Teaching in the Prep School is characterised by being creative, child-led and exploratory to the girls’ needs. Your daughter will spend the majority of her time working collaboratively in pairs or small groups and being encouraged to take intellectual risks and explore areas of interest. We believe in a wide rather than ‘fast’ curriculum and always aim for deep and meaningful learning.
Early Years Foundation Stage
Girls are taught in an imaginative, play led, child-initiated style in small groups and individually. They cover all aspects of the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum but are in no way bound by it and go beyond the national content in all areas of learning. The learning is largely topic based with topics such as ‘Outer Space’, ‘Pets’ and ‘Myself’.
The girls all learn phonics, literacy and Mathematics in a hands-on and exploratory way.
All girls do much of their learning outside with our designated Assistant Teacher for outdoor learning. We expect the girls to get muddy, be brave and active in their learning.
There is specialist teaching for Drama, Music, PE and Ballet for all. Girls swim every week from the Summer Term of Nursery.
Key Stage 1
In Key Stage 1, learning becomes more structured with separate subjects being taught but it is still topic based and with the same class teacher/s for the academic subjects.
Girls receive specialist teaching for French, Drama, Music, PE and Ballet. All girls access IT regularly both as specific Computing lessons and as part of their normal curriculum lessons to support their learning and topics include ‘Round the World’ and ‘Homes and Houses’.
Learning is still very much based on doing and discussing but as the girls become more literate and numerate they are able to record and structure their learning on paper more often.
Key Stage 2
In Key Stage 2 girls still have a form teacher/s who is closely involved in their learning. In Years 3 and 4 most of the lessons are still with their class teacher/s but as they rise through Key Stage 2 they will have a greater variety of teachers to help prepare them for the Senior School and to allow more specialist teaching.
There is still specialist teaching for Drama, French, Music and PE but we gradually introduce specialist Design & Technology and Art teaching. Computer Science, Art, Design & Technology, Science, Music and Drama are taught in specialist rooms, so girls move about more between lessons and have access to more advanced equipment.
Girls have a set time-table for all their separate subjects although a lot of cross-curricular work takes place within these lessons.
