Education news

Crosfields School offers a broad and exciting curriculum, enhanced by specialist teaching

by Jennifer Bishop, Marketing Manager

Why you should consider an independent education for your child

Choosing a nursery or school for your child can often be a daunting task, particularly if the state school of your choice is oversubscribed or your address doesn’t fall within their catchment area. Bridging that gap and taking many of the worries away are independent schools. Often referred to as private schools, an independent school is not financed by the state but instead by fees paid by parents, and in the main is overseen by a board of governors or trustees.

Crosfields is an independent day school on the outskirts of Reading, within easy travelling distance of Reading, Wokingham and surrounding villages. Offering a varied and thorough education for both girls and boys from the age of three, Crosfields pupils move seamlessly from Early Years (Nursery and Reception) through to the Junior, Middle and Senior Schools. Small class sizes throughout ensure that our expert team of teachers really get to know and understand your child.

Crosfields follows the Early Years Foundation Stage for children in Nursery and Reception, and children can join the Crosfields Nursery in the September after their third birthday. They are taught by qualified teachers from day one, giving them an excellent opportunity to advance their learning and understanding of the world. What’s more, the school is set within 40 acres of wood and parkland and enjoys purpose-built facilities for each age group. The Nursery has a large open plan space for children to explore, satisfy their curiosities, and most importantly, learn. Alongside two large, well-equipped classrooms, the children enjoy the use of a landscaped garden, mud kitchen, wooden play equipment and, coming later this year, a mini all-weather pitch.

In Reception, the children embark upon a more structured academic programme for literacy and mathematical development but none of the exploration or creativity encouraged in Nursery is lost. Our children are confident, engaged and self-motivated as our staff recognise and build upon each child’s existing understanding and experiences. Each class is taught by a qualified Reception teacher, who in turn is supported by experienced Teaching Assistants. Children regularly use the indoor creative area for activities such as role-play, water play, art, wood-working and junk modelling. Outside, there are sandpits, construction areas, a mud kitchen, trikes and a wooden climbing frame. Children have independent access to all of these resources and can select their activities during childinitiated time in the afternoons where we nurture their creativity and imagination.

In addition to outstanding facilities, there are many more advantages of independent schooling. Here at Crosfields, we focus on educating the whole child and preparing them for the rigours of life outside and beyond the classroom. Our recent ISI inspection outcome was ‘excellent’ and the inspectors remarked that, “Academic attainment is in advance of that expected at the relevant levels of age and stage of development.” By offering a broad programme of study that includes, amongst other things, timetabled swimming lessons, outdoor learning opportunities at our Forest School sites and specialist dance, games and music lessons for all children from Nursery age, Crosfields pupils leave school confident and equipped with skills for life.

St Mary’s recognised for its tolerance

St Mary’s Preparatory School in Henley on Thames has been recognised by a national charity for its work in creating an atmosphere of tolerance and respect.

The Stonewall School Champion Awards allow schools based in England to effectively benchmark their progress and give direction to their ongoing work in tackling homophobic, biphobic and transphobic bullying and celebrating diversity.

Rob Harmer, Headmaster, said: “I am enormously proud to receive this award in recognition of the work that the team at St Mary’s has done in this important area. Respect for all is one of our key values. We are committed to tackling and preventing bullying of any sort, and encouraging an atmosphere of tolerance amongst all our pupils.”

Recent changes in the school have included the introduction of gender neutral locker rooms and toilets, a more inclusive uniform choice, an expansion of the books available in the school library to show different types of families, and updating the anti-bullying policy including a pupil-friendly version.