Exploration at Pangbourne

EXPLORATION AT PANGBOURNE

Exploration at Pangbourne most simply means knowing yourself. We have built the school around the idea that getting great exam results is only half of a great education. The other half, of equal importance, is providing a constant exposure to the experiences and activities that will develop our young people into confident, responsible, articulate adults who can go out into the world and make the most of what it has to offer.

To facilitate this, Pangbourne is built around the idea of fellowship and the power of belonging - the more we feel we belong to a group, the more we invest in its goals and adopt its norms. Belonging doesn't just drive behaviour and learning; it impacts health and happiness too. Being part of something bigger than ourselves unearths the essence of the human experience, and we know that our pupils will engage and invest in the community of the school if they feel that sense of belonging. The need for kinship is particularly prevalent in times of personal change. It is little surprise that belonging can be a core concern for many students, and potentially all-consuming for adolescents. The sense of belonging that we foster at Pangbourne is protective against some of the angst of adolescent life. This is not at the expense of personal expression or identity – but as a safety net to go out and explore who you are as an individual and the type of person you want to become.

This means we have a wealth of programmes and opportunties from Duke of Edinburgh to Bushcraft, CCF to Volunteering that enable all our students to challenge themselves and experience success in areas of life they might previously not have thought possible. It does also open them up to failure and set back, but within the supportive Pangbourne environment that sees this as part of the journey to mastery.