SHEBBEAR COLLEGE PREP SCHOOL
Welcome to Shebbear College
Prep School
Shebbear College is an independent day and boarding school for boys and girls, located in rural North Devon. Our 85 acre rural campus is the perfect environment to learn and achieve academic success. With superb facilities, all of our pupils have the opportunity to enjoy an abundance of sports and outdoor activities, as well as creative arts, music and drama. We aim to educate each pupil to achieve their potential through a balanced, flexible and challenging curriculum. Our smaller size means that our staff know all of our pupils individually, meaning that each child can discover their own strengths and find the confidence to shine. As a result, our pupils consistently out-perform national trends and develop a sense of self worth, enthusiasm for learning and optimism for the future.
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The perfect environment to learn and achieve academic success. We aim to educate each pupil to achieve their potential, through a balanced, flexible and challenging curriculum.
Welcome from the
Head of Prep School We are a happy and ambitious school and from the moment you and your child walk into the Prep School, I hope you will appreciate what a friendly and welcoming place it is. Shebbear College prides itself on its outstanding pastoral care and in the Prep School, we play a crucial part in developing this at the very start of a child’s time at school. Children who join us in any year-group feel settled and valued from the moment they start. We celebrate all of the children’s success, as well as the individuality of our pupils and look to encourage them to pursue their strengths, to work hard to improve areas of weakness and to take on many new and exciting challenges, both in and out of the classroom. We try to nurture in every child a real sense of pride in themselves, in each other and in their school. We expect our children to be polite, well-mannered and committed and we believe that if our children are proud of their school and their place within it, they will get the best out of every opportunity they are presented with, supporting each other in everything they do.
We provide a rich and diverse curriculum for all our pupils, which is enriched further by a range of educational visits, giving our pupils first-hand experiences and making their learning more relevant and real. We also make use of the extensive grounds and wonderful facilities here at Shebbear, and use our class teachers and subject specialists from within both the Prep and Senior Schools to deliver our curriculum. As a result, our pupils benefit directly from their expertise and their passion for the subjects they teach. Matthew Foale Head of Prep School
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We want all our pupils to feel secure and happy here and believe that this is essential in helping them to develop into confident and enthusiastic learners.
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Pre-Prep Reception Class
Our friendly, happy Reception Class is home to our youngest children. We welcome girls and boys from the age of 4 and follow the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum through child-led learning. Our aim in the Reception Class is to ensure that all of our pupils have a happy start to school life. Young children need time to play, to learn how to interact with each other and to have fun just being children! Our small class size - up to twelve pupils - enables each child to benefit from individual care and attention, meaning that they are able to learn in a way that suits them. Our large rural campus offers an ideal space for the children to explore and get involved with the whole school community. Some of their lessons are taught by specialist teachers from the Senior School and they also enjoy weekly outdoor activities in our woodland areas and regular trips to local attractions as well as visits from interesting guests.
Pre-Prep Years 1 and 2
Small class sizes, a full-time teacher and full-time teaching assistant ensures that a tremendous amount of time and attention is paid to every child in the class, ensuring that they have a happy and positive learning experience and receive the best possible start to their education. We make the most of our beautiful surroundings by taking suitable lessons outside when we can, giving the children hands on experience of nature, science and the environment. The children follow a rich and varied curriculum, including English and Maths in the mornings and Science, History Geography, Art & Design Technology in the afternoons. In addition, the children have ICT, Music, RE, PHSE, Games, PE and Gymnastics lessons, some of which are taught by specialist subject teachers from the Senior School. All the children in Years 1 and 2 enjoy weekly French lessons.
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Our class has a friendly and happy atmosphere which helps all the children feel secure and aids their learning.
Prep School Years 3 to 5
In Year 3, emphasis is placed on acquiring language and developing imagination. We encourage children to exchange their ideas and to clarify their thoughts in discussion so that they will gain the confidence to express their ideas and opinions with clarity, both verbally and in writing. Children in Year 3 often work collaboratively and participate in simple role-play. Pupils are also given some autonomy and they are expected to use their initiative. In Year 4 we continue to build upon the concepts and strategies learnt in previous years and also start to place greater emphasis on whole class, group and independent learning. In Year 5, pupils are taught by their class teacher for several subjects, including English, Maths and Humanities with more lessons being taught by specialist teachers from the Senior School including Science, French, Art and Music.
Prep School Year 6
This is clearly a very important year, as our Year 6 children prepare for the transition to Senior School and the many new challenges that this presents. In this, their final year in the Prep School, we place a great deal of emphasis on preparing pupils, both academically and socially, for the next stage of their education. By Year 6 it is our expectation that our pupils have developed into quite independent learners; that they have been equipped with the skills and understanding to be able to make many decisions for themselves and be confident in doing so. We also expect them to take on a wide range of new roles and responsibilities within the Prep School, to develop their leadership skills and support and guide our younger pupils. In English, we want Year 6 pupils to develop into more discerning readers: recognising the different techniques and styles authors adopt to catch and maintain the reader’s attention, and the way different forms of writing are structured and organised. Our Year 6 Maths curriculum continues to build on previous learning, but with an added emphasis on encouraging pupils to select their own methods for tackling a range of mathematical problems involving number, money, measures, shape and space. Specialist subject teachers based in the Senior School deliver many aspects of the Year 6 curriculum, including French, Music, Drama and Art and ensure that our pupils obtain the necessary skills and understanding to prepare them for the transition to secondary education.
Prep School CoCurricular
Pupils in our Prep School enjoy a host of cocurricular and educational enrichment activities and trips. From the annual PGL adventure and team building trip, visits to local museums, theatres, parks, gardens, beaches, theme parks and stately homes to our annual drama production, seasonal celebrations, charity events, sports fixtures and craft activities, there is never a dull moment for our pupils.
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Activities are designed to broaden horizons and develop not only interests, but personal qualities such as leadership, confidence and tenacity.
The facilities at Shebbear
Pupils at Shebbear College enjoy facilities which enable them to successfully complete their research and prep work, such as our comprehensive Library, ICT suites, Science Laboratories and Careers Office. Our extensive grounds boast a wealth of sports pitches, tennis courts, cricket and badminton nets and a flood-lit all-weather pitch. Our Sports Hall is fully equipped for indoor sports and training and includes a gymnasium, weights room and dance studio. Our Memorial Hall and Assembly Hall both have stages with audio-visual and lighting equipment, enabling our pupils to present numerous productions and concerts each year. The creative and performing arts are well catered for at Shebbear College, where our pupils have access to art and sculpture studios, textiles and pottery workshops. Our dedicated Music Centre is superbly equipped with the latest facilities including a specialist keyboard suite, teaching classrooms, numerous practice rooms, performance areas, a soundproofed recording studio and a suite of computers with editing software. We also have an excellent selection of instruments including Steinway pianos and keyboards. For later on in their school life here at Shebbear College ,we have an impressive Sixth Form Centre equipped with the latest study aids to enable our pupils to achieve their goals.
Sport
in the Prep School We are fortunate on our staff to have a number of qualified and enthusiastic sports coaches, so that we are able to run a comprehensive range of sports teams, as well as promoting other sports, as part of our activities programme. We are always looking to develop further the range of sports we offer. At present, Prep School pupils compete against other schools in a wide range of sports and we have teams for both the Under 9 and Under 11 age ranges.
The creative arts in the Prep School
Shebbear College has a fine tradition of producing excellent dramatic and musical performers and we have an impressive record of LAMDA, Royal Schools of Music and Trinity College of Music examination results. Parents can enjoy regular concerts and productions involving pupils of all ages. All pupils are strongly encouraged to expand and develop their artistic and creative abilities. Our pupils get creative with painting, drawing, pottery, ceramics, textiles and fashion, photography, sculpture, design and technology from a young age.
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It is our intention to provide every pupil with the opportunity to discover the pleasure of being creative in order to enrich the quality of their lives.
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Boarding Life
The excellent experience of boarding and the high level of care strongly promote their personal development and they show strong levels of confidence, selfreliance and integrity.
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Independent Schools Inspectorate
at Shebbear
We offer Boarding to pupils aged 8 and above. Our boarding houses offer a real ‘home from home’ for all our boarding pupils, where they can relax, play and achieve. The houses have a warm, friendly atmosphere where pupils can feel happy, safe and secure. Each room has internet access, making leisure time, study and communication easier and more enjoyable. The social areas are homely and comfortable and have all the necessary facilities to allow pupils to relax with friends, watch television and films, listen to music and play games. The houses have kitchen areas where pupils can prepare drinks and snacks.
Shebbear College Shebbear Devon EX21 5HJ
Enquiries Tel: +44 (0)1409 282009 admissions@shebbearcollege.co.uk www.shebbearcollege.co.uk