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Preparatory
Our aim in the Preparatory years is to progress further the skills acquired in pre-prep, focusing heavily on the 3 Rs. Reading, Writing and Arithmetic are crucial elements in the education of any child. A child's ability to later cope in the adult world, to have a career, to take charge of their financial affairs and to live independently depends to a large extent on them acquiring these skills. In the Peps there is even more emphasis on independent learning and enthusiasm for all aspects of school life.
  Areas of focus: • The ability to compose interesting, imaginative and appropriate writing in fiction and non-fiction with legible, cursive handwriting. Comprehension skills are honed so that children can answer in-depth questions in an intelligent manner. • The Numeracy curriculum adheres to the National Curriculum but goes well beyond this when children are being prepared for scholarships and entrance exams to various independent secondary schools and for 11 + requirements for Grammar schools.
  • The Science curriculum follows the topics as set out by the Dept of Education. Great emphasis is placed on scientific inquiry through experiments in class and outside in the environment around us. Children are involved in growing their own fruit and vegetables – caring for them, harvesting them and finally using them to prepare dishes in cookery lessons.
• All children in Preps III & IV study Verbal and Non Verbal Reasoning in their preparation for their next phase of study. • The Prep children use computer technology right across the curriculum and by the end of Key stage 2 are proficient in the basics of Microsoft Office. • Drama has always played a big part at Our Lady’s and all children are involved in assemblies, Nativity productions and end of year shows. All children leave Our Lady’s with great confidence in their own ability to communicate and to perform on stage. Public Speaking and debating is also encouraged.
  In Preps III & IV, we encourage the children to take responsibility for completing homework on time, researching History and Geography projects and completing and presenting these on a certain date.
The older children are very much involved in setting their own goals and continually assess with their teacher how well they are performing, both academically and personally. Children in Prep IV hold offices of responsibility e.g. Head boy/girl, Sports captains, House captains. In Preps III & IV, particular attention is given to revision and preparation for SATs and Entrance Examinations, encouraging all students to aim for their best possible achievement.
Pupils move on from Our Lady’s to a diverse selection of secondary schools. A big proportion of our pupils gain scholarships and others have been awarded places in grammar schools of their choice. A typical day in the Preps 08.45 Morning Assembly and prayer 09.00 - 10.30 Literacy Morning Break Children from 3yrs – 11yrs gather and play 10.50 – 12.00 Numeracy 12.00 – 12.30 Plenary of morning’s work Science is usually conducted on Wednesday mornings 12.30 – 13.00 All children gather in school hall for lunch. 13.00 - 13.30 Playtime The afternoon sessions are given to non – core subjects e.g. History, Geography, R.E. ICT, Languages, Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning, Music and Drama. 15.45 - School day ends |
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