Woodhouse
Pre prep
Prep School
Inside the classroom
The School has fully adopted the National Curriculum as the basis of its syllabus, and the progress of each child is continuously assessed and recorded. Children will automatically be entered for Keystage 1 and 2 tests at age seven and eleven.
However, we expect that most children will work beyond the National Curriculum levels, and with greater breadth. Children will normally sit entrance exams and tests for their senior school at the appropriate time in Mathematics and English, and some or all of: French, Verbal Reasoning, Latin, Science, History, Geography, and Religious Education.
In addition to these examinable subjects, Art, Music, IT, Design and Technology, Drama and Physical Education are an integral part of the school curriculum, without compromising our high standards of literacy and numeracy.
Children with exceptional ability will probably take scholarship examinations to their senior schools and we have an excellent record of success in obtaining scholarships and academic awards. In the last 5 years no less than 32 children have obtained awards to their senior schools. Winterfold is extremely keen to encourage academic excellence and will foster this as soon as it is spotted, but there is no question of 'cramming'.
Those who are not scholars are equally valued. We take time to make sure that all children have solid foundations for their learning and are fully secure in their knowledge and understanding of the syllabus. The preparation they receive is designed to qualify them for entry to whichever senior school they may choose and we have very high success levels.
We have always welcomed children across a broad ability range and there will therefore also be some children whose progress is slower because their academic ability is less pronounced, or who have specified learning difficulties. They are automatically assessed and we pay very careful attention to their needs. Professional daily one-to-one help is available in our specialist Learning Support Unit, if this is thought to be appropriate. To ensure that the specific needs of each pupil are met, Individual Education Plans are produced by the Learning Support teachers and distributed to all other teaching staff. Sound therapy and developmental exercise programmes are also used if these are considered suitable.
There is a fully-equipped Information Technology room where children are taught computing as part of the weekly timetable, and computers have become an integral part of the educational process; one is as likely to find a form of Geographers there compiling a traffic survey as children being taught the ins and out of desktop publishing.
We do everything we can to encourage private reading and an interest in books, and the School Library has a comprehensive resource and reference facility, with CD ROM support, as well as a comfortable reading area for stories. The purpose built Art and Design and Technology classrooms encourage children to develop new skills and follow their creative and practical interests and our Music School and practice rooms are in constant use.