AC A D E M I C I N F O R M AT I O N
THE LOWER SCHO OL CURRICULUM (AGE S 10 –13)
Free from the constraints of teaching for Common Entrance or National Curriculum assessment, we offer an exceptional and distinctive curriculum in the Lower School, following the acclaimed International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IB MYP). Exploring deeper, conceptual and debatable questions gives students a thorough disciplinary and interdisciplinary understanding: they still learn the subjects one would expect, but see the links between them to enable them to forge new ideas and use what they learn in less familiar situations.
Benefitting greatly from the resources and teaching expertise of the wider School, pupils are taught in small teaching groups, allowing scope for plenty of one-to-one attention and pupilteacher interaction. Our innovative approach encourages links between different subjects, showing our pupils how to see beyond the narrow requirements of a particular exam and transfer their learning skills to new situations.
The majority of pupils join Oakham in Form 1 (Year 7) but some choose to join in Lower 1 (Year 6). Lower 1 is the equivalent of the final year of primary school and particularly suits children who are ready to access the School’s more specialist facilities and teaching a year early. Lower 1 pupils follow a timetable that is grounded in primary teaching and each class has a primary specialist class teacher and a classroom base, on the separate Jerwoods campus where pupils are taught the majority of their lessons. Lower 1 pupils also enjoy learning beyond the classroom by participating in a range of trips and activities that include welcoming Vikings to Oakham School, visiting a coal mine, and going on a residential trip in the Peak District.
Overarching this is the IB Learner Profile, which helps students to develop as people, and to become responsible and reflective global citizens with an international outlook. The IB MYP is a curriculum organised by big ideas, with conceptual learning allowing students to make connections across the curriculum for deeper understanding. Pupils begin their IB MYP journey with a two-day introduction to conceptual ways of thinking and learning and how to relate them to their own experiences. They visit the National Space Centre in Leicester, where they explore deep, conceptual and debatable questions about life, the universe, and our place within it. They follow this on the second day by looking at global issues faced by many communities around the world, including their own, and considering how individually and collectively they can make a difference to solve these issues.
Subject specialists teach Form 1 in a dedicated suite of classrooms on the Jerwoods campus, with pupils benefiting from the wider facilities of the School for the Creative and Performing Arts subjects, PE, and Science. In preparation for the transition to Middle School, Form 2 pupils have their lessons in the wider School campus. Pupils study English, French, Geography, History, Computer Science, Mathematics, Religious Education, Science, Latin (most pupils) and Creative and Performing Arts. In Form 2 they add Spanish and German, selecting one during the year for further study. Afternoons are divided between sport and a wide choice of activities within and beyond the timetable. Trips enhance what has been learned in class and the annual Form 1 Exploring Learning Camp is an important way to consolidate new skills.
Our innovative approach encourages links between different subjects, showing learners how to transfer their learning skills to new situations.”
Lower School pupils do not need to take an entry examination in order to progress to the Middle School, although we do expect pupils to reach a standard equivalent to a Common Entrance pass of 55% or better.
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