Helping Boys Settle
All boys study Religion and Theology; Geography; History; Wellbeing; Mathematics; English; Science; Music; Drama; ICT; Art and DT. In addition to these subjects, boys study three languages in Year 7 (Latin and Chinese in addition to either French or Spanish) but two languages in Year 8 (either Chinese or Latin or German in addition to either French or Spanish). These classes are all taught by subject specialists, who will teach pupils from Year 7 up to Year 13. They enthuse and inspire boys to think creatively and deeply about subjects that may be entirely new to them. We believe strongly in the concept of ‘Free Learning’, and actively encourage members of staff to teach beyond the textbook, to take boys out of the classroom, to show them that learning can take place at any moment in time and in any situation. We take advantage of our unique position in London to take Lower School pupils on outings to the Royal Observatory, Hampton Court Palace, Kew Gardens, Science Museum, Royal Academy, Dulwich Picture Gallery, Box Hill, Lullingstone Villa and the London Synagogue. We also run a weekly Lower School Scholars’ Programme, open to all pupils in the Lower School, which exposes boys to matters of ethical or philosophical interest. This popular programme helps develop boys’ thinking skills and is good preparation for the Academic Scholarship Paper which is sat by the top academic performers at the end of Year 8. Boys are also encouraged to enter national competitions, including the Junior Maths Challenge, the Linguistics Olympiad, Lego Mindstorms and the BEBRAS Programming Challenge.
When boys arrive in Year 7, we do all we can to make sure that they settle in quickly, forge strong friendships and enjoy being at their new school. To achieve this we:
“I appreciate being able to talk to lots of different people about how I’m feeling, my Form Teacher and my Head of Year - everyone is so friendly..”
• mix the 70 or so new boys who join the College with the 55 boys who come up from our Junior School; • place the pupils into one of six Forms, each made up of approximately 20-22 boys; • ensure that boys see their Form Tutor, Head of Year and me every day during their two years in the Lower School; • invite all new joiners to the College to a Welcome Evening in the summer before the long break so that boys can meet their new Form Tutor and some of their new classmates before the start of term; • hold an Induction Day on the day before the first day of term, when only Year 7 boys are in the Lower School. This gives the time to get to know their Form Tutor and other members of their form. Boys also take part in team-building activities where they are split into small groups, and compete against each other to solve both physical and mental challenges; • give every Form the experience of travelling to Wales for a full week of activities at the College’s Outdoor Centre in the Brecon Beacons. This trip helps develop self-confidence, perseverance and tenacity when faced with challenges – life skills that are just as important as the academic skills learned in the classroom.
Curriculum and Scholarship
We are not bound by an externally set curriculum in the Lower School and therefore we are free to deliver an intellectually stimulating yet accessible curriculum that sparks endeavour and interest in all the subjects that the boys study .
“ The highlight of my first year was Wales – it was brilliant. I made lots of new friends and had grest fun whilst caving.”
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