A College Modelled on Christ's Education
Jesus' Education
St. Thomas Aquinas believed that the education of youth should be modelled on the education Christ received. Taking his ideas, and those of others, we propose:
- an education understood as virtue formation
- an education focused on independent learning
- an education for growth in the spiritual life
- that God is the real teacher
- that mentors and tutors assist parents and students
- that students participate in a variety of group activities
"The Jewish leaders were astonished and remarked, "How can this man be so educated when he has never been to school?" (John 7:15)
THE PUER IESUS WAY
3 Days With Parents - 2 Days with Mentors and Tutors
The Father taught Jesus with his parents' assistance and the support of others such as teachers of the law. God touches human hearts and enlightens human minds from within.
At Puer Iesus College, students are provided with resources for use at home three days a week, assisted by a learning support mentor, under parental discipline. Students spend two days a week at our educational establishment, working with their learning support mentor who keeps track of what they are doing and provides individual support. Learning Support Mentors develop bespoke timetables for each child in close partnership with parents. Students receive assistance also from subject tutors.
Subject tutors provide regular small group or one-to-one tutorials for students in their given subject, like Jesus debating with others in the temple. All mentors and tutors are relevant degree-qualified professionals with teaching experience.
Parents are not expected to teach the subjects we provide, even at home. There are no lesson plans required for parents. Rather, parents are to discipline their children to work at home and ensure the students follow agreed timetables and complete set work as best they can. There is significant time available, especially for young students, to undertake learning opportunities unique to individual families and for families to pass on their specific family values. Parents bear ultimate responsibility for their own children's educational success.
Students are taught that true education is virtue formation (Plato). Subjects are understood to have the purpose of forming intellectual and performance-based virtues. Education is portrayed as a life-long journey towards fulfillment and happiness. Students understand that through virtue, God forms them to share in his divine life and happiness on earth now and forever in heaven.
After his experience as a boy in the temple, we are told that Jesus grew in wisdom (intellectual virtues) and in stature (bodily growth and performance virtues), and in favour with God (divine virtues) and man (moral virtues) - Luke 2:52.
Curriculum
Educational Journey
To start at Puer Iesus, students must demonstrate a certain maturity and proficiency to undertake independent learning. There will be an admissions test where the student will need to obtain a scaled score of at least 105 in the British Key Stage One SAT examinations in both Maths and English. Students start at the college aged 8 in September. We also take students aged no more than 10 years old who weren't able to pass the entrance exams at an earlier age. As the college is new, we are making exceptions for current intakes. After the September 2025 intake, no student over the age of 10 will be admitted to the college. The college is not a replacement for secondary school, but an entirely different model of education which takes children a couple of years to get used to before they can start secondary education with us.
We do not have classes of children of a specific age. Instead, students progress at their own pace through independent learning supported by parents, subject tutors and a learning support mentor. The time students have together is for group activities such as subject tutorials, Prayer, Catechism, Good Books Club, Drama and Sport, and recreation.
Students take a variety of subjects at the primary level, including typical core subjects taken at school in addition to touch-typing, learning a musical instrument and learning at least one foreign language for example. Each child is unique and unrepeatable, so each student follows a bespoke programme designed by their learning support mentor.
Students progress to secondary level education after they have successfully passed the Key Stage Two SAT exams with us (having also studied with us for a minimum of two years) regardless of whatever age they happen to be.
At the secondary level, students start with GCSEs that require a low level of maturity and emphasise memorisation (Grammar stage) - specifically modern foreign languages. The number of languages taken by children at this stage varies from 1 to 3, depending on their academic ability and language experience. All GCSE and A Level courses are studied over two years. Students sit foreign language GCSEs at the age of 12 typically, the age just before scientists tell us it becomes much harder to learn a new language. Next, at a typical age of 14, students sit GCSE examinations that have 'right'/'wrong' answers (Logic stage), such as Maths, ICT and Sciences. Lastly, at a typical age of 16, students sit GCSEs that require mature analytical and evaluative skills (Rhetoric stage) such as English, Religious Studies and History for example. The exact GCSE subjects a student might take at a particular age will be personal to them. Some students might sit only 4 in total, whilst others 10+. Most students would sit 7 to 10 GCSEs. There are many GCSEs to choose from. We advise a balance of GCSEs, almost always including Maths and English Language.The GCSEs that students would take depend on their abilities, desires for further study, and interests.
Alongside GCSEs, students take a variety of additional non-examined courses such as: a course on the Virtues; the Didache Catechetical Series; a course on the history and development of English literature; a Catholic Philosophy course; a chronological course on the History of mankind; Geography and Earth Sciences and an Apologetics course to name but a few.
A Levels are studied between the ages of 16 to 19 typically, AS Levels can be started as young as 14. Subjects chosen are tailored to a student's passion, ability and desire for further study. For those academically capable, we aim for a mix of 3+ A Levels and AS Levels in Maths/Sciences, Languages and Arts subjects - an English Baccalaureate.
Non-examined Catholic courses also take place for A Level students.
Secondary Course Provisions
GCSEs and A Levels courses involve the provision of a course set by the college and regular small-group tutorials with a qualified subject leader.
Results So Far
Results to-date for all examinations (for students staying the whole length of their course) are:
GCSEs:
French: A*, 9, 8; - Italian: A*, 9, 8; - Latin: B; - Spanish: 9
German: 9, 8, 7; - ICT: C, 9, 8; - Mathematics 9, 8
Double-Award Science: 98, 99; - Computer Science: 9, 8
English Language: 9, 8;
Each number or letter grade above represents one student's exam grade. We have two students so far who have completed all their GCSEs, and another who has partially completed GCSEs.
AS Levels: History: B
A Levels: Italian: A*; Maths: A; Computer Studies: B.
We have had one student so far who has completed all their A Levels and gone on to study at the Angelicum Pontifical University in Rome as of September 2024.
Puer Iesus College is a ministry of Virtue Academy (UK Charity No: 1204268)
Greenhill Lodge, Argos Hill, Rottherfield. East Sussex. TN6 3QH
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