Reception to Year 2
Children begin their journey on our Putney Bridge Road site at the age of four, when they join one of our three Reception classes. Geographically, the Reception unit is housed within its own specific accommodation, a school-within-a-school on the ground floor of our purpose-built learning environment. The children enjoy light and airy classrooms that open out onto our playground and have their own hall space- the Discovery Area. Philosophically, though, Reception are very much part of the Lower School. We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage as a framework, but as an independent school, we are able to push the boundaries. Once we are sure of the children’s proficiency at completing the Early Learning Goals independently, we don’t hold them back! We adapt the curriculum to meet each child’s individual needs and, where possible, learning follows the children’s interests, ensuring all children reach their full potential.
All our Lower School classes always have two adults working with them: fully qualified and experienced teachers and learning assistants. We believe that imagination and excitement in children of this age are best fostered and developed through cross-curricular teaching themes. Exciting termly topics such as Once Upon a Time, All Creatures Great and Small, At the Seaside, Turrets & Tiaras, Faraway Lands, London and Forces & Movement add sparkle to the children’s learning which (behind the scenes!) is planned in a traditional subject-centred manner, to ensure pupils encounter everything in the National Curriculum- and go far, far beyond it.
In the Lower School, children stay with their class teachers for the majority of the teaching day. However, from the very first day of school, some subjects are taught by specialists. These include Physical Education (including Ballet and Karate, delivered by a team of former sporting professionals who are also fully qualified sports coaches and qualified teachers with extensive experience of good primary school practice), Modern Foreign Languages (both French and Spanish from Reception) and Music.
We provide a nurturing environment where children really start to develop their sense of self, becoming independent learners, exploring as they investigate and experience things first hand within a safe and secure setting. We ensure that we know our children exceptionally well and every child is treated as a unique individual.