Resilience may well be the most challenging of our core values at Valley Gardens Middle School, but in many ways could be seen as the most important.  We aspire to support our pupils to become effective learners who are able to develop techniques which will enable them to become more independent, and better able to take control of their own progress. In addition, our wider aim is to prepare our pupils for life as well-rounded individuals in a world which increasingly presents new challenges and difficulties, and we recognise that it is important to equip them with the key skills and attitudes which will best enable them to deal with these.

In order to achieve this, the concept of reflecting upon work and supporting pupils in how to develop it further is embedded in our everyday practice. Feedback to pupils in all lessons is designed to be constructive and challenging, and follow-up tasks are tailored to reflect the necessary next steps pupils should take to meet with further success.

Valley Gardens Middle School encourages pupils to take full advantage of the diverse range of activities which take place outside of the timetabled curriculum.  Over many years, we have built up a reputation for excellence in many sports, and our dedicated staff support pupils to develop the resilience which will enable them to respond to the setbacks they may face on the road to greater achievement in their chosen areas of interest.  Alongside this, we have also seen our pupils participate to great acclaim in STEM-related activities such as Formula 1 in Schools, in which they made use of problem-solving, perseverance and teamwork skills which reflect the core value of resilience so well.

As a school, we are proud to offer a wide range of visits and residential opportunities which enable our pupils to become more resilient individuals.  These range from our frequent trips to High Borrans Outdoor Education Centre in the Lake District where pupils are encouraged to push themselves in new activities in an unfamiliar and often challenging environment; through to cultural overseas trips in which foreign language skills are deployed in an authentic manner.