In the Preparatory School, teachers, parents and pupils work closely together in making the most of the opportunities the school provides for every child to flourish both pastorally and academically.

To help us understand each pupils’ learning styles and needs, all pupils are regularly assessed to monitor their progress and to identify any gaps in their knowledge or possible barriers to their learning. All pupils are supported day-to-day, and some may require additional resources and interventions to help unlock their potential. Some of this additional help may be in the form of Curriculum Support and/or Learning Support, where pupils work in small groups in our bespoke teaching rooms, The Acorns. Here, children learn in a nurturing environment to cultivate their emotional readiness for learning, and to focus on strengthening their understanding of the English and Maths Curriculum.

Curriculum Support is provided if pupils require more intensive help with English or Maths. Our youngest pupils are supported throughout the year by full time teaching assistants and by the Curriculum & Learning Support team on a flexible basis, and from I2 to J4, each form has one Curriculum Support lesson per week timetabled simultaneously with an English lesson, and another during a Mathematics lesson for each year group. This timetabling arrangement and availability of support facilitates a more prescient dialogue between each Form Tutor, or Maths teacher, and Curriculum Support teachers, allowing identified learning needs to be targeted in tandem and additional, focused support to be given. The composition of the groups will therefore be fluid and defined by a common learning need. Some pupils may find themselves in these groups regularly, others less so, while others still may rarely, if ever, require this support.

For the majority of those pupils who have a diagnosed Special Educational Need, additional Learning Support is provided outside of lesson time where appropriate. Support and interventions are bespoke to each pupil’s needs and typically address readiness for learning, specific recommendations from the pupil’s educational or medical report, and also the recommendations of Form Tutors past and present, who are familiar with the learning needs of those pupils. These support sessions take place in The Acorns.