All-round Education
Instilling Newman’s vision of an all-round education that develops children’s minds, bodies and spirits is key to shaping the moral awareness and convictions of our pupils particularly as they mature and are more reflective in their senior years at the school.
The virtues of moral integrity, honesty, compassion and kindness are developed more deeply through Senior Prep. Our School Council, Anti-Bullying Ambassador Programme and Prefect System enable senior pupils to use their positions of responsibility to be role models to younger children.
Newman left a legacy that influenced art, music and literature. We want our children to develop a similar range of interests and, through their own growth and development, become agents for positive change in the world.
Our pupils develop their potential in as broad a range of areas of school life as possible, through art, music, drama and sport as well as an action-packed After School Activity Programme. In addition there is an optional Saturday Enrichment Programme to broaden the horizons of our children beyond school.
These Programmes are diverse in their offering and activities can range from public speaking and debating to Beekeeping, Gymnastics, Woodwork and Science Clubs.
Such Programmes also incorporate additional preparation for Scholarships and Exhibitions, for example academic subjects such as Maths and French as well as Music and Art. Pupils with outstanding ability in Maths can prepare for UKMT Bronze, Silver and Gold Challenges and those with exceptional ability in Art join our Art Scholars Club. Instrumental ensembles such as Clarinet Choir or Percussion Ensemble also form part of our Activity Programme.
All subjects follow the national curriculum and our emphasis on a skills-based curriculum combined with acquiring high level knowledge allows our education to be as deep and as forward thinking as possible. Our pupils develop with a mature and open-minded understanding of the world and their place within it. Children are prepared for Common Entrance 13+ examinations in Maths, English and Science.
Our Senior Prep Curriculum
As we embark on an exciting new chapter at The Oratory Prep School, we are delighted to share with you an overview of our new Senior Prep Curriculum, launched in September 2022.
We believe that the key to successful learning starts with developing skills that pupils can carry forward with them into later life. Our curriculum is centred around building an interconnected approach to learning that develops key knowledge and understanding of the world around them, whilst being meaningful and relevant to their everyday experiences.
Our approach to the curriculum ensures that subjects are linked by both a common theme and a key question. Our teaching ensures that during the same term, pupils can see the relevance between each subject they are learning, whilst maintaining specialised subject teaching; in this way, children will know what it means, for example, to be a scientist, geographer or historian.
We want our pupils to be excited about their learning from the moment they begin a new theme or topic; each new theme will be defined by a theme hook, which aims to pique their curiosity and provide an overview of the term’s learning. They may go on trips, have a workshop in school, or a specific activity which will build towards an end of term assessment.
Throughout the academic year, we will continue to develop our new curriculum and we are excited to update you as to how we further enrich your child’s learning.
