Educational Approach
Claire Lilley, Acting Junior Head, has a teaching philosophy which compliments that of the Senior school in developing learning programmes that suit the needs of individuals. We build children’s self-esteem by identifying their abilities early on, then creating tailored approaches to provide a solid foundation for the next stage in their education. Interesting activities and practical lessons ensure children understand important concepts through collaborative exploration and discovery.
Small classes and a caring ethos are vital ingredients in maintaining enthusiasm for learning, nurturing creative talents and encouraging the optimum development of every child.
Whilst the National Curriculum forms the basis of the education programme, we teach way beyond its confines. We do not test with SATs as we believe that this constrains teaching. What we do provide is a creative and inspirational learning experience for our children. There are subject specialists in each area and emphasis is given to literacy, numeracy, humanities, science and technology as well as music, art, drama and sport. Cross-curricular topics provide opportunities for consolidating concepts across the core subjects and our Quaker heritage is evident through the application of practical experimentation in lessons and use of our natural environment to bring learning objectives to life.
There are six key skills set out in the National Curriculum as forming the basis of success at school, and being vital to life-long learning:
• Communication: this includes listening, speaking, reading and writing.
• Application of number: this includes mental calculation skills and learning how to apply these skills to solving number problems.
• Information technology: this involves using new technology to find, analyse, interpret, manipulate and present information. It also involves the skills necessary to use technology appropriately and successfully.
• Working with others: this involves the ability to work well with others as a team member or team leader. When children are offered the opportunity to work with others, they learn to consider the views of others, and to develop the social skills of co-operation and mutual understanding.
• Improving own learning and performance: this involves children in evaluating their own performance, and understanding what they need to do next in order to improve.
• Problem-solving: this involves learning how to apply common techniques to solve problems in a variety of contexts and situations.
Our education includes not only the formal requirements of the National Curriculum, but also the various extra-curricular activities that the school organizes in order to enrich the children’s experience. It also includes the ‘hidden curriculum’ – what the children learn from the way they are treated and expected to behave. A full programme of after school activities fosters our children’s interest in alternative areas, helping to develop a wide repertoire of skills and introducing them to a range of pursuits they might not normally be involved with. Just imagine learning about the pollination of flowers in science, then learning how to keep bees as an after school activity!
The home-school relationship is key to supporting our children’s development by consolidating learning in both environments, appropriate homework is therefore issued and children in Years 5 and 6 attend Prep (supervised homework) to help establish a routine for their move to Senior school.
