Preparatory
A Broad and Enriched Curriculum
Year 1 and Year 2 (Key Stage 1)
The National Curriculum is followed throughout the Key Stage. Every child has a form teacher who gets to know his/her pupils and their talents and is responsible for their pastoral care and progress. The form teacher covers much of the curriculum and there is regular support from specialists in Music, PE, Art, Design and Technology and French. There is a programme of visits to enrich the work carried out in the classroom. Children also participate in plays, concerts and school assemblies.
Year 3 – 6 (Key Stage 2)
The National Curriculum is followed although we educate, challenge and stimulate children well beyond its boundaries. In addition to the curriculum delivered by the form teacher, regular support is given by specialist teachers in Science, Art, Design and Technology, Music, PE, French and ICT, and the best of modern teaching methods is used to stimulate personal learning. An extensive programme of visits enhances classroom work including some residential trips.
Creative Arts
Music, Art and Drama are important parts of school life. All children have class music and many join the school choirs and instrumental ensembles. Children regularly take part in school concerts, assemblies and our annual Carol Service held in Salisbury Cathedral. Children are encouraged to learn an instrument and a team of peripatetic instrumental teachers come in to teach a wide range of instruments. There is an extra charge for this service.
Drama is an after-school activity and performances are given throughout the year to build confidence.
Art and Design and Technology are both expertly and passionately catered for in their dedicated Art Studio. Children have many opportunities to work with a wide range of media which include modelling, drawing, painting, 3D, clay, plastics and textiles.
Pupils’ work is widely displayed in the school and the school holds its own Exhibition in which every child in the school has a piece of work on show.
Sports
We believe in sport for all and encourage good sportsmanship and fair play at all times. We want our children to have a love of sport and develop skills that will stay with them for the rest of their lives. We have a full fixtures list with other schools and our team games include rugby, hockey, football, cricket, netball and rounders.
In addition to the team sports, girls and boys also have the opportunity to participate in swimming, athletics, tennis and gymnastics. At Leehurst Swan we have a sports hall for indoor sports and a large well maintained playing field on site, in addition to a sports field located in the picturesque Cathedral Close, four hard tennis courts and two netball courts. Our children go swimming weekly throughout the year to a top class indoor swimming pool.
Clubs and activities take place during lunch hours and after school. Each term a list is published of the clubs and activities on offer.
Information Technology
IT is an important part of learning for the future. Our specialist IT suites enable children to acquire keyboard skills. Word processing, data handling, spreadsheets and other core computer skills are integrated throughout the curriculum.
Pupils are encouraged to research and develop their knowledge through use of the internet and interact with the world with robotics and data loggers. We take the safety of our pupils very seriously and the network is screened and monitored.
Caring
We pride ourselves on the high standard of pastoral care we provide. We want our pupils to develop into confident, independent young people who share our Christian values of respect and care for the individual and awareness of the needs of others. The school encourages involvement in community service and the pupils participate in various fund-raising activities to help others less fortunate than themselves.
Our values are summarised in the School motto:
‘Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est’
‘Where there is charity and love you will find God’.
Preparation for Senior School
Pupils are prepared for the Senior School entrance examination and the 11+ examination to the Grammar Schools should parents wish. The choice of senior school is very important and parents are offered advice and encouragement concerning their child’s future. Many pupils make the transition into the next stage of their education at Leehurst Swan and families benefit by having all their children at one school.
Supervision before and after School
Pupils can arrive at school any time after 8.00am and they are supervised. There is no charge for this facility. There is a Homework Club for children in Key Stage 2 that runs from 3.45pm until 4.30 pm each day supervised by the teaching staff and there is no charge for this service.
After School Care
Children may stay at school up to 5.30pm. They are looked after by qualified staff in the under eights provision, that is fully registered with OFSTED. Over eights are looked after in the Prep department by a group of specialist staff. There is an additional charge of £1.75 per half hour or part thereof.
Uniform
A full list of uniform is available from the ‘parents’ section of this website or from the school. The uniform is supplied by John Lewis of Southampton and can be ordered by internet in the comfort of your own home or in store. The school also has a second-hand uniform shop open on Wednesday afternoons.
Academic Scholarships for Entry into Year 3
There are two academic scholarships available for children entering Year 3. These will be dependent upon performance in the examination.
The examination consists of tests in numeracy and literacy.
The value of the scholarship will be up to 30% of the fees and will be valid for as long as the child is in the Prep Department.
Parents wishing their child to be considered for a scholarship entry should complete a Registration Form and return it, together with the Registration Fee of £40 to the School.