Stroud School Stroud School King Edward VI Preparatory School
King Edward VI Preparatory School
prospectus
An “education of the highest quality” – ISI Report
Welcome Stroud is a truly preparatory school. When you visit us, expect to see pupils who are happy, respectful and honest. These three fundamental attributes ensure that our leavers are fully prepared to move on to the next stage of their education and the start of their young adult lives. I believe a great independent school can be judged by its ability to deliver and evolve a curriculum that meets the needs of individual pupils. Stroud’s provision of a tailored and personalised education, within over twenty acres of Hampshire countryside, allows for exploration and the development of a love of learning. As the prep school for King Edward VI School in Southampton, our curriculum is designed to achieve the highest academic standards, without compromising the key skills our children need to be successful in the workplace and in life. These skills are nurtured throughout pupils’ school life with us and through our teaching of the Stroud Spirit, encompassing: resilience, curiosity, communication, collaboration, independence, and leadership. Rebecca Smith, Headmistress.
Honesty, Respect and Happiness
Life at Stroud In a beautiful setting on the edge of the market town of Romsey, Stroud School comprises of our Early Years, Key Stage 1, Middle and Senior Schools; welcoming children from three to thirteen years old. Stroud’s outstanding outdoor environment includes sports fields, woodland, riding stables, a swimming pool, gardens, and a nature reserve with a pond and range of wildlife. Stroud also benefits from access to King Edward’s facilities, including the thirty-three acre Wellington Sports Ground and our outward bound centre in Dartmoor National Park. Academic excellence is delivered through inspiring teaching and innovative practices, which include ‘green-screening’, 360 degree videography and Google Classroom. These lead to a varied and exciting curriculum at every stage of a child’s learning. Day-to-day learning is enriched with trips and whole-school events, such as our creative writing competition, Languages Day and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Maths) Week. Our ambitions are to maintain the personalised learning and small classes, to continue to evolve our excellent educational provision, to embrace our beautiful surroundings, and to make the most of our extensive facilities. Whilst the pace and focus changes at each stage of the school, a nurturing, family atmosphere is consistent throughout, underpinned by the Stroud Spirit and our three core values, honesty, respect and happiness.
“ I have enjoyed reading to my buddy
and decorating cupcakes with her for Civic Award. I love Stroud, it is just like a happy family.” Year 6 pupil
Resilience Stroud pupils are positive, confident and reflective; remaining true to the school motto in aerternum intrepidus: ‘forever undaunted’. They know the value of working with others and quickly develop the ability to see failure as a valuable stage in the process of finding success.
“ Moving to Stroud has changed my life
and how I see the world. Stroud is such a wonderful place to grow up in.” Year 6 pupil
Honesty, Respect and Happiness
Stroud uses a range of carefully-tailored strategies and initiatives to guide pupils, such as our mentoring scheme, or our pastoral programme for girls, which enables them to identify with and support each other through times of challenge and anxiety. Developing positive mental health is an area of education that should not be undervalued or under-resourced. Stroud staff are trained in Youth Mental Health First Aid. We also have staff trained in counselling, emotional literacy support, and ‘Drawing and Talking’ programmes.
Honesty, Respect and Happiness
Curiosity Our teaching is based on encouraging curiosity. Topic-based learning allows pupils to identify what they would like to learn and then independently research and find answers to these questions. The ‘in the moment’ planning in Early Years is an excellent example, where the teaching evolves to reflect the ever-changing interests of the children. An early introduction to laboratory science inspires pupils with practical applications of physics, chemistry and biology, whilst natural science is a particular focus for the school, with a large area of our grounds designated for ecology studies. Dedicated spaces for art, design and technology, and music allow creativity to flourish, and a range of clubs and activities offer something for everyone - from bee-keeping to classics, forensic science to gymnastics. We know that by providing so many diverse experiences, our pupils will find the things that really pique their curious minds.
Honesty, Respect and Happiness
“ I have been so impressed with Stroud School over the past two years, the staff have been amazing and we are very much excited about our child’s future at Stroud. ” Stroud parent
Honesty, Respect and Happiness
Communication We ensure pupils can make their voices heard at Stroud. To become a member of the school council, pupils must stand for election and then take on leadership responsibilities, knowing they can make a difference in their community. Performing in front of an audience develops confidence, and regular opportunities are embedded in our school calendar. Both as soloists and in groups, all pupils take part in public speaking competitions, musical concerts, dance and drama performances, as well as large school productions, which bring the community together to celebrate talent.
“ The enthusiasm of the children was wonderful
to watch. It was so lovely to see them all smiling and visibly enjoying themselves as they showed off their talents.” Stroud parent
Honesty, Respect and Happiness
A well-established digital strategy ensures pupils have the latest IT resources and use these extensively; whether for collaborative research and presentations, or completing ‘real time’ homework with staff input, or blogging for the school’s intranet. 1:1 iPads are in place for all children from Year 5, as well as banks of iPads for each year group from Nursery. To promote coding and build computing skills, we have both a senior and a junior IT laboratory – accessible to all pupils from four years of age.
Honesty, Respect and Happiness
Collaboration Sport – more importantly: playing in a team - is part of daily life for all children at Stroud, with netball, rugby, football, hockey, athletics, tennis, swimming, riding and cricket all on offer. Our strong club links and Elite Development Programme ensure participation and competition at the highest level. Mixed, competitive sport is becoming a regular feature of the programme and the progression to girls’ cricket is an example of sport evolving alongside the classroom-based subjects. Older children are encouraged to help and support younger pupils, with peer mentoring schemes built in across the whole school. Senior School reading buddies work with younger pupils to share a love of books, writing, and reading, while Year 8 Prefects take responsibility for the Year 3 pupils as they make the step up into the Middle School. We believe a modern learning environment should actively promote the sharing of ideas and the importance of listening to others. Our new KS1 development is designed to foster collaboration, with internal walls that can be moved back and forth, creating an open and more flexible learning space.
Honesty, Respect and Happiness
“ We are so pleased that we found Stroud as it has
provided Harry with a wonderful environment in which to learn and grow and has given him some very special childhood memories.” Stroud parent
“ We wanted to take this opportunity to thank you
for all of the support that you have given Lily and for the amazing opportunities that you have opened up. We look forward to continuing to see her grow in confidence at your school and excel over the next few years.� Stroud parent
Independence With increasingly self-directed learning, pupils start to develop independence from three years of age and leave Stroud with high levels of intrinsic motivation. Forest School and Beach School both form an integral part of young pupils’ learning. Taken in part from the Scandinavian educational model, these programmes encourage exploration and teach children to identify and manage risk; not only offering moments of awe and wonder but also providing learning experiences that simply cannot be replicated in a classroom. From Year 4, pupils are able to increase their personal independence in a supported, safe but highly-enjoyable way through our range of residential trips. From Avon Tyrell and Dartmoor through to France and Barcelona, these diverse experiences provide new challenges.
Honesty, Respect and Happiness
Leadership Pupils are taught to recognise their responsibilities to each other, and to the wider community and environment. We are proud of our status as a Green Flag Eco School; sustainable development is central to Stroud’s ethos and the children take an active role in delivering on this through School Council. Our Civic Award (a junior version of the Duke of Edinburgh award) is based on three elements: community, service and adventure. At each level, pupils work together on a variety of initiatives, culminating in a pupil-led camp. Leaders exist at all levels of the school. From captains of sport, who are responsible both for individual teams and promoting their sport, to Heads of Section, who take charge of our ‘House’ system, lead assemblies, manage charitable fundraising, and assist staff.
Honesty, Respect and Happiness
“ My favourite part of Stroud is being at the top
of the school… having responsibility and being treated like an adult. Throughout my time I’ve developed new found confidence and I’m happy in my own skin.” Year 8 pupil
Admissions We are a non-academically selective, co-educational independent day school, with the highest academic standards. Students attend our school from all over Hampshire and Wiltshire, with many arriving via our minibus service. Bursaries and scholarships are available for eligible pupils, primarily in the Senior School, and are awarded each year in March. Individual learning needs are supported by the Learning Support Department, where staff liaise closely with class teachers and parents to ensure that all children are given the opportunity to succeed. Our impressive pupil-teacher ratio ensures that all children are given the support and the extension that they need to reach their full potential. To find out more about what makes Stroud special, and to see what we can offer your child, please visit our website www.stroud-kes.org.uk, call our Registrar on 01794 513231, or email registrar@stroud-kes.org.uk
Honesty, Respect and Happiness
“ My only regret is that we did not send him
to Stroud sooner; he will carry the memories, friendships and spirit with him for life and for that I cannot thank you enough.� Stroud parent
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Stroud School Stroud School King Edward VI Preparatory School
King Edward VI Preparatory School
Stroud School Highwood House Romsey SO51 9ZH Tel: +44 (0)1794 513231 Email: enquiries@stroud-kes.org.uk www.stroud-kes.org.uk