Curriculum

At Sherborne Prep School we tailor our mathematics curriculum to encourage all children to have a love of mathematics. We develop natural curiosity and enquiring investigative minds. We aim to build confidence and self-esteem so that pupils can be risk-takers and develop a resilient attitude towards mathematics. Through our ‘can-do’ approach, children are encouraged to become independent thinkers who are confident and excited to take on engaging and thought-provoking challenges within their maths lessons.

The pupils in Pre-Prep follow the Rising Stars Scheme and Years 3 - 6 use the White Rose scheme as a basis for the curriculum, which provides the children with the skills to become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, giving daily opportunities to problem-solve and reason mathematically in a range of real-life contexts. Teachers plan a systematic build-up of fluency, problem-solving and reasoning tasks within lessons to encourage focused and meaningful discussions to further enrich understanding. Lessons involve opportunities for both independent working time and time to collaborate with peers. Lessons have the Core PSB Skills embedded throughout including the development of mathematical language to communicate and opportunities for pupils to consistently review and improve work to enhance understanding. The schemes are supplemented with many other resources including online resources including Times Tables Rock Stars, Dr Frost Maths and Atom learning. Years 7 and 8 follow their own engaging and inspiring mathematics curriculum with a strong focus on algebra, geometry, numbers, data handling and probability.

We aim to provide pupils with a mathematics curriculum and high-quality teaching to produce individuals who are numerate, creative, independent, inquisitive, enquiring and confident. Mathematics is integral to all aspects of life so we endeavour to ensure that children develop a positive and enthusiastic attitude towards mathematics that will stay with them throughout their education and lives.

The English curriculum is creative, rigorous and relevant to the world we live in today. Alongside learning the important building blocks of spelling, punctuation and grammar, pupils explore a variety of contemporary and classic texts, both fiction and non-fiction, to ignite a real passion and love of literature for life. Discussion, debate and the exploration of characterisation and themes enable pupils to engage meaningfully with the texts we study, alongside honing their analytical skills. Creativity is at the heart of the department and pupils are encouraged to think and write imaginatively. 

They take part in Creative Writing evenings to showcase their talent, Year 8 attends a Creative Writing residential and activities such as World Book Day, Book at Breakfasts, author visits and Shakespeare workshops further enhance the pupils' learning experience. We aim to develop highly articulate, self-motivated learners who strive to reach their true potential and can confidently express themselves through both the spoken and written word. We have a well-stocked library, and children are encouraged to develop a joy and love of reading.

We equip our pupils with an understanding to make the best use of the abundant technology at their disposal. We model best practices in the use of Bring your own Device (BYOD) and online learning - equipping pupils with important skills for life. We focus on online safety, ensuring they make sensible decisions about their use of technology.

We focus on online safety, ensuring they make sensible decisions about their use of technology. As part of our Year 7 and 8 provision, each child is provided with a 2-in-1 laptop/tablet which enables access to the full curriculum in preparation for their transition to Year 9.

As with every aspect of our curriculum, ICT is about helping pupils engage fully with the world around them, developing their problem-solving skills and resilience. We offer teaching in programming, software and hardware design, and critical thinking, using real-world projects and examples to bring the subjects to life.

Our hands-on approach to Science gives pupils the chance to test hypotheses and reflect on their findings. This generates an intuitive grasp of the connections between Biology, Chemistry and Physics, as well as confidence to explore further.

With the use of our laboratory as well as exploring our eco sites on school grounds, pupils explore real issues such as climate change, pollution, and the use of technology. So, when the time comes for them to move on, they are sophisticated thinkers with a deep appreciation of the beauty and complexity of the world around them.

Forest School offers a child centred approach to learning, where our children can learn through self-directed play and exploration. They are given the opportunity to develop their curiosity, confidence, independence, resilience, self-esteem, creativity, communication and social skills as well as their knowledge of the natural environment. Developing these crucial skills is very much in line with our School’s aim to bring out the best in every pupil, making the most of their abilities so that they progress to senior school as confident, independent children. 

French is taught throughout the School, with Latin and Classical Civilisations taken from Year 6 onwards. As a result, our pupils discern the power of intercultural communication, grounded in both the past and the present day.

By the time they leave for senior school, our hope is that pupils are confident in speaking, listening to, reading and writing French. Studying Latin and Classics enhances their language skills, as well as providing a deeper understanding of the role of the past in shaping our future.

History is very much a living discipline at Sherborne Prep – and a lively one, too. We bring the subject to life with props, reconstructions and enacted accounts of key events, as well as regular trips to places of historic interest, helping pupils develop a fascination with the past.

As they mature, we help pupils develop their skills as independent and critical thinkers. They’re not taught to accept historical information at face value, but to evaluate it through lively discussion and wider research – skills that prepare them well for the next phase of their education.

Few other disciplines offer so many opportunities for hands-on research. Our Geography classes frequently involve gathering data in Sherborne or the surrounding area, or investigating phenomena like coastal and footpath erosion further afield.

Underpinning all these activities is a commitment to critical thinking, which comes ever more to the fore as pupils progress through School. Our ambition is not only to increase their subject-specific knowledge, but also to equip them with skills and dispositions that help them to thrive for the rest of their lives. The fascination with the world engendered by Geography is a good place to start.

At SPS, Design & Technology (DT) is a wonderfully inspiring and engaging subject, and all students from Reception upwards have a lesson each week when they immerse themselves in a creative project.
 
In our DT classroom, children in Pre-Prep are guided through design processes, solving problems independently as well as collaboratively, and are encouraged to use their imagination. Through critical thinking and discussion, the children have enormous fun designing, making and exploring their creativity.
 
In the Junior school, students start to use our well-equipped workshop and are introduced to hand-tools, working with a variety of materials including wood and textiles. The design process becomes more detailed, and children start to evaluate their products more carefully. Projects have cross-curricular links wherever possible, and the children gain great depth to their learning, as well as tremendous resilience as they start to navigate the entire design process.
 
In the Senior part of the Prep, students tackle unique projects, solving real and relevant problems and creating products that have functionality and purpose. Further collaboration and the use of diagrams and prototypes builds the confidence in students to communicate their ideas: they are encouraged to become innovators and to take risks, building on the practical foundations as they have moved up the school, and enabling them to work with increasing independence. 

Practical skills are honed, and students use tools more extensively, including a variety of saws and drills, with a deeper consideration of accuracy and safety. The projects are designed to challenge, with final products becoming a brilliant testament to the progress each student has made on their Prep journey.
 
By the end of Year 8, our aim is for students to be resourceful and enterprising, to be aware of the importance of design and technology in the modern world around us and to have a skillset that can enable them to make their own contributions to that world. 

Our high-quality delivery of our Physical Education programme is designed to instill a genuine passion in children, fostering a lifelong commitment to physical activity and fitness. Through a diverse curriculum, pupils participate in an array of activities, including swimming, gymnastics, health-related fitness, racket sports, invasion games and athletics. 

From individual activities to collaborative group tasks, our pupils develop skills beyond the physical, leadership, self-confidence, self-esteem, and stress reduction. These are just a few of the wider benefits of our excellent programme. 

Personal Development focuses on the individual child's emotional and social growth. Through our programme, we encourage every pupil to find his or her place in the School and wider community.

We seek to instil a commitment to being outward-facing and community minded, at the same time as developing pupils’ personal resilience and self-understanding.

Every year group has weekly Personal Development lessons, following a dedicated curriculum delivered by specialist staff. The content is varied, and tailored to individual cohorts, as we recognise that each group of children will have its own identity, challenges and needs.

This comprehensive approach helps pupils develop habits that set them up for life. We focus on our “Dragon Values” throughout the sessions, ensuring children are empowered to contribute to discussions and find their distinctive voice.

Through engagement with our Personal Development programme, pupils become rounded individuals with a strong appreciation of their place in the wider School community and beyond. They are ready to lead and able to follow, equipped and inspired to make a contribution to the world around them, and to their senior school.