Building on the firm foundations of the younger years, children moving into Year 3 have developed the skills they need to be pro-active learners, with the confidence to ask for help when they need it and the desire to take on new challenges. Learning becomes more structured and pupils steadily build skills and techniques to assist in problem solving. We continue to support and challenge them, encouraging them to experiment, make mistakes and learn from them.

What we provide:

Small class sizes

The high teacher-to-pupil ratio continues to benefit our pupils as they tackle ever-more complex work. It gives our staff more time to really understand the needs of each student and offer the appropriate level of support, encouragement and guidance. This might take the form of extra help in a particular area, or providing extension work and additional stimulation to keep more able students engaged.

Learning skills

By the time they join Key Stage 2, our boys and girls are already used to working collaboratively and independently, and from Year 3 onwards, we see a steady increase in self-discipline. Our specialist teachers help channel this positivity and support the children in grasping more complex concepts and strategies, building day by day to a broad and thorough understanding. We continue to encourage our pupils to challenge preconceptions, ask questions, evaluate and debate.

You will be kept informed about your child’s development through regular progress reports and parent evenings.

Focus on the core curriculum

Being a private school means that The Mead School is not bound by the National Curriculum, allowing us to extend learning opportunities in all directions. This does not, however, detract from our focus on the core curriculum, which provides the cornerstone for all learning. Literacy skills are essential in nearly all subjects, so language development plays a central part in our teaching. Investigative approaches are encouraged in Maths and Science, and children learn strategies that will allow them to scale up their learning as they grow older.

Preparation for exams

If you are planning for your child to move onto one of the excellent local grammar schools or to an independent senior school, he or she will need to take entrance exams. Starting preparation early makes all the difference for our children. We ensure they have the skills they need across the relevant subjects, and plenty of experience in sitting exams in a non-pressured environment, so that when the exam day arrives, they are ready and confident enough to take it in their stride.

Subject experts

As we all know from our own experiences, learning from teachers who actually care about their subject makes a huge difference to our attitude to that subject. It is a real asset to field so many subject specialists, meaning that a large part of the curriculum is either wholly or partially taught by experts. For our Key Stage 2 children, subjects include Music, French, Drama, STEAM (Science, Technologly, Art and Maths), History, Global Studies, Geography, PE and Swimming.

Preparing for the next step

As they move towards the top of the school, many of our oldest boys and girls are working towards grammar and independent senior school entrance exams. We can help families consider all the options and identify which senior school would best suit their child. We have a dedicated Head of Transition, Mrs Isobel Feaver, and the school works closely with parents to ensure that each child, as far as is reasonably possible, transfers to the best school for them in which to thrive as an individual.

Wider opportunities

For our children, anything is possible, their future options as varied as they can imagine. They are only limited by what they know. So we try to give them as broad a range of opportunities as possible. A perfect way to do this is with after-school clubs, activities that may spark a new interest and lead down new paths. Recent Key Stage 2 clubs have included: Cookery, Cricket, Ballet, Modern & Tap, LAMDA, Choir, Orchestra, Basketball, Astro Games, Girls’ Football, Boys’ Football, Art, Manga Design, Gymnastics & Cheerleading, Nature, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths), Judo, Ball Sports, Chess, Sewing, Rugby, Batik, Construction, Eco, Rollerblading, Poetry and Mosaics.