Upton Court Grammar School

The mission statements of many schools and other organisations are often wordy, verbose paragraphs that say lots but mean very little. At Upton Court Grammar School (UCGS), our mission can be shared in one sentence: Upton Court Grammar School ensured all students fulfilled their academic and personal aspirations and thrived as successful and engaged citizens. Our mission is expressed in one sentence because we want there to be as little ambiguity as possible about why we exist and what we aim to achieve. Our mission is written in the past tense because it expresses what we will have done if we have been successful. It succinctly describes the lasting impression we want to leave on the world through our work as a school. At UCGS, every department, every member of staff and every student has their own ‘mission sentence’. We do this to start with the end in mind: a key feature of successful planning and goal achievement. Having a personal mission connects all staff to the purpose of their work and development and it helps students to envisage and articulate their aspirations. Sharing our mission sentences as a community helps us to value and learn about one another; through creating our personalised sentence we recognise and appreciate our individual and collective strength. Our rapidly changing global society, with its accent upon individual responsibility, requires not only high academic standards but also independence of spirit which Upton Court Grammar School seeks to foster. We aim to work in partnership with parents and the community to widen and develop each student‘s knowledge, experience, imagination and intercultural understanding; at the same time fostering an awareness of moral values and a capacity for enjoyment which will enable students to be an active participant in a global society.