delivery of the Curriculum.

What does transition look like at Hazelwick?

Transition from primary to secondary school is a crucially important process for us at Hazelwick. This video gives an insight into the work Hazelwick does in this key area.

What is the uniform and where can it be bought from?

We are rightly very proud of our uniform at Hazelwick and we have high expectations of our students and their uniform. Full details of the Hazelwick uniform can be found here.

What extra-curricular club are there?

We believe in the importance of high-quality and engaging lessons within the classroom, and this feeds the love our learning that is evident amongst our students. However, this is complimented by a very wide range of extra-curricular opportunities and clubs that take place. Football, netball, basketball athletics, rugby, hockey, cricket and rounders are an example of the sports clubs on offer. There is also cooking, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths), Science, Astrology, Choir, Orchestra, Bands and Drama for students to enjoy.