Pre-Prep
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Curriculum
Pre-Prep Class 1
Learning numbers and sounds, going to Forest School, Spanish, ballet, sports, music and swimming lessons, it’s a busy life in Class 1 and the fun never stops!
We are learning life-skills including ‘camping’ overnight in our classroom when we are 3/4 years old in readiness for camping in the School grounds when we are 5/6 years old and for camping and walking in the Derbyshire Dales in the Prep School. It is all very exciting!
Whether we are making a dragon and dancing for Chinese New Year, celebrating cultures and traditions different to our own, stomping through the woods and finding mini-beasts and sticks that can be anything we want them to be, Class 1 is a time of real adventure. Music and instruments spark our creativity and we enjoy every part of the 36 acres we have to play in. We may come home slightly grubby at the end of the day but we will always have stories to tell of the new things we have learnt – we are brave, we are fearless, we are Class 1!
Reception – Class 2
As in Class 1, all children in Class 2 follow the 7 Areas of Learning. The approach in this Year-Group involves a mixture of child-initiated activities and formal learning. Due to the small class sizes, and the help of a teaching assistant when appropriate, the class teacher is able to create a tailored, unique learning experience for every child. Each day, the class has a phonics session and every child reads independently to an adult. Their learning is applied within a range of exciting, interactive activities and is extended through topic-based writing opportunities. To encourage creativity, the ‘Talk 4 Writing’ approach is also used.
Different mathematical concepts are taught through the week with daily practical activities. Pupils are also taught to record and share their findings.
There are plenty of opportunities for children to learn through play, explore our wonderful surroundings and be creative in the Art Area. The children also visit the IT Suite weekly where they become more confident in the use of technology.
In Reception, children are also taught Forest School, Spanish, music, swimming and sport by specialist teachers. They also have the opportunity to take part in ballet, tap, gymnastics and tennis.
Pre-Prep Class 3
In Class 3, children aged 5+ at the beginning of September will expand on the grounding received in Class 2.
The National Curriculum is followed and children are encouraged to read at home every night and learn weekly spellings. Lessons are engaging and interesting and the children thoroughly enjoy a hands-on approach to topic work; this may include visiting Hedingham Castle, trying on the School armour (Topic: Knights and Castles), making and exploring icebergs (Polar Regions) or observing the different seasons by exploring changes to the environment by exploring our 30-acre site. Cursive handwriting is taught and tables begin to be learnt in readiness for the more advanced maths work in Class 4.
All children sing in the Pre-Prep Choir and perform at School concerts as well as at more public events such as the Sudbury Music Festival. They have specialist teachers for music, Forest School, Spanish, art, sport, swimming and computing. After-school clubs begin in Class 3, and the children can participate in Dance Club, Cookery Club, Art Club, Sports Club.
Children continue to visit places of interest on their termly ‘Out and Abouts’ and, in the Summer Term, they are able to camp out in tents in the School grounds following their outing. For some children, this is their first experience of camping outside and it is an exciting experience for everyone, standing them in good stead for the times when they will camp out later in the Derbyshire Dales or climb Ben Nevis or Snowdon.
Pre-Prep Class 4
Children in Class 4 are at the top of the Pre-Prep and they are expected to become more independent in their learning and every-day School life. Over the course of the year, their responsibilities increase in order to prepare them for a smooth transition into Form I of the Prep School.
Each morning, the children are expected to organise their belongings and complete an independent morning task, with activities based around handwriting and phonics. They follow an adapted Year 2 English curriculum with a heavy focus on creative writing, expressive reading and cross-curricular learning. Within English, the children are exposed to a wide variety of text types and are encouraged to use their imagination.
In maths, pupils learn a wide range of skills and use these to solve problems. Children are not only expected to solve sums but also to explain how they reached their answers.
Class 4 children have specialist teachers for music, Forest School, Spanish, art, sport, swimming and computing. They also have the opportunity to take part in a variety of extra-curricular activities including gymnastics, ballet, tap, and cookery.
Over the course of the year they are also expected to complete weekly homework, spelling tests and maths activities (Mathletics).
