Prep

The curriculum at Beachborough is designed to build firm academic foundations and instil a love of learning so that each child reaches their full potential.

The education we provide is broad, balanced and relevant, enabling pupils to discover their full range of talents and develop a range of skills and interests. We prepare our pupils for Common Entrance or Scholarship examinations to a wide range of Senior schools.

We achieve high levels of academic success through a well-structured system of proven learning techniques. Classes are competitively sized throughout the school and provide our children with the opportunity to work as a member of a team, or as an individual.
At Beachborough we take great pride in the breadth of our curriculum, which means we can recognise and encourage pupils’ strengths across a wide range of subjects. Our rigorous, inspirational classroom teaching in academic subjects is enhanced and complemented by creative and physical subjects – Art, Music, Sport and Drama – giving children a balanced, rounded education.

Our new TED (Technology, Engineering and Design) suite has added another vital dimension as a place where many subjects converge and children learn cutting-edge skills that will equip them for 21st-century careers. TED allows us to focus even more on STEM subjects (Science, Technology, engineering and Maths) and in Forms VII and VIII children have 2 hours a week working on computing, designing and constructing projects inspiring them to be the engineers of tomorrow in a part of the country where these skills are so prevalent.

Prep Curriculum

Please click on the link below to download the curriculum framework for Form V to Form VIII:

Manor House Curriculum Framework (FV-VIII)

When we wave goodbye to our Form VIII children at the end of the summer term, they are fully prepared for their senior school with everything they will need to be confident and successful learners.

“Our dedicated, experienced staff deliver first class, inspirational teaching that challenges each child at their own individual level, enabling them to develop and succeed.”

FORMS lll-lV

Forms III and IV are transitional years when children are still physically in the Boardman building area, with a classroom and form teacher, but they are also part of the Prep School. This means they attend Prep School assemblies and activities, and start moving around the school to specialist rooms for some of their lessons, preparing them for Form V. They also start playing sport competitively with matches on Tuesday afternoons, and their curriculum includes Technology and Food tech for the first time. They are set for Maths and English so that their academic needs can be met effectively and they can learn at the right pace.

FORMS V-Vlll

English, Maths, Science and French are set and other academic subjects are streamed according to a child’s ability in History and Geography. For example, a child can be in a different set for English than Maths but will follow the timetable of Art, Computing, R.S, PSHE, Technology and Music according to whichever stream they are in for History. This ensures that they are well-suited to the pace and content of each lesson, and are challenged at the correct level. There is always the opportunity for movement as children develop at different rates.

Form V is an important year at Beachborough when children move from being taught by a Class Teacher to Subject Specialists. This means that they move around the school for their lessons in specialist subject classrooms, and are split into groups of between six and eight with a dedicated tutor who takes care of all their intellectual and personal requirements. Tutors perform the same role as a class teacher, and there are weekly sessions when the groups get together to discuss academic progress and general wellbeing ensuring that all the children are happy and confident in their school life.

In Form V the curriculum broadens to include Spanish, and the school day is extended to 5.05pm. In Form VI Latin is also introduced, giving pupils the choice of three languages to take at Common Entrance. In Form VII Beachborough follows the ISEB Curriculum in preparation for the Common Entrance exams. Termly assessments and end of year exams allow us to accurately place children in the correct learning environment. Potential scholars are moved into a Scholarship Set, and 2 further sets maximise each child’s progress to ensure they fulfil their potential.

Form VIII is very much the “icing on the cake”. All the hard work through previous years comes to fruition as pupils complete their final written exams for Common Entrance or Scholarship and for many there are additional awards in Art, Music, Drama and Sport to aim for. Our Curriculum for Life : Character, Ethics and Leadership Programme, offered to Form Vll and Form Vlll pupils builds on skills taught and learnt throughout their time at Beachborough as well as offering many new ‘life skills’ which the children will need, moving on to their next adventure.

Beachborough’s Higher Level Learners

The curriculum at Beachborough Prep takes account of the needs of those pupils considered to be able to learn at a higher level and at a faster pace, ensuring that they develop their knowledge, skills and understanding in order to reach their potential. A Higher Level Learner is defined as a pupil who achieves, or has the potential to achieve, at a level significantly higher than that of his or her peers within the school.

Higher Level Learners are identified in all year-groups across the school. This information is stored and reviewed on a termly basis. These pupils are given opportunities both within and outside of the regular curriculum to develop their abilities, gifts and talents. Some opportunities require Higher Level Learners to be withdrawn from academic lessons (e.g. to participate in a music workshop; to represent the school in competition). Parental consent will always be sought before a pupil is withdrawn from lessons and the co-ordinator of Beachborough’s Higher Level Learners monitors such absences to ensure a balance.

There are Scholarship Sets in Forms VII and VIII to meet the needs of the most able pupils and to prepare for academic scholarships to senior schools. Heads of Department and subject-specialist teachers also provide advice, guidance and mentoring to pupils preparing for scholarships in other areas of the curriculum, such as Music, Drama and Art.

"We enable children to embrace skills which prepare them for lifelong learning, giving them not only the confidence and ability to think for themselves and approach problems with imagination and determination but the resilience and self-discipline to keep trying."

"Our children thrived at Beachborough. The positive and nurturing approach to teaching coupled with a wide ranging extra-curricular offering ensured that they both enjoyed every day at school but also fully prepared them for life after Beachborough."

Parent

"We celebrate individuality through our broad, inclusive curriculum which gives children the chance to try a huge range of activities, subjects and experiences."

"At Beachborough we constantly strive to create a positive, friendly atmosphere where every child can thrive and reach their full potential - socially, intellectually, physically and emotionally."

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Prep

Prep Curriculum

FORMS lll-lV

FORMS V-Vlll

Beachborough’s Higher Level Learners