10 minute read
Education Supplement
EDUCATION SUPPLEMENT Continued success for Preparatory School
St Joseph’s Preparatory School is a successful Catholic, co-educational independent school and nursery for children from ages 3 to 11.
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At St Joseph’s we place great emphasis on nurturing each child as an individual, which combined with small class sizes allows children the opportunity to discover and develop their own talents, whether they be academic, musical, sporting or artistic.
A broad and interesting curriculum is offered, which includes the introduction of French, Music, PE and Dance in the Nursery Class, Ballet in the Pre-Prep and Spanish and Latin in the Prep.
We pride ourselves in addressing each child’s individual needs, and our SEND department provides outstanding support to children requiring additional help.
We are a non-selective school and our high standards of teaching ensure that pupils are well prepared for entrance examinations to a variety of senior schools. We are extremely proud of our entrance exam success rates, and regularly achieve 100% success in getting our pupils into their schools of choice, including, Denstone College, Newcastle under Lyme School, Stafford Grammar, Newport Girls, Adams Grammar and St Joseph’s College.
At St. Joseph’s we offer a wide range of extra-curricular activities including music, cookery, art, fencing, archery, gardening, climbing wall club, chess club, dance workshop along with football, tennis, gymnastics, rugby, and netball club.
To assist our parents, we offer extended care at St Joseph’s and run a before and aftercare club which extends the school day from 7.30am to 6pm.
We also offer the 30 hours free Government funding which is available to all eligible children aged 3 to 5.
If you would like to arrange a tour of our school, please call 01782 417533 or email enquiries@stjosephsprepschool.co.uk.
Join us at our open day Wednesday 5th October
Call 01782 417533 or email enquiries@stjosephsprepschool.co.uk to book a personal tour
A Tradition of Excellence Since 1873
Nestled in the idyllic Staffordshire countryside between Stafford and Stone, the neo-Gothic, neo-Jacobean building overlooks a spectacular view of rolling hills and farmland. The 33-acre site provides an abundance of unique areas for the children to explore and enjoy including two football pitches, 3 tennis courts, an outdoor pool, sports hall, cricket pitch and outdoor cricket nets, all weather sports pitch, wildlife meadows, a forest school area and play areas for our younger pupils.
Yarlet is proud to be a non-selective school. Pupils of all abilities are encouraged to achieve to the best of their abilities, and this is something on which we work very hard. Our most able pupils are stretched and challenged and, where appropriate, are set extremely demanding targets such as aiming for academic awards at some of the most selective senior school in the UK.
Children attend Yarlet between the ages of 2 and 13, when they leave as confident, responsible young adults who have learned self-discipline, respect and consideration for others. We place great emphasis on an all-round education which allows children to discover and develop their individual talents be they academic, sporting, artistic or musical.
Preparing your child for school
With the new school year fast approaching, here’s five top tips about getting your child ready for primary school. Encourage independence:
Reception children will be expected to know the basics of looking after themselves. Encourage your child to dress on their own – tackling buttons, zips and taking off and putting on jackets. Plus they should know how to eat using a knife, fork and spoon independently and be able to go to the toilet without help.
Help them learn about making friends:
Having friends is hugely beneficial for children. Those who have already been to pre-school or a nursery will already be proficient in socialising, so do encourage your child to talk to other children at play sessions or at the park and invite young friends over for play dates. Develop speaking and listening skills:
School children are expected to listen to what the teacher says, without interrupting, and to also answer when spoken to. Get your child ready for ‘circletime’ – a time when the teacher and class sit together every day to discuss topics – by trying it out at home. Either make your own ‘circle-time’ with siblings – or use teddies and dolls – and encourage family discussions at the dinner table, taking turns to listen and to speak.
Teach them to recognise their name:
Some children will already be able to read and write simple words by the time they start Reception; others will be new learners. It’s important that your child can recognise their name so they can pick up the correct name-labelled uniform or jacket, and also find their own drawer in the classroom. With your child, explore what the letters in their name look like and help them try writing their name, too. Talk enthusiastically about
school: Children’s thoughts about school can vary enormously. Some can hardly wait to start while some find it stressful to leave their parents for the day. Start helping your child look forward to school by talking enthusiastically about it now. Visit the classroom, admire other pupils’ pictures and projects together and talk about what your child will be doing and who they will meet in positive terms.
Because you want the best for your child
Newcastle-under-Lyme School offers an excellent education for its pupils at all levels. We offer outstanding facilities, excellent teaching and a track record of county-leading results. We are recognised as one of the top independent schools in the region.
Our Little NULS Nursery provides an excellent environment for our youngest pupils to play, discover and learn, with children also benefiting from an array of facilities including an on-site Forest School.
Our Prep pupils learn to cook, play musical instruments, swim in our pool and much more. With its own computer lab, art room and library and access to Senior School pitches, cricket nets, DT labs, swimming pool, science labs, food tech kitchens, a NULS Prep School day is quite unlike any other.
In our Senior School, pupils work hard and develop as people, both in and outside the classroom. We are rated Excellent for Academic and Personal Development by the ISI - the highest rating. When moving towards Sixth Form, we shape an education to fit our pupils and encourage them to take part in sport, music, and drama as well as the wealth of other opportunities on offer.
We are proud to be launching our new £4 million sports complex, a state-of-the-art facility that will incorporate multiple courts for tennis, netball and more, significantly developing our sporting capacity to a region leading level.
We would love to meet any parents who are interested in places at our School. Register for our Autumn Open Events at nuls.org.uk/events.
Christ Church Academy
At Christ Church Academy, aspirations become reality. The curriculum and extracurricular offer are exceptionally rich. Each pupil is known and cherished. The Christian vision and values have a life-lasting and life-enhancing impact on personal and intellectual development.” These are just some of the things said about the school during our SIAMS inspection, in which we were judged as 'Excellent'. In 2022, Ofsted visited the school and confirmed that it continues to be 'Good' and that 'pupils at Christ Church thrive'.
At Christ Church, we are proud of our broad and balanced curriculum which we enrich through residential and daytrips, themed days and weeks, visiting guests, an aspirational reward scheme and by constantly listening to our children about what they like and don’t like. Our schemes of learning and programmes of study are regularly refreshed in light of new material and changing cohorts of children.
Children enjoy and benefit from a curriculum that is taught by specialists in subject rooms such as science labs, computing suites and Design and Technology rooms. Innovative and dedicated heads of department constantly evaluate the provision given to pupils. Children at the Academy typically leave at the end of Year 8 achieving above average standards, whilst making strong progress in English, Maths and Science.
As a Church of England middle school, each member of the school community is valued, respected and treated equally regardless of gender, race, belief and ability. Everyone in the school community is special and is supported by our shared Christian values of forgiveness, friendship, compassion, trust, thankfulness and koinonia. We seek to enable children to achieve their potential through perseverance, hard work, challenge and fun.
Visits to the Academy are warmly welcomed
'Pupils in Y5 and 6 benefit hugely from the specialist teaching and facilities at Christ Church' SIAMS 2020 “Pupils at Christ Church thrive
Local Prep School to offer a brighter, more sustainable education for its pupils
The Prep at Denstone College are well into their facility developments known as ‘Phase II: Developing Education’. Following a most successful launch in September, they have seen numbers and interest in the Prep grow beyond all imagination.
It truly is achieving its aim of being the prep school of choice for parents in the Midlands. This work will see major building work to the second floor to deliver extra large, open-plan classrooms including a dedicated art and creative space and an innovative science and technology discovery space. This work will benefit the entire age range and the pupils will be excited to see their new lighter, brighter educational spaces.
The exciting developments have both an ecofriendly and pupil wellbeing approach at the core of why we are investing in the facility. The new facilities will create bigger spaces with more natural light available for our pupils. The inclusion of the skylights, along with sustainable materials being used, means that they will be doing more to have less impact on our planet. Inspiring our pupils with our conscious actions to have less impact on the environment around them.
The Prep at Denstone College have also listened to parent feedback and have invested in the refurbishment of one of their boarding facilities, Hartley House. This will host children from 7 to 13 years old for both boys and girls, in their own separate spaces. There will be options available for full time, weekly as well as flexible boarding choices, affording every child the opportunity to benefit from time away from home.
The Prep and Denstone College have a ‘One School’ approach, and this is a huge part of that. The boarding house helps facilitate the integration of boarding for pupils in The Prep and the First and Second Form at the College, so when a Prep pupil does take that exciting step up to ‘big school’, it won’t feel so daunting.
Denstones next open morning is on 1st October, or alternatively if you would like to have a private tour of Denstone College, please find our more at www.denstonecollege.org.
