Prep
Academic Life
whole child education
We have ambition for every child and our philosophy for education is simple – a truly holistic, whole child education where all pupils achieve their potential in order to lead happy and fulfilled lives.
Alongside excellent pastoral care, doing what you love is crucial to achieving your potential, therefore our curriculum is truly broad and balanced, enabling every child to discover their unique talents.
benefits of years 7 & 8
Our most senior pupils have the opportunity to be really pushed in their academics, to take on leadership roles and to enjoy and benefit pastorally from a familiar, small and safe environment.
Pre teen and early teen years can be some of the most difficult to navigate both for young people and their parents. At Terra Nova we recognise these potential pitfalls and have created a curriculum and pastoral care system that nurtures and motivates our young people. KS3 (Years 7, 8 and 9) can be the ‘forgotten years’ in senior schools, but at Terra Nova we have combined the best of the Common Entrance curriculum, to ensure the academic rigour remains, with an innovative and skills-based curriculum.
Our Year 7 and 8 pupils are excellent leaders and role models for the whole school community. They lead a number of committees throughout the school, set the example on the sports field, mentor our younger pupils and are visible at all school events. There are numerous opportunities for all pupils to lead, take responsibility and care for each other: Heads of School, Sports Captains, speaking in assembly, Scholarship, Performing Arts Captains, House Captains and taking the lead on the School Council.
Pupils develop excellent knowledge, skills and understanding across all areas of learning in response to the well-planned and broad curriculum.
Independent Schools Inspectorate
There is academic rigour across our curriculum, not just to enable pupils to achieve at 11+ and 13+, but to ensure we ‘teach to the top’ and allow all learners to think deeply and creatively. Character values are explicitly taught and practised at every opportunity to further enhance our whole child approach.
Our highly skilled teaching team assess pupils daily through observation and questioning and both feed into their planning. We assess pupils termly in English and Maths in order to track pupils’ progress in the short and longer term. This data is discussed at termly Pupil Progress Meetings where staff reflect on practice and its contribution to individual progress. The sequencing of skills and knowledge within each subject area is reviewed and adapted to individual and group needs.
