At Ivanhoe our students come first. We are committed to the education of the 'whole person', where we are confident that the enrichment experiences offered alongside our formal curriculum will ensure that all of our students will leave Ivanhoe as happy, successful, informed, resilient young adults ready to make a positive contribution to their world.

We are a caring school with a disciplined family atmosphere. We have high expectations for our students, in attendance, behaviour, attitude and achievement and all students follow the ‘Ivanhoe Way’ to achieve success.

Our vision statement describes us being on a ‘Journey to Excellence’ and we value the unique contribution of each student and want them to achieve their full potential. Highly skilled and dedicated staff provide an excellent, caring environment in which students can learn and flourish safely. We enjoy learning together – not only in lessons but also through the wide range of extra-curricular activities we have on offer, and we encourage all students to get involved and develop their skills and talents further.

From Autumn 2022 we began making the exciting transition from being a 11-14 school to becoming and 11-16 school. We have spent many years preparing for this change and we have a strong GCSE vision led by our very experienced leaders including current GCSE examiners and moderators we have working at Ivanhoe. We are also supported by the LiFE Multi Academy Trust, and work closely with the other schools in the ‘National Forest Hub’ (Ivanhoe School, Ibstock Community College and Ashby School).

We are extremely proud of our excellent results which are consistently well above national averages both at the end of Key Stage 3 and when students have gone on to achieve their GCSEs results. High Attaining students thrive at Ivanhoe, with a good proportion of our past students gaining the highest levels at GCSE and A-Level, and high rates staying on in the sixth form and going to university. The Age Range Change in the area will ensure smaller class sizes allowing us to allow for personalised learning and targeted support where needed.

We are constantly working to improve the facilities we have to offer. We believe our students have the right to learn in the very best environment we are able to provide.

Our excellent facilities include:

• A new custom built Sports Hall and classroom block.
• Gymnasium
• Extensive playing fields and sport facilities, including a synthetic pitch.
• A purpose built Science block
• A well stocked library
• Large School Hall used for assemblies, performance and more.
• Dining Room, Coffee Lounge and outdoor meal cab.
• Drama Studio
• Music Suite with music tech room, keyboard and practice rooms and recording studio.
• 2 art rooms including a ceramics studio and 5 design workshops
• Dedicated ‘Learning Zone’ learning support rooms
• Pastoral and Care and Guidance areas
• 2 Computer suites, laptops, visualizers, ipads and tablets
• Forest School Area

Education of the ‘whole child’ is at the heart of everything that Ivanhoe has to offer. The Ivanhoe curriculum gives every child access to ‘the best which has been thought and said’ – this means a knowledge rich curriculum which empowers student agency, gives authentic experiences and leads student on a ‘Journey to Excellence’.

In addition to the core subjects, our curriculum offers a range of highly academic options alongside vocational and technical opportunities available for all. Each subject area has a clear curriculum vision, underpinned by the National Curriculum. We are also proud to be a Reading School; building a reading culture for our learners across all subject areas, and encouraging reading for pleasure. We know that regular reading for pleasure and function underpins success across all academic subjects.

We are a fully inclusive school and we ensure that disadvantaged students and those with SEND are supported to access as broad and ambitious a curriculum as all students. Quality First Inclusive Teaching, Adaptive Practice and tailored support means that these students are able to achieve highly.

The Ivanhoe Way is embedded to prepare students for their next steps with the skills, character attributes and qualifications to succeed in their chosen pathway. The Ivanhoe Way underpins our values of respect and tolerance for all. We promote equity, equality and British Values, with our wider curriculum of Personal Development, giving students opportunities to grow as young people. Employability skills, Careers and Character Education are all developed throughout their five-year journey at Ivanhoe School.

The Ivanhoe Curriculum is enhanced by an extensive extra-curricular programme. Clubs, trips, charity and sporting events alongside internal and external competitions enhance our academic offer. Student Leadership is strongly embedded at Ivanhoe, examples of opportunities include: Student Council, Citizens UK, Sports Leaders, Literacy Leaders, MVP Mentors, Stephen Lawrence ambassadors and the Eco Club. Students of all abilities and backgrounds are encouraged to take part not only to develop and showcase their skills, but to show our pupils that at Ivanhoe we value the Student Voice.

We are proud to be part of the LiFE Multi Academy Trust. 

LiFE has a compelling desire to provide high quality, personalised and rounded education for everyone, right in the heart of our local community. We believe that no school can be deemed successful unless all those around it are also successful, popular and flourishing. Hence we believe that dynamic, mutually accountable collaboration and challenge between local schools as members of the LiFE MAT is the cornerstone of our future success.

Each of our schools needs to be seen as a leader of, and vital to, its local community; each school is regarded as fundamental to the identity of its surrounding community. In this capacity we will relentlessly promote the values of inclusion and the celebration of diversity, alongside personal responsibility and respect.