Clifton College Pre-Prep Prospectus 23-24

A sense of community Page

Admission information

The wonder of learning

Starting school is an exciting milestone for you and your child.

Our innovative and nurturing school environment ensures your child has the best possible start to school life.

We offer a varied curriculum of challenging and enjoyable activities led by a talented and supportive teaching team to develop each child’s love of, and abilities in, a range of subjects.

We also put great emphasis on the characteristics that are needed to be an effective learner.

We provide a wide variety of opportunities and experiences for our pupils which help to develop skills such as compassion, empathy and the ability to build lasting relationships.

It is very important we play our part in developing well-rounded, happy and confident pupils who will go out into the world ready to make a difference and eager to continue their educational journey.

Sam Morgan Head of the Pre-Preparatory

A sense of belonging

We provide a supportive and attentive environment for each child.

We take a great deal of care to ensure your child’s individual pastoral needs are met and offer a caring, secure environment that instils confidence and self-esteem.

A seamless transition between the Preschool and the College’s three schools provides children with security and stability.

Preschool is the very beginning of your child’s school journey. We make sure your child is prepared for life beyond.

Our pupils also benefit from being part of the Clifton College family and the wraparound care provision offered across all age groups.

We offer the option of early drop-offs and after-school activities. This provides added flexibility to busy working families and a chance for the children to enjoy time together in their own space.

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First-class education

and commitment.

We help pupils to develop their ability in literacy and numeracy and skills in observation, informationseeking and problem-solving.

Children learn to apply knowledge and skills to unfamiliar situations, cooperating and working productively with others as well as independently.

We don’t have a ‘standard’ way to teach a skill, as each child’s needs are different. Instead, staff work closely together to ensure that all aspects of a pupil’s school life are discussed and effective teaching programmes are developed.

We believe that a broad all-round education is key to learning. Alongside the core subjects such as Mathematics and English, a strong focus is given to Technology, Art, Music, Drama and Sport, as well as regular visits to our Forest School.

We provide the highest possible standard of education through the quality of our staff, their enthusiasm

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A love of reading

Clifton College has a deep commitment to encouraging a lifelong habit of reading for pleasure. This begins with the very youngest pupils in our care.

The Pre-Preparatory School has its own age-specific library, run by a School Librarian who specialises in finding the very best books and resources to encourage a passion for reading.

We organise age-appropriate author and illustrator visits and hold an annual Book Week, a celebration of reading, sharing stories and talking about the books we love.

Pre-Preparatory School

Learning through play

Our school is full of engaged children who are creatively immersed in their learning.

As well as developing our pupils’ enquiring, investigative minds through our approach to teaching, our children are encouraged to nurture their creative abilities through play.

We believe that children who benefit from a dynamic and exciting play environment will achieve more both in and outside the classroom.

We also encourage our pupils to explore topics through play during lessons. From becoming a knight with a bow and arrow in the Forest School to building a spaceship and becoming an astronaut for the afternoon, we help pupils develop their creativity.

Creative play helps children establish close bonds with their classmates, build social confidence and discover the world around them.

Sport

Pupils’ enjoyment in sport complements

our all-round education ethos.

As they move up through the Pre-Preparatory School, children participate in three sport lessons per week. Pupils take part in a range of physical activities, including gymnastics, dance and athletics, which help develop balance, agility and coordination.

The children also participate in team games, developing simple tactics for attacking and defending, preparing pupils for sport fixtures in Year 3.

In Year 3, pupils are given the opportunity to represent Clifton in fixtures. Outdoor Games lessons include hockey, netball, tag-rugby, cricket and tennis.

All Pre-Preparatory School pupils have a weekly swimming lesson in our on-site sports centre. The swimming sessions start with building water confidence and safety before progressing to swimming technique.

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Music

We place great importance on Music in the PrePreparatory School and its benefits to a child’s learning and their emotional and social development.

Our pupils enjoy a wide range of musical activities each week. Our own specialist PrePreparatory Music teacher, along with support from Upper School Music pupils and visiting Music teachers, help our children develop a range of skills, including singing, movement and listening skills.

Every child has regular sessions in our well-equipped Music room.

In Year 2, our children learn to play either the violin or cello during a weekly class lesson with our strings specialist. In Year 3, children learn to play the recorder and read notation.

Singing plays a big part of school life. Our children sing every day in assemblies, in their classrooms and in the playground as well as each Friday morning when we invite families to our Fun Friday Sing.

There are many opportunities for children to perform during the school year, such as the Spring Service in the Chapel, the Summer Concerts, Celebration Day and the annual Year 2 and 3 musical play in the Redgrave Theatre.

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Drama

Clifton College’s

strong tradition in drama begins in the Pre-Preparatory School.

Drama helps children to build self-confidence, improve communication skills and express their emotions in a supportive environment. It encourages our pupils to creatively explore meaningful, imaginative situations that parallel with the real world.

Each year, Year 2 and 3 have the exciting opportunity to take part in the school play held at the Redgrave Theatre.

The pupils love performing in their first production with full costumes, lighting and sound. In Year 2 pupils take part in the dance routines and in the chorus and in Year 3 they have lead roles within the play.

As pupils progress through the College, there are many opportunities to continue their involvement with drama both in and outside the classroom, from the annual productions in the Prep and Upper Schools to co-curricular LAMDA sessions and the Upper School House Play Festival. Pupils are encouraged to enjoy and explore performing to whatever level they choose.

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Inspirational environment

Not all classrooms have four walls.

We are lucky to have an award-winning Forest School. It comprises a large forest and meadow area where the children learn to appreciate the natural world, enjoy the fresh air and freedom, and are inspired by a wide range of new experiences.

Pupils enjoy a whole host of activities in the forest, including playing games together, learning to use tools, building animal habitats, learning archery skills and hunting for fossils. Each session ends with a drink and biscuit gathered around the campfire.

Children love going to Forest School and visit regularly in the Pre-Preparatory School. Their visits to the forest have many benefits, such as helping to build confidence, resourcefulness, teamwork and problem solving, and helping to lay the foundations for a life-long passion for the world around us.

Unique spaces

The PrePreparatory School captures the imagination of pupils with its exciting and stimulating learning environment.

Situated in three of the many Victorian houses that make up the Clifton College campus, the Pre-Preparatory School has bright and cheerful learning environments, fully resourced with up-to-date technology and equipment.

Our Pre-Preparatory playground provides a relaxed and creative environment, and the Bretton Memorial Hall provides a modern and flexible space for sport, dance and drama. We also have a cookery room and music room and our own ageappropriate library.

Children get a taste of life in the Prep School in Year 3 when they have their own common room with a computer suite, sitting area to relax and socialise, and games area.

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The wider College

We share many of the College’s facilities, such as the Redgrave Theatre, the sports complex at Beggar Bush and the swimming pool.

We also share the impressive College Chapel which provides a place to mark our milestones and celebrate our successes. Like the rest of the College, the Pre-Preparatory School is of an Anglican foundation, although we warmly welcome children of all faiths.

Other facilities on our doorstep include the College’s Joseph Cooper Music School, the Preparatory School Library and the beautiful Grade II Percival Library.

The school calendar includes a number of visits and trips each year. We consider these key to a child’s learning and development.

Educational visits offer a broad range of benefits, including personal and social development, higher engagement with topics, stronger relationships with peers and increased confidence.

These activities capture the imagination of our pupils, from visiting Gothic Revival house Tyntesfield, and dressing up in authentic Victorian costumes, to visiting Penarth Beach, where pupils can hunt for fossils and explore the coastline.

In Year 3, pupils experience their first residential school trip to Kilve Court. They spend two days staying in an education centre and taking part in a range of group activities.

Unforgettable experiences

Friends and equals

― Friendships provide children with more than just playmates.

At Clifton College, children work together to create a happy environment where everyone is valued.

We encourage our pupils to see things from other people’s perspectives, developing their ability to be considerate, compassionate and patient.

Children support each other and build a positive environment that promotes wellbeing, with Year 3 children holding special responsibilities both in and outside the classroom to support younger children.

We focus on developing key social skills that encourage confidence, communication, sharing and cooperation, and believe that friendships are vital to a child’s healthy development.

Happy, safe and healthy

― The health and safety of our children is of paramount importance.

We put a firm emphasis on health and self-care throughout the school and provide pupils with a strong understanding of the importance of physical exercise, healthy diet and personal care.

In Preschool, your child’s emotional, physical and developmental needs will be supported from day one by their own individual key person. This person will become a familiar figure to your child and will act as a daily point of contact for you.

We also have a Matron who is present during the school day and is responsible for the welfare of our children, and all staff members undertake regular First Aid training.

Lunch is provided for our younger pupils within the Preschool building, and our older pupils dine in Clifton College’s Bretton Memorial Hall.

We encourage eating in a ‘family sitting’ style. We prioritise giving our children the space to learn manners and communicate in a way that promotes sharing with, and caring for, those around the table.

A sense of community

― We pride ourselves on our strong engagement with our parents and the wider community.

We encourage parents, grandparents and other family members to come to our regular events such as class assemblies, sports fixtures and festivals, coffee mornings, music concerts, swimming galas and school plays, so that they get a real feel of school life at Clifton.

Alongside a daily message book, regular school announcements and an annual school magazine, parents also receive a PrePreparatory e-newsletter each week.

The school also enjoys strong links with the local community and has robust connections with a diverse range of Bristol businesses.

Admission information

To discover more and get a real feel for what’s on offer, we would be delighted to welcome you and your family to one of our Open Days, or for an individual visit on a mutually convenient date.

An individual visit will be tailored to you, based on your child’s interests, and will incorporate a campus tour with the opportunity to visit classrooms and see our facilities in action. Our Head and other relevant staff members will be available to meet with you during your visit, to answer any questions you may have regarding life at Clifton College.

To find out more, or to arrange a visit, please contact our Admissions Team who would be happy to guide you through the process.

Email: prepadmissions@ cliftoncollege.com

Telephone: (+44) 0117 3157 110

Online: www.cliftoncollege.com/ admissions

A guide to the process

At Clifton, we want to learn all we can about your child and their strengths. When offering a place, we want you to feel secure in the knowledge that we, at Clifton, will be able to educate and develop your child to the best of their ability.

The first step towards joining Clifton College is to contact our Admissions Team, with whom you will be able to discuss your child, arrange a visit and find out more about the process.

To register for a place at Clifton College, you will be asked to complete and return the Registration Form and pay a non-refundable fee of £150. We will require you to provide us with a copy of your child’s birth certificate, passport and a recent school or nursery report if applicable.

All applicants will meet with the Head of Pre-Preparatory on their visit to Clifton College.

A guide to fees

For details of fees, please visit our website at www.cliftoncollege.com/ admissions/fees

What’s included

The fees cover all the teaching that takes place in the ordinary course of education.

However, there are additional charges associated with cocurricular and other activities, specifically, the cost of providing Learning Support or English as an Additional Language, if this is applicable to your child.

Reduction for siblings

A reduction of the net school fee (but not extras) is currently provided to parents who have two children or more at Clifton College, excluding the Nursery. The reductions, which are applied to the younger children, are 5% for the second child, 20% for the third child and 50% for the fourth and subsequent children whilst they all simultaneously attend the school. This discount remains the subject of annual review.