Curriculum

The long term academic objective of the curriculum in the Upper School is to ensure that all pupils are exceptionally well prepared for their 11+ examinations; both for Independent Schools and the Foundation Grammar Schools.

The curriculum in the Upper School, therefore, while it shares many of the aims of the Pre-Prep, is designed to take into account the inevitable process of adjustment from predominately form based teaching in Year 3 to the independent learning required by our Year 6. In the Upper School pupils will become familiar with our educational methods and accustom themselves to the ethos and the environment of the School. To succeed pupils have to demonstrate great self-reliance, autonomy and maturity.

Hallfield School offers a curriculum broadly based upon the National Curriculum while also giving pupils the opportunity to develop their aesthetic, physical and creative potential.

 Whilst keeping abreast of necessary change at this time of continuing national debate, we are striving to provide a learning environment which is stable, happy and secure.

 The educational philosophy of Hallfield School is to provide meaningful experiences in the following educational areas:-

 Linguistic

Concerned with developing pupils’ communication skills and increasing their command of language through listening, speaking, reading and writing.

 Mathematical

Concerned with helping pupils to make calculations, to understand and appreciate relationships and patterns and to develop their capacity to think logically and express themselves clearly.

 Scientific

Concerned with increasing pupils’ knowledge and understanding of nature, materials and forces, and with developing their skills of enquiry such as observing, forming hypotheses, conducting experiments and recording their findings.

 Technological

Concerned with helping pupils to make calculations, to understand and appreciate relationships and patterns and to develop their capacity to think logically and express themselves clearly.

 Human and Social

Concerned with people and their environment, and how human action, now and in the past, has influenced events and conditions; and with providing a broad general knowledge of public institutions, services and world political issues.

 Physical

Concerned with the development of pupils’ physical control and co-ordination, as well as tactical skills and imaginative responses, and to help them evaluate and improve their performance. This includes knowledge and understanding of the basic principles of fitness and health and participation in team activities.

 Aesthetic and Creative

Concerned with the processes of making, composing and inventing. There are aesthetic and creative aspects to all areas of school life as they call for personal, imaginative and often practical responses

 Personal Development

Concerned with allowing opportunities for pupils to gain insights into the origins and practices of their own culture and those of the wider community, and ensuring that pupils appreciate racial and cultural diversity, promoting tolerance and harmony.

 Curriculum Design

At Hallfield School, the curriculum in the Upper School provides a high quality academic education based on a broad, balanced and differentiated curriculum. This is delivered by dynamic and challenging teaching, which in turn encourages in pupils a sense of enquiry and a love of learning, enabling them to achieve their potential.

A differentiated curriculum recognises that each individual has unique educational needs and relative areas of strength and weakness. To ensure that pupils are allowed the opportunity to succeed, the school utilises setting and streaming to provide all pupils the best possible education. This approach is designed to promote, at the most appropriate pace, natural ability, rather than achievement resulting from previous coaching.

Pupils are streamed on arrival in accordance with their entrance assessment, information from previous school reports and Key Stage One assessment. Pupils are now assessed in Mathematics, Spelling and Reading against nationalised base line tests in Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6 and have their Verbal and Non Verbal cognitive ability assessed in Year 3 and 5 against national standards.

Pupils are currently streamed into two bands at the start of each year into their forms according to, predominately, their ability in English. This streaming produces two parallel forms in one band, together with, one accelerated form in the other.

In September 2009 that Year 4 would be taught in mixed ability forms with setting applied to both Maths and English.

Currently, especially in Mathematics, setting is fluid and the same topics and content are taught at the appropriate pace to each class. There is considerable overlap of ability between sets and set changes occur whenever it is clear that this is beneficial.

 The Upper School curriculum is organised into discrete subject areas, mainly taught by subject specialists in their own department areas. In Year 3 the Year 3 Form Teachers teach Maths (in sets) and English, History, Geography and PSHCE to their forms in the Year 3 form rooms. Specialist subjects like Design Technology, Science, Art, Music, ICT, French and Religious Education are taught by specialist teachers in their department areas.

In Years 4 – 6 all subjects are taught by specialist subject teachers in their department areas. A taught course in Verbal and Non-Verbal reasoning – Study Skills – is added to the curriculum in Years 5 and 6.