English
An appreciation of, and aptitude for English enriches our lives, facilitates clear thinking and identifies who we are. It permeates all areas of the curriculum.
From Reception, throughout the Lower School we develop in our children a secure grasp of fundamental skills in Reading, Spelling, Writing and Grammar. Verbal communication and listening skills play an essential role in a world where the requirement for eloquent communication is ever-increasing in value. Factual and creative writing enables pupils to order ideas and express their imaginative thoughts in stories and poems. Of course, we must not overlook the value and importance of poetry, Drama and performance as an essential part of the English curriculum.
In the Upper School, pupils’ assurance in the use of English is enhanced through discussions, formal debates and Drama, including public performances. Stories, poems and children’s 'classics' are read for enjoyment and analytical study. Celebrated poets, authors and theatre companies regularly come into school to run workshops with pupils and bring texts to life. Exercises in essay writing and reading comprehension develop skills that will be required for 11+ transfer examinations.
Our aim is to give all pupils confidence to express themselves in the English language and to awaken in them a love of its remarkable richness and beauty.
Maths
Our main aim is to ensure our pupils become confident mathematicians, able to think independently, work collaboratively, organise their thinking logically and employ a range of strategies to solve theoretical and practical everyday problems.
The children's work emphasises the cross-curricular nature of mathematics. Pupils have visited Garrick’s Temple to Shakespeare at Hampton to learn how Palladian architecture was influenced by symmetry and proportion: participated in a Kew Green generated census and use tide timetables to monitor the level of the Thames. We regularly engage in maths challenges with other schools which really show our children’s strengths in their speed of working, their creativity when problem solving and the high level of communication and mathematical language they are confident to use.
The mathematics in Lower School is based on practical activities to ensure the pupils develop a sound and robust understanding of number and mental computation. In Upper School the focus gradually changes to more abstract problem-solving in preparation for the 11+ process. All Upper School children have a Manga High account allowing them access to online reinforcement activities and homework tasks where appropriate and also mental agility workouts.
