Key Stage 2 Curriculum

One of the many advantages of being an all-through School from 4 to 18 years of age is that we are able to prepare the children for their secondary education, for university, and beyond. We can help pupils develop their skills and their understanding to ensure they stand the best chance of success for many years to come. Our curriculum is designed to provide them with these opportunities. Forest Preparatory School is different from many Prep Schools; we are not working to prepare pupils for an end-point at 11 or 13 years of age; the focus of our teaching looks much further to the future.

Our pupils learn Reasoning, Thinking and Study Skills, learn a musical instrument for two years to experience the learning curve first-hand and realise that learning is not always easy, but will bring rewards and benefits if one perseveres. Mandarin is our core language from Years 1 to 6; the best time to learn a language is from a young age and we ensure children make the most of this opportunity by teaching a language which is challenging, and which may be of considerable benefit later on in life. Spanish and German are also taught in Years 5 and 6 respectively.

Pupils also have Games, Physical Education, Dance, Drama, Swimming, Music, Design Technology, Art, PSHEE and ICT lessons. Pupils participate in an activities programme, which introduces useful life skills, for example, ‘Young First Aider’, money awareness and personal finance, debating skills, and they are provided with timetabled lessons specifically to reflect on their learning.

Operating a two-week timetable allows us the flexibility to offer so many different opportunities in addition to the important subjects of English, Mathematics, Science, Geography, History and Religious Studies. We set pupils for Maths in Years 5 and 6, by having a co-educational uppermost group and two parallel single-sex groups. This has proven very beneficial to pupils’ progress in this particular subject area.  In addition, our challenge programmes (Academic, Music and Sport) ensure that those pupils in Year 6 who excel in one or more of the above areas follow a bespoke path to broaden their horizons.

Academically, in all subjects, the pupils make excellent progress and whilst our aim and focus is for boys and girls to leave us as enthusiastic and inquisitive individuals, we are delighted with the Prep School pupils’ success at scholarship level, as the girls and boys regularly win awards to the Senior School at Forest.