February 27, 2023
What to Look for in a Primary School?
EARLY YEAR'S EDUCATION IS VITAL FOR SUCCESS IN THE FUTURE
It is not only where pupils develop their reading, writing and mathematical skills but where they learn how to explore, socialise, be creative and gain a wider understanding of the world around them.
With the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacting the progress of our youngest children (Juniper Education Report Feb 2021), choosing the right school for your child has never been more important. So, what should parents be thinking about or looking into during these unusual times to ensure they have the best start?
Mr Jamieson, our Head of Prep School, has a few top tips to help make a hard decision a little easier.
DO YOUR RESEARCH
Looking for the right school can be overwhelming from website searching, listening to other parents, reading inspection reports and looking at academic results. Whereas no school should be judged entirely on their results, it is a great place to start to see the academic achievement of the children especially if a school publishes their results in comparison to National Averages. At Colchester Prep & High School you can view our data here.
Have a look also at a school’s Aims and Ethos before getting in touch with the school. Does it match what you hope for your child? When contacting the school, listen to answers carefully to see if it matches what they write on their website. At Colchester Prep & High School, our vibrant community and excellent teaching, encourages each child to develop a love of learning and to develop a curiosity about the world around them. Whilst our broad and rich STEAM curriculum, excellence in Digital literacy, comprehensive enrichment programme and specialist teaching in PE, Computer Science, Music and Modern Languages allows them to explore all their talents, ensuring a strong foundation for your child’s Senior School years.
MEET THE HEADTEACHER
A good headteacher will see meeting with parents as a vital part of the decision-making process and will meet with every parent and pupil. They will be able to communicate the vision and fundamental principles of their school and love to celebrate the school’s achievements.
At Colchester Prep & High School all parents are offered the opportunity to meet with the Headteacher prior to accepting a place at the School. Colchester Prep & High School is a close knit, caring and inclusive community and it is important that children and their parents feel part of the School.
DO THEY OFFER A FORWARD-THINKING CURRICULUM?
Our children are growing up in a world where the only constant is change and they will need not only excellent academic results but also the 21st century skills such as collaboration, team work, creativity, real world problem solving and self-regulation to succeed as both individuals and citizens of the future.
Over the past 140 years Colchester Prep & High School has built a reputation for providing an excellent academic education whilst preparing our pupils for life beyond school. Within our Prep Department, by providing a STEAM focussed immersive curriculum, underpinned by our digital literacy programme, your child will develop the future-ready skills, attitudes and attributes required to become the ‘changemakers of tomorrow’s world’.
DO THEY OFFER SPECIALIST TEACHING?
Early Years teachers are wonderful at bringing learning to life but imagine if your child had specialist teachers in PE, Music, French, Computer Science and Forest School from their first day. This specialist teaching accelerates learning and enables children to exceed in their Early Learning Goals. At Colchester Prep & High School all pupils in Reception have access to specialist subjects in a wide range of areas so they can explore all their talents and connect with the global and creative world around them.
IS OUTDOOR LEARNING IMPORTANT?
Outdoors learning is vital for children to both encourage an active lifestyle and to develop their communication and problem-solving skills. It enables them to make sense of the world and develop an understanding of how things work. Ask, how much time will your child get to explore the outdoor world? Is it an all-weather area? What do they learn?
At Colchester Prep & High School not only are all Reception children given time to play outside but the Reception teachers also hold lessons in our Early Years Garden, using natural resources to supplement learning in Mathematics, Science or English. The children are also encouraged to explore the natural world in their Forest School lessons. So, whatever the weather, our children can be found outside jumping, skipping, digging for minibeasts, building dens, making music, reading or sitting and listening to stories!
As your child progresses into Year 1 they will also have the opportunity to participate at team and wellbeing building courses at Cognita’s Active Learning Group’s Outward Bound Centre at Cuffley.