Looking for a Reception place in September? Read our handy tips on how to choose the right school for your child
Any prep school parent will be keen to tell you that the most important thing they want from an independent education is for their child to be confident in themselves and have belief that they can achieve whatever they want in the world.
But where does that come from? How can you be sure that the educational decisions you make allow your child to build confidence and be ready to thrive in their lives? The simple answer is to break it down and look at the important elements.
Being known
Class sizes can make a real difference and in the younger years it enables children to be supported in smaller groups by adults who know them well. Great character foundations are laid in this stage of a child’s life so knowing how the children’s personal development is supported is also crucial.
At Elmhurst, our class teacher and teaching assistant work with a group of around 16 children each year, many of whom are already known to us from our Pioneers pre-Reception room. Routines are well-established in the early years with our school values evident in our support of pupils. As a result, our pupils thrive.
Experts
Experienced staff with strong subject knowledge bring both interest and enthusiasm to their teaching. The early years curriculum is the basis for all Reception classes but other experiences can make a significant difference to the pupil’s development.
Working with other teachers for specialist subjects enables pupils at Elmhurst to build relationships with staff that will work with them beyond Reception. Our PE, Music and Drama teachers all bring different approaches to learning that inspire confidence and development in our young learners.
Parents as Partners
Consider the role you want to play in the educational journey. Do you want the school to take it all on or are you keen to be an active part of your child’s schooling? How often will you hear about your child’s progress and speak to his teacher? For us, this is a really important part of what is different about Elmhurst. We firmly believe that the childs journey is only optimised when the adults support in a common way. To support that we regularly share formal and informal feedback but we also hold parent and child workshops to show parents how to support at home too. These can really change how well a child progresses and parents tell us how enabling it is for them too: “The session not only gave me insight into how phonics is being taught, but also equipped me with practical ways to support with reading at home” Reception parent.
