Academic

Our school motto rings true in everything that we do at Barrow Hills. Our broad curriculum offers a wide range of opportunities for our children to develop not only their knowledge and understanding, but also the learning habits needed to set them up for the future. Barrow Hills’ children are independent and resilient. They are inquisitive and confident learners. They problem solve and tackle new learning and experiences with curiosity and bravery.

Our approach

At Barrow Hills, links are made throughout the curriculum wherever possible. This allows children to apply their learning in different areas, and therefore secure their understanding further.

For example, affording children the opportunity to apply mathematical skills of measurement and rounding in our DT curriculum when working in the food tech lab or with resistant materials, enables children to see just how relevant these skills are to real life.

Academic subjects are vital to any child’s education and we are proud of our children’s achievements in English, maths, science, languages and the humanities. From our perspective, the same level of drive and expectation is equally applicable to the expressive arts, sport and activities. Why should it be otherwise?

We believe that whatever subject a child is studying, at whatever time of the day, the experience should be as creative, engaging and challenging as possible.

Developing good learning habits

We start to develop positive learning habits in our children from the first day that they join us. The key attributes of independence and resilience are built up from the EYFS, through KS1 and into Junior and Middle Prep, before being further developed as children reach the top of the School and prepare to leave us as 13 year olds at the end of their time in Upper Prep.

Our children are encouraged to reflect on their own learning and to strive to improve at every opportunity. They have high expectations of their achievements and are encouraged to feel pride for the things they do well. Our children develop the ability to work both independently and collaboratively, and can see the value in both.

We don’t just learn in the classroom!

So much of the development of our children comes from getting outside. Pre-Prep children all have weekly outdoor classroom sessions. In Years 3 to 6 Forest School forms part of our activities programme and throughout the School our sport programme offers further opportunities to develop independence, teamwork and resilience.

To support classroom-based lessons, we get children outside into our wonderful grounds wherever possible. From walks on the field on a frosty morning to develop descriptive writing, to measuring the length of the cross-country course, the outdoors has huge value for children’s learning.

We back-up our classroom curriculum with a wide range of trips and visits, which help the children’s learning to come alive. From Year 3, our children have the opportunity to go on a residential trip, culminating in a week in the Ardèche in Year 8. These trips offer further opportunities to develop all the attributes found in our Pupil Profile, as well as have fun!

Prepared for Greater Things

Through everything that we do, we are preparing children for the future. Our children are ready to face whatever exciting challenges the next stage of their education holds… prepared for greater things.