At this time of year, we are often busy with tours of the school for parents looking for a Reception place next September. This is, of course, a huge decision and there are many different things to consider in making your choice. I believe strongly that an independent education from the beginning in a school, such as Exeter Pre-Prep, gives children the best possible start and lays the foundations for the rest of their school career. Here are my top five reasons why:
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Higher academic standards
We have a strong emphasis on reading foremost, with every child reading aloud to an adult every day, then on writing and mathematics. Learning is fast-paced and fun, and all children are stretched and challenged in line with their ability. We provide children with solid foundations to their learning and help them to develop a positive work ethic. We don’t want them to have any gaps in their learning, as these can be difficult to fill later on. Each child’s progress is carefully assessed and tracked, and this is shared with parents on a regular basis.
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Excellent pastoral care
We aim to develop character in our children by weaving our school virtues of kindness, helpfulness, teamwork and curiosity into all areas of school life. We have our own dedicated head of pastoral care and every class has a timetabled wellbeing lesson each week. We work hard to ensure that every member of staff gets to know every child extremely well. Our friendly, familial ethos enables children to grow in confidence and flourish. We even have Ruffles, our school therapy dog, to keep everyone happy and calm!
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Smaller classes
We are fortunate to be a small, nurturing, one-form entry school with class sizes of between 16-20 children. This allows us to take a highly individual approach with every child, supporting and challenging them to reach their potential. We have a full-time teacher and teaching assistant in every class, so staff can really get to know the children inside out and no one goes under the radar. The children naturally get through more learning in a day than they otherwise would in a larger class, and the calmer, more purposeful environment means that behaviour is better and the staff are less stressed!
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A broad and balanced curriculum
In Reception, as in Nursery, we follow the Early Years Foundation Stage, which is made up of seven areas of learning. Children will move up from our Nursery class typically starting to read, but new joiners to Reception quickly catch up. As we are an independent school, we have more flexibility with our curriculum. There is greater opportunity for the children to try new things, both within the school day (such as specialist teaching in French, Forest School, sport and music) and at our wide range of after-school clubs, which include sports, art, drama, computing, STEM and even Brazilian Jiu Jitsu!
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Enhanced facilities and resources
The school is housed in a beautiful converted chapel, set within an acre of grounds – it’s a real calm oasis away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre. We also have the benefit of access to state-of-the-art facilities at Exeter School, such as the swimming pool. We have our own large hall where healthy, nutritious lunches are served daily, a tennis court, our own Forest School area and an outdoor learning classroom. We have recently invested in a class set of iPads and new touch screen smartboards in classrooms. We are also lucky to have our own minibus so that we can go on exciting trips to bring learning to life.
