Throughout the School, pupils are taught in vibrant and exciting classrooms, mainly by their class teacher so that they can benefit from consistent and supportive relationships. Teaching assistants also ensure that children have consistent support in their learning and make maximum progress.
Some specialist teaching is introduced where appropriate in the younger years, and is broadened in Prep 4 as children begin to prepare for a different experience of learning in secondary school.
We place considerable emphasis on the fundamental subjects of Maths, English, Science and Information Technology, but other areas of intellectual growth are also an important part of our curriculum. History, Geography, Music, Art, Drama, P.E and Design Technology are taught from an early age and children learn French and Spanish from Reception.
We are also committed to developing all aspects of our pupils’ personalities both inside and outside the classroom. The ability to work in a team, to communicate effectively in a variety of situations, and the ability to lead when necessary, are all vital skills which life in Highfield develops.
Since the inception of the National Curriculum, primary education has been inundated by central government with more initiatives than virtually any other aspect of life. The overwhelming advantage of independent education is that individual schools can pick and choose what is in their children’s interests without having to follow every change in the political climate. This freedom allows us to set out a programme of work for our children which enables us to use our experience and knowledge to their greatest advantage. We place a premium on making learning enjoyable, but there can be no escape from the fact that it requires commitment, effort and encouragement from even a very early age.
Our fundamental aim in curricular terms is to ensure that each child has the powers of expression, both orally and on paper, by the age of eleven to be able to take full advantage of the opportunities that secondary education brings. Equally, we expect that our pupils will have the appropriate mathematical abilities by that time to be able to take on secondary school mathematics with confidence. The rest of our curriculum is designed to build interest and intellectual curiosity in a range of subjects which form the basis of the traditional academic curriculum. We place a strong emphasis on practical and social skills too so that children can develop in these areas if that is where their interests lie.
There is no doubt that academic success is underpinned by wide reading. We work very hard to encourage all our pupils to become voracious readers.
There follows a brief outline of what children will experience as they move through Highfield. It does not cover every aspect of each year group’s curriculum.