The Prep Curriculum for children aged 7 - 13

The tutor is the first point of contact for pupils and parents if there are academic or other concerns. Additionally, the Head of Section (Lower School, Middle School or Upper School) will always be happy to discuss any concerns parents may have.

In Years 3 and 4, the class teacher is the tutor.

In Years 5 and 6 the children are taught by specialist teachers for the majority of subject but still have a "class teacher" for English and humanities. All children in a Year 5 class have the same tutor who they meet in the mornings and at the end of lunchtimes for registration and for longer tutor periods.

In Years 7 and 8 the tutor groups become "House" based rather than class based and all subjects are taught by specialist teachers.

Great Stories Begin With Curiosity…

Welcome to the Lower School at Hazlegrove! Through the curriculum, the children in Years 3 and 4 enjoy endless opportunities with plenty of scope for imagination as well as building resilience. Minds are unlocked, and doors are opened as the children progress along their educational journey and voyage of self-discovery, through to Middle School and beyond.

Education in Years 3 and 4

The nurturing environment fostered within the Lower School is centred around the belief that children learn best when they feel safe, happy, and confident. As children enter the Prep School aged 7, days are busy and varied, covering a broad and balanced curriculum. Lessons are engaging and stimulating.

Academic rigour is crucial, underpinning all elements of the Lower School curriculum, and children are closely monitored to ensure that all flourish, but not at the expense of the enjoyment of learning, or our school values, our cornerstones on which our ethos and endeavours are built.

Our Classrooms
Children make use of the expansive wider school facilities and specialist teaching in Science, French, Art, DT, Music, Drama, Computing, PE, Games and Outdoor Education. The children might find themselves discovering dragon eggs in our very own woods (we’re lucky the dragons keep coming back to lay, but we’re not sure which species they are!) and delving into dragon myths from around the world, then creating fantastical artwork, linking to their English non-chronological report writing. Or they are delving into the mysteries of Ancient Egypt, developing their understanding of instructional texts through the process of mumification (have you ever seen what happens to a mummified tomato?) before recreating living models of the River Nile and learning about rivers around the world in Geography.

Our Specialist Teachers and Lessons

In both Year 3 and Year 4, lessons first thing in the morning are spent with the form tutor building solid foundations in Maths and English. Our passionate form tutors continue to support individual learning through Humanities, P.S.H.E and Wellbeing lessons. At this age, the children are taught in tutor groups which are parallel, mixed ability classes; Maths and spelling are the only lessons which are set at this age. 

On a Monday, Year 3 could find themselves exploring ‘health related fitness’ in PE, linking to their Science ‘health and nutrition topic’ (it’s amazing the range of facial expressions a pair of tights being turned into food filled small intestines can invoke), then using their understanding of data handling from Maths to create a technology-based, informative presentation to a range of clients based up on their specific needs. On another day, children might be taking their parents on a tour of the Hazlegrove virtual Viking museum in the playground, designing and making games to show off their understanding of magnetism to share with younger pupils in the Pre-Prep, then later, taking an active role in a Philosophy4Children enquiry debating the difficulties of accidentally discovering an invisibility ring – If you know you won’t be caught, should you do whatever you like?

Through a creative cross-curricular approach, children are encouraged to see links between subjects and develop tools to join the dots between their skills, knowledge and understanding both between subjects and beyond, into their extra-curricular activities and personal development whilst appreciating the relevance of their experiences to the wider world. We aim to develop creative, curious, confident learners who are open-minded and caring.

Great Stories Begin with the Extraordinary…

Years 5 and 6 are wonderful years - pupils’ minds are ripe for learning and absorbing new information like a sponge.  At Hazlegrove, we take full advantage of this wonderful time! 

We believe that a curriculum with a strong emphasis on practical skills and hands-on exploration develops a questioning nature in our pupils. Opportunities to further enrich and nurture curiosity through trips, visits and projects play a huge part in every child’s development at Hazlegrove.

Education in Years 5 and 6
Nurturing the Whole Child…

9, 10 and 11-year-olds are so able, and their teachers who know them well as individuals need to encourage them, and make the most of their creativity and their infectious enthusiasm to learn.  Coupled with this is the need for support in areas that are still developing, which are different for each child and include physical, social, and emotional needs and skills, as well as a good grasp of their cognitive profile.  

In a world that is constantly changing, a world where we are all racing to keep up, what we need is children who can face new challenges without fear or self-doubt. The world needs proactive and imaginative problem solvers who possess both the skills and the mental versatility to interpret new and unfamiliar problems quickly and then work independently and in small groups toward meaningful and robust solutions.

We are passionate about developing practical and effective problem-solving skills across all of our departments and constantly looking for new and exciting ways to emphasize the real-world applications and the relevance of the techniques the children are learning.

Our Specialist Teachers
In Year 5 English and the Humanities are taught by class teachers, who are also the tutor for the same class; it is important that the transition from being taught most subjects in the same room by the same teacher, to moving between lessons, taught by different teachers, happens gradually. This is a process that happens seamlessly at Hazlegrove, each year preparing the children a little more for that point when they move onto senior school at the end of Year 8, by which time, it has become second nature to move around school for lessons.

In Year 6, the role of the tutor is still very important, and they all teach their tutees in addition to seeing them twice a day in tutor times, as well as more subjects being taught by different subject specialists. 

We want learning to be as engaging for the child who might struggle to write extended pieces as it is for a pupil who writes fluently already. Our teaching keeps the children interested, providing fertile ground to allow children to progress beyond what would ordinarily be possible and expected. 

Our Classrooms
 

Creativity is very important to us and is clear to see across all aspects of the curriculum, and the environment in which this creativity is nurtured is so important. The children learn within an inspirational setting and every opportunity is taken to make full use of the fantastic grounds and facilities that include state-of-the-art science labs, a purpose built theatre and dance studio not to mention full libraries, extensive sports pitches, woodland and pond, as well as quiet areas for Wellbeing.   

Drama, Art, Music, Food Technology and Design Technology are all essential parts of the curriculum, and much loved as well as providing the ideal opportunity to move around the school site and enjoy the benefits of the dedicated classrooms and specialist teachers for these essential areas.

Children at this age benefit hugely from fresh air and variety in their day, so swimming, tennis, badminton, and gymnastics are part of PE, with a host of outdoor pursuits also available as after-school activities, in addition to the four sessions a week when pupils have Games and matches. 

The Best of Both Worlds

We want the best of all worlds: the familiarity of one teacher knowing each child well but, equally, the opportunity to foster a greater sense of taking responsibility for personal organisation.  This includes pupils looking after their own belongings, as they get older, moving around the site more independently, and learning key study skills as we set them prep to consolidate and extend the concepts learned in the classroom. 

This is such an exciting time of development for children and is one where curiosity, creativity and confidence flourish at Hazlegrove.

The final two years in the Upper School at Hazlegrove (ages 11 to 13) are an exciting time. With a combination of hard work and fun, the children prepare for the move to their senior schools via Scholarship or the 13+ Common Entrance examinations.

Early in the Autumn Term in Year 7, a trip to the River Dart enables the year group to bond and work on team building skills, welcoming new pupils who have joined us at this time.

Children are taught throughout the school in mixed ability, parallel classes, with some setting in French and Maths. In Years 7 and 8, pupils are either prepared for Common Entrance or in a higher tier stream where pupils are prepared for academic scholarship.

Prep is set for pupils in Years 5 to 8 on four nights of the week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday) as follows:

• Year 5: 1 subject for 25 minutes. Pupils are also expected to read a book and practise times tables
• Year 6: 2 subjects for 20 minutes each
• Years 7 and 8: 2 subjects for 30-40 minutes each

Younger pupils will be expected to read, learn spellings and practise times tables. 

Years 3 - 6

In Years 3 - 6, the basic academic reward is the Plus Point. A member of staff might give up to 3 Plus points to a child for a particular deed. The total of Plus points a child gets in a week is calculated by the house staff and goes towards an overall house total, which in turn forms part of the overall annual House Competition. 

For academic work, the major reward is the Merit. A merit wins 3 extra plus points for the House. These are awarded by staff for exceptional work by the individual child. The child’s tutor keeps a record of the Merits for the term.

Years 7 and 8

In Years 7 and 8 pupils move to a system of commendations. A commendation is awarded for work that is exceptional for the individual child in terms of effort or attainment. At the end of each term the highest scoring pupils are awarded a book token in final assembly. Tutors can also award a ‘wild card’ to pupils who have made exceptional progress.

There are four "Houses" in the Prep School at Hazlegrove which are Dover (red), Lyon (blue), Norton (yellow) and Tremlett (green). Houses are allocated on joining the Prep School and children in the same immediate family will belong to the same House. The children wear House ties during the winter terms.

Inter-house competitions run throughout the year in sport and other areas of school life.