Curriculum

Discover St Swithun's prep curriculum, allowing pupils to achieve their full potential.

In This Section

Our creative, broad and balanced curriculum extends and appropriately challenges, enabling all pupils to succeed. This skills-based curriculum is fulfilled through exciting, engaging and energising themes, topics and texts.

EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE: PRESCHOOL AND RECEPTION

We believe that every pupil is unique. Through positive relationships and an enabling environment, we teach the children to value learning, be resilient, capable, and motivated individuals. Through self-initiated play, exploration, investigation, and adult-led learning, we carefully lay lasting foundations in both the Prime and Specific Areas:.

The Prime Areas:

Communication and Language
Physical Development
Personal, Social and Emotional Development

The Specific Areas

Literacy
Mathematics
Understanding the World
Expressive Arts and Design

The Prime Areas are crucial in igniting curiosity and enthusiasm for learning and for building their capacity to learn, form relationships and thrive.

The four Specific Areas enable the Prime Areas to be strengthened and applied.

We also embrace ‘The Characteristics of Effective Learning’, which comprise of:

Playing and exploring
Active learning
Creating and thinking critically

These characteristics are continually nurtured, with an understanding that each child learns in different ways and leads in our ethos of High Performance Learning.

These play-based, child led, experiences are enhanced by specialist subject teaching and activities such as outdoor explorers, PE and games, swimming, performing and visual arts and French.

Children in preschool and reception learn through participating in a wide variety of well-planned, stimulating and enjoyable activities. Our children embark on daily adventures filled with fun, excitement, and unforgettable moments. We offer a vibrant and stimulating environment where young minds can explore, play, and grow. Continuous assessment ensures that each individual is supported and extended as appropriate.

YEARS 1-6

Our aim is to foster a love of learning and development of our girls’ intellectual curiosity. Our High Performance Learning framework allows the girls to learn the Values, Attitudes and Attributes associated with good learning, combined with the Advanced Cognitive Performance characteristics which enable them to succeed in reaching the highest levels to become intellectually and socially confident.

Throughout their time in the Prep School, the girls develop a desire to learn as well as the means to become independent: they accept responsibility for their own learning and begin to manage their time, balancing their academic studies with a breadth of co-curricular activities.

As children progress their literacy and numeracy skills are consolidated. Their curriculum includes the core curriculum subjects English, mathematics and science as well as art, design and technology, information and communication technology (ICT), religious education, music, drama, personal social and health education, history, geography, physical education and a wide range of creative activities. Spanish is specialist-taught from nursery to year 2.

All pupils have reading books to share at home. Year 1 children take home spelling activities and an interactive maths game, and year 2 children take home mathematics and literacy activities.

SUBJECTS

English

At St Swithun’s, the desire to foster a love of English whilst inspiring children as they explore the language is evident in all that we teach. English is at the heart of our academic curriculum and fluency in the English language is an essential foundation for success in all subjects.

From the youngest member of our preschool class to the leavers in Year 6 we encourage our children to express themselves confidently and with flair in all areas of the curriculum; we strive to engender an enthusiasm for both language and literature. Our small classes also enable us to cater for individual needs, by offering support or by integrating challenge for every pupil we teach.

All children have access to a wide range of early reading materials, contemporary and classic fiction as well as the latest non-fiction materials. We subscribe to First News which offers us both printed and digital access to current affairs topics. In addition, we are able to use both Chromebooks and iPads to further enhance learning.

Regular book fairs keep pupils and teachers up to date with the best new children's fiction and there are many opportunities for reading within the week as well as additional events such as the celebration of World Book Day and reading challenges. Our children enjoy nothing more than finding a comfortable corner in our stunning library in the light, airy atrium of the school where they can enjoy reading a good book.

Kids helping each other with school work

Mathematics

Maths

Our bespoke maths curriculum extends beyond the national standards to prepare children for a brilliant future. We are committed to fostering a lifelong passion for mathematics, embedding a love for the subject right from the start.
Our curriculum is meticulously designed to nurture intellectual growth through a vibrant blend of numbers, shapes, and logic. It not only covers essential arithmetic and geometry but also advances into complex problem-solving skills, essential in today’s technological world.

We take immense pride in our students' mathematical achievements. They consistently excel in national competitions such as the First Maths Challenge and the Primary Maths Challenge, showcasing the effectiveness of our engaging and challenging program.

Our lessons are brimming with support and challenge, filled with fun games and intriguing investigations to make learning both exciting and accessible. We aim to ensure that every student feels supported and continuously challenged, enabling them to reach their full potential.
Opportunities for children to discover, discuss and clarify their thinking is paramount to add depth to their understanding. Tricky concepts will be explored fully before we move on, to ensure all children feel at ease with maths and are making excellent progress.

Performing Arts

Our music and performing arts curriculum places creativity and passion at the core of its teaching. Children are given the opportunity to make music in many different ways including composing, listening and performing. They are given an excellent framework of skills from the very beginning that allows each child to develop at their own pace and in their own way. The upper prep often work on extended projects; for example the year 6 girls take part in a Fame Academy music project, writing songs and rehearsing and performing them in bands. They perform to the school competing for votes, and they record their songs over two days at a local recording studio.

We have many thriving musical ensembles including a variety of string ensembles, flute choir, rock bands, steel band and choirs, as well as more informal music clubs.

Individual instrumental tuition is offered in violin, viola, ‘cello, double bass, harp, flute, clarinet, oboe, saxophone, bassoon, trumpet, French horn, piano, singing, drum kit, orchestral percussion, guitar and electric guitar.
A large proportion of children in the prep school learn at least one instrument, and they regularly feature in our termly concerts and weekly assemblies. We also celebrate all things musical in a two-day music festival where all children who learn an instrument are featured.

Creativity and stagecraft are key features of our Performing Arts provision.

In addition to weekly class lessons, we have a highly popular music theatre workshop that runs after school. Children can currently take part in LAMDA classes through another club, Little Voices.

All children in the school participate in year group assemblies and a larger musical theatre production every year, with full scale musical productions such as ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ and ‘Mary Poppins’ being the norm in years 5 and 6.

As well as being a huge amount of fun, this rolling programme of events over the children’s time at the Prep School equip them with many important life skills that they will require as they navigate life. We are proud to grow confident, musical and dramatic children!

Science

In science at St Swithun’s, our aim is to send our children out into the world with an understanding of and respect for the world around them.

The children begin to study science in Early Years setting, in the form of Understanding the World, a fully practical, hands-on experience involving making observations and testing ideas.

During Key Stage 1, girls study a broad range of science topics. Throughout this, their natural curiosity is further nurtured; ideas are investigated and scientific concepts introduced to support their observations.
Once in Key Stage 2, girls follow the ISEB science syllabus. Emphasis is placed not only on the scientific concepts but also on working scientifically to develop their enquiry skills.

Whilst pen and paper continue to be a staple base method of recording, we also make regular use of a range of technological resources for both delivery of lessons and measurement or observation.

In addition to our substantial school grounds, we have an established, covered growing area and are proud to hold a Level 2 RHS Gardening for Schools certificate. We also foster close links with Winchester Science Centre and The Wildlife Trust, visiting sites for topics such as Space, Forces and Habitats.

We want each of our children to leave St Swithun’s Prep with a love of science; the knowledge and confidence required to take this subject on to the next level; and, with the potential to become STEM ambassadors of the future.

Sports

Sport

St Swithun’s aims for quality in every aspect of physical education, sport and physical activity. We are committed to creating meaningful opportunities for our pupils to become dedicated participants and to attain the highest levels of performance to which they aspire.

We recognise the value of sport and physical activity to a pupil’s wellbeing and development, physically, mentally, socially and morally. Pupils are encouraged to strive for high standards of performance, commitment, behaviour, etiquette and self-discipline.

In addition to curriculum sport and PE lessons, we have a variety of lunchtime and after school clubs led by the school staff and outside coaches and we participate in house and inter-school matches to further extend the opportunities for our students.

The school curriculum includes football, netball, tag rugby, gymnastics, athletics, cricket and swimming. The younger girls also focus on their locomotive and manipulate skills, decision making and tactical knowledge using simple invasion games.

All PE, games and swimming lessons are taught by specialists:

Preschool - Every week, each child receives at least three hours of PE, games and swimming, including additional dance and movement programmes.
Reception to year 2 - Every week, each child receives at least three hours of PE, games and swimming, including gymnastics and dance.
Year 3 to year 6 - Every week, each child receives at least three hours of PE, games and swimming. In addition, they participate in a games afternoon.

Sports Training Opportunities

All children from years 3-6 have the opportunity to play in inter-house and inter-school matches and events every term. We also provide additional opportunities for accomplished sportswomen to participate in tournaments, athletics competitions and swimming galas. Selection takes place during curriculum lessons and games afternoons, and is informed by a range of qualitative and quantitative data.

Visual Arts

Our visual arts programme comprises art and design and design technology and forms an integral part of the regular curriculum. Lessons from preschool to year 6 take place in the modern visual arts room where the children have access to a range of materials and equipment. We strive to create a learning environment which engages, inspires and challenges children of all abilities so that they are equipped with the knowledge and skills to reach their creative potential. In order to achieve this, we believe it is important for the children to have time to experiment with a range of techniques and processes to help them to develop their confidence.

Art and design projects provide the children with opportunities to work in both two- and three-dimensional form using a sketchbook as their starting point. Alongside this, the children explore the work of artists, designers and craftspeople from the past and present to inform their creative thinking.

Design and technology centres around turning design ideas into actual physical products. Our programme covers a broad range of topics and includes food technology, mechanisms, textiles and woodwork. The children gain experience of working with a variety of materials and tools as they progress through the school. In year 5, the children use the facilities in the senior school technology department as part of their ‘Carousels’ project. Through exploration and investigation of the design and making processes, we aim to equip the children with the skills to be able to develop their creative ideas into quality products of which they can be proud.

Humanities

Our humanities curriculum comprises geography, history and religious education. A wide range of educational visits and visitors help to bring these subjects to life.

Our high-quality geography education inspires a curiosity about the world and its people that will remain with our pupils for the rest of their lives. We aim to equip our pupils with knowledge about diverse places, people, resources and natural and human environments, together with a deep understanding of the Earth’s key physical and human processes. A variety of teaching and learning styles are used in lessons and we encourage the children to ask questions to deepen their knowledge. There are opportunities to use a variety of data sources such as maps, statistics, graphs, pictures and aerial photographs, enhanced by use of digital technology.

The history curriculum is designed to stimulate pupils’ interest in how events and significant individuals in the past have influenced our lives today. We recognise and value the importance of stories in history teaching and we regard this as an important way of stimulating interest in the past.
Developing a sense of chronology helps pupils to grow a sense of their own identity and a cultural understanding based on their historical heritage. Teaching focuses on enabling children to think as historians and understanding that historical events can be interpreted in different ways; by investigating historical events, therefore, they develop the skills of enquiry, analysis and judgement.

Religious Education (R.E.) lesson focus on enabling children to understand the beliefs and customs of different key religions, as well as introducing the concepts of agnosticism, atheism and other types of non-belief. Through teaching R.E. in our school, we provide opportunities for spiritual development; children consider and respond to questions concerning the meaning and purpose of life, and we help them to recognise the difference between right and wrong through the study of moral and ethical questions. The children are taught that religions and beliefs can be interpreted in different ways and that they can ask searching questions about information they are given, while respecting the beliefs and choices of others. Children are encouraged to share their own beliefs and those of their family where they are happy to do so.

PSHEE

Our PSHEE programme includes personal, social, health and economic education, as well as sex and relationships education in years 5 and 6. PSHEE is a key part of our school curriculum, ensuring children understand how to stay healthy and safe. This subject also prepares our pupils for life – and work – in modern Britain.

PSHEE at St. Swithun’s is comprised of three strands: Health and Emotional Wellbeing, Relationships and Living in the Wider World. Each of these strands explores a different aspect of the PSHEE curriculum, from personal safety to friendships and career aspirations to first aid. Lessons are designed to be fun and engaging and offer children the opportunity to explore learning objectives and subject matter in a variety of ways, including group discussion and respectful debate, independent research, group projects, practical or artistic tasks and whole-school events.

Our PSHEE curriculum is designed as a spiral; the three strands are revisited every year, twice a year, building on the previous year’s learning. In this way, we are able to scaffold a strong understanding of the objectives covered, offering children the opportunity to learn and discuss various topics at an ever-deepening, yet age-appropriate level. We have been guided by the national body for PSHEE, whilst also ensuring our PSHEE curriculum is bespoke to St. Swithun’s, thereby providing the best possible education for the children in our care.

PSHEE is a core part of our provision and is vital in helping our pupils to develop in embracing our school ethos of caritas, humilitas, sinceritas.

Curriculum Enrichment

In years 3 to 6 the pupils have lessons dedicated to curriculum enrichment, the purpose of which is to provide excellent preparation for lifelong learning.

In years 3 and 4, the children are encouraged to develop their intellectual curiosity. They might extend their learning through greater depth research in their topic work, or current affairs and philosophy for children discussions. They also learn to develop their verbal and non-verbal reasoning skills.

In year 5, we develop independent learning skills through a scaffolded research project, allowing pupils an opportunity to delve deeper into a selection of subjects and foster intellectual curiosity about the world around them. The children work in groups with their teachers with a focus on teamwork and research skills.

Year 6 sees the introduction of ISEBs Independent Project Qualification (level 2) [link to ISEB website?]. The iPQ provides a framework for teaching and assessing the development of independent learning skills in the form of an extended project which is externally marked and graded. It provides pupils with an excellent opportunity to develop their intellectual curiosity and research skills through in an area of deep personal interest and their final projects are awarded with a recognised qualification.

In year 5 and 6, there is also dedicated curriculum time for the learning and practice of verbal and non-verbal reasoning skills.

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Prep pupil in library

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