Esher High School has helped me become more confident and has taught me to be proud of my achievements. The teachers help me to be the best I can be, by never giving up when things are hard and asking questions when I’m stuck. I really enjoy the Performing Arts lessons as they are fun lessons to be in. I particularly love drama as it’s a great chance to try and be someone different.

I think the school is very supportive of my learning. The teachers do a great job of revising topics I do not understand. I really enjoy music outside of school, so for me, the music lessons, especially music technology, are really interesting and fun. I like the teachers who structure their lessons in a way that makes it enjoyable for us to learn. I try and be the best I can and make sure I ask questions when I find things hard.

Esher High has given me the opportunity to make new friends. It’s also helped me build my confidence. The school has loads of great facilities available to use. It’s a large school, but everyone is really friendly and I feel comfortable being here. The teachers are enthusiastic and make lessons interesting which means there a good atmosphere in the classroom. My favourite lesson is PE as I really enjoy sport, especially cricket.

I believe the most rewarding experiences at Esher High School are being able to celebrate accomplishments with my students, watching them grow but also being really proud that I could be part of the process of getting them to get them to where they are today.  Working with the community is a focus of our school. We believe students should learn how to negotiate their way through life and appreciate differences. The school places great value on student participation in a broad range of curricular and extra-curricular opportunities aimed at developing life skills, leadership potential and links with the wider community. Esher High School is a forward-thinking and outward-looking school, where aspirations are high and ambitions unlimited. Here each child is valued and his or her uniqueness is cherished and the learning environment is designed for maximum engagement and achievement. At Esher high School we also have a very well-established links with all of our feeder primary schools, which facilitates a smooth transition from primary to secondary school. Pupils from primary schools are  given the opportunity to visit the school to experience a full day’s lessons as well as the open evenings when parents and their children can see the school in action.

Working as part of the support staff team, I don’t deal with the students first hand but I had the pleasure last year of handing out the GCSE exam results. It was lovely to see a lot of the students so happy with their results – I became quite emotional. It makes you feel that whatever role we work in, we all play a part in the students’ futures, which is very rewarding.

The most rewarding thing about working at Esher High is helping, supporting, guiding and nurturing some of our most vulnerable students overcome barriers in either their learning and/or their individual circumstances. I work with a range of students with varying educational needs backgrounds and students with differing personal circumstances. Watching these young people battle through adversity, the turbulence of teenage life as well as coping with differing special educational needs or other exceptional circumstances is inspiring. Working in a school can be challenging and sometimes relentlessly so, regardless of the role you play. The team that we have make daily work life that little bit easier. Colleagues genuinely want to help and support each other. Esher High School is an inclusive, supportive and nurturing school with high expectations and that strives hard to help students achieve their potential. We are a caring community that wants our young people to be the best they can be both academically and as individual citizens.