Vision & Values
We believe that every child is special and has something unique to offer the school and the wider community. Our aim is to nurture these gifts and ensure that every student becomes ‘the best that they can be’.
In order to achieve this, the values which underpin all our work are: respect, tolerance, trust and partnership.
You will find that at Richard Lander School, these values are seen in the way we go about our work, the way we manage our relationships and the way we celebrate student success. Ours is a happy school, a nurturing school and a school which builds confidence and self-esteem.
At the heart of our work is a desire to see all our young people develop their gifts and talents to their full potential. Some people call this ambition; we call it ‘being the best you can be’.
Every student has something special to offer and it is important to let this gift shine and flourish; be this in academic study, on the sporting field, in the creative arena or any other aspect of school life.
Being the best you can be also reflects in how we see ourselves and how we relate to others. Therefore our school is characterised by the values of respect, dignity and community. Within this context our students can grow into confident, successful young adults.
We believe that in order for our young people to flourish, they should first develop self-respect, self-esteem and self-confidence. This gives them the platform to work well with others, within a framework of mutual respect and care.
Our students also need to feel that school is a place where they are valued and where their contributions are recognised and celebrated.
Through nurture and care, coupled with the experience of a committed and talented staff team, all students are able to shine and reach their potential.
All this builds towards a wonderful 5 year journey at Richard Lander School, where our students learn to grow in confidence and to care for themselves and others. This, coupled with the highest of academic standards, means our students will see success as a thing worth working for and achieving.
It is important that our young people develop the kind of values which will help address global sustainability issues and environmental concern. These issues are addressed across all curriculum areas and in key activities beyond the curriculum such as our Eco Team and our Greenpower Car project, which has gained national recognition for its sustainability design.
In 2019, Richard Lander School, along with the other secondary schools in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly declared climate emergency and wrote the Green Charter for Cornish schools. Part of our Green Charter commitment is to organise annual conferences to enable young people to share their hopes, fears and ideas to protect our planet and make a positive difference to all our futures.
Richard Lander School was awarded the Eco-Schools Green Flag with distinction in 2024.
Our students lead on much of our sustainability projects through the student led Eco Team. They drive the school’s recycling and conservation work and also have an input into senior team decisions on sustainability and environmental issues.
The notion of community lies at the heart of our values. Our students understand that every one of us has a responsibility to make a positive difference to the world in which we live; both at a local, national and global level.
Our focus on developing the global dimension of our work has been recognised through the Full International Schools Award which we have held for many years.
A global understanding is part of the Programme of Study for all our curriculum areas and it is also a feature of our tutorial programme. This enables students to gain a clear sense of current issues impacting on our world and develop keen awareness of sustainability issues alongside a well formed political and economic awareness.
Supporting this, our students have opportunities to visit other countries and take part in student exchange programmes. This includes visits to: France, Germany, Italy, Austria, Iceland, India, Thailand and Uganda. For more on our extensive offer of trips abroad please see our KS3 and KS4 Opportunities pages.
The school has particularly well established links with our partner schools in Uganda which offers students the chance to work with their African peers.
Richard Lander was a Cornish explorer. The son of an Innkeeper, he was born in 1804 in what later became the Dolphin Inn, in Truro.
Lander’s ambition for his future began at an early age. He wanted to travel the world and realised that London was the place to be, to gain this experience. So at the age of 9, he walked to London and soon found himself on a ship headed for the West Indies. By the age of 19 he had also sailed to the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa.
Lander’s main achievement was to trace the course of the River Niger in Nigeria, all the way up to New Bussa where the Richard Lander Primary School now stands in recognition of his work. Tracing the course of the Niger opened up valuable trade links between West Africa and the rest of the world; trade links which still result in economic benefit, even today.
Richard Lander’s values are ones which fit our school very well. Our young people are encouraged to be ambitious, to set the highest standards for themselves and to develop the confidence and leadership skills to achieve them. Like Lander, we are all charged with making a positive contribution to the world in which we live, building towards a more caring, just and sustainable society.
Being a new school means that we have new facilities, resources and equipment throughout. Our technology is ‘leading edge’ in all respects and supports the learning of students both within and beyond the curriculum.
In addition to our leading edge technology, our specialist facilities and resources include:
10 Science Laboratories
9 Design Technology rooms/workshops
2 Drama studios
A Dance studio
Art and Music suites
Specialist PE facilities including a sports hall, gymnasium, health related fitness suite, tennis courts and all weather pitch
The quality of our building, facilities and resources enable our students to enjoy their education, achieve their potential and see their five years at secondary school as a very special journey.
For the latest price list on booking the facilities at Richard Lander School in the evenings, weekends and school holidays please contact Mrs Harrison on 01872 242745.
