"The teachers know what they're talking about, they're serious about it, and they make it fun."
Year 3 (age 7) is a time for moving on to more challenging work. At the same time, the children are allowed to be just as young as they really are.
Seven to eight year-olds have their own class teacher. This gives them stability and continuity. They continue to develop essential confidence and skills in literacy and numeracy.
We now build on the foundations of Pre-Prep to develop history, geography and science, which are brought alive by imaginative trips and activities. Favourite ones are the Viking Camp in the school grounds and a two-day residential nature study trip in Year 4. Other visits include a Victorian farm, schoolroom and kitchen, and the seashore.
Specialist staff teach French, technology, ICT, art, sport and music. Everyone has a year of instruction on the violin and in singing. This is when many children start to learn their own musical instrument. There are opportunities to go riding and sailing.
From Year 4 onwards, children are taught increasingly by specialist subject teachers. They join sets where they will be able to move ahead at a pace that is comfortable for them.
Children delight in an ever-greater breadth of experience, including speech and drama. ICT suffuses the curriculum - we use PCs, laptops and interactive whiteboards throughout, and every child has an email account and controlled internet access. In the bright and engaging library they can discover the joys of reading and conducting their own researches.
The school day finishes at 4.15pm, but everyone can stay on for supervised activities until 5.45pm. There is no Saturday school, butthere are occasional play rehearsals in the mornings and matches in the afternoons.