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The Curriculum at Hales
King Henry VIII Preparatory School provides children with a broad range of learning opportunities in and out of the classroom.
In this section
The curriculum at Hales offers a seamless transition from Swallows in Years 1 and 2. Many of the subjects continue to be delivered by class teachers, however, the number of specialist subject lessons increases. This helps the children to become more independent and experience a variety of teachers and teaching styles.
There are three main elements: the Academic, the Arts and Sport. The core academic subjects of English and Mathematics lie at the heart of the curriculum but children also study a wide range of other academic subjects including Science, Languages, History, Geography, Religious Education, Art and Design, Music, Computing, PSHEE, Physical Education, Swimming and Games.
From Year 5 onwards, children are taught by a greater number of subject specialists, and are involved in wider learning and collaboration activities with the Senior School.
Beyond the classroom, the School offers an extensive range of extra-curricular activities. These take place at lunchtimes, after school and on Saturday mornings. The provision of extra-curricular activities is one way we hope to broaden children’s interests and build on skills and interests arising from the normal curriculum.
School trips are another important aspect of school life. Normal ‘day’ visits are organised and we also provides a residential trip for every child from Year 3 upwards. These have themes – such as a historical and geographical – but also include adventurous activities holidays and trips to France. Through residential trips, the School wishes to give its pupils memorable experiences but also to build independence and self-reliance.
At the start of each academic year, information evenings are held for parents of children in every year group at the School. The purpose of these evenings is to give parents detailed information about the subjects and topics within the curriculum their children will be following and to provide information regarding clubs, homework, etc. This allows parents to understand what the School is trying to achieve and support their children’s teachers.
