Preparatory School Prospectus

PREPARATORY SCHOOL

First steps of the learning journey

From ages 2½ to 11

The adventure

begins

Welcome to our Preparatory School, comprising our Pre-Prep Department, Westbourne, and our Prep Department. This is where girls flourish intellectually, personally and socially – where we encourage independence and celebrate individuality.

Your daughter will grow in many ways between the ages of 2½ and 11. We’re here to help her thrive and develop, giving her support when she needs it, and providing a wealth of opportunities along the way. With every new experience at EHS, she will learn more about herself and the world around her, gaining the confidence to try more, discover more, and use her own initiative.

Most of all, education here is exciting and challenging. From the very earliest days, our girls embrace their learning with enthusiasm. Curriculum subjects are, of course, essential, but we believe that studying them means doing things we enjoy. This is a major reason why children find it so easy to settle in and become part of our family. Our Prep School is a happy, lively community, where we bring out the best in your daughter, both academically and personally.

Girls can join us in Westbourne, our Pre-Prep Department, which includes our Nursery, Kindergarten and Reception classes. They then progress to the Prep Department to complete Years 1 to 6.

Throughout these years, we support our parents as well as our pupils. If you need more flexibility in the school day, our ‘wraparound care’ means your child can spend extra time here, before or after school. In addition, our Holiday Club lets you continue your usual routine during those weeks between terms, knowing your daughter is well cared for and active.

Firm

foundations

From 2½ to 5, your daughter will receive all the care and encouragement she needs to flourish. As soon as she joins us in Westbourne, you’ll feel included in her education – we’ll keep you up to date with her progress through regular informal contact, and through our Information and Parents’ Evenings.

In Nursery, our experienced staff give individual attention to each child, discovering their interests and helping to develop them. We focus initially on the ‘prime areas of learning’ in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum: communication and language; physical development; and personal, social and emotional development. Naturally, these are vital to your daughter’s future success and happiness, and they play a big part in her first school days.

Moving into Kindergarten, in the academic year your daughter turns 4, she will learn more about numbers and letters through classroom activities. She will also develop her physical skills further, and continue to gain confidence and understand teamwork, through indoor and outdoor play. We encourage girls at this age to think about their own health and welfare, and to begin good habits for life.

Your daughter joins Reception in September, at the start of the academic year in which she turns 5. She’s now at school full-time, with teaching that includes all EYFS curriculum areas. We also introduce RE, swimming and French lessons in Reception – and ballet, which started in Nursery, continues.

Other Westbourne experiences include nature study, building dens, and letter and number games in our outdoor classroom and varied campus. By the end of her time in Westbourne, she’s more than ready for the transition to Year 1 in our Prep Department.

Independence and

As your daughter develops from 5 to 11, she embraces increasingly diverse experiences. Working through a broad and balanced academic curriculum, she not only gains knowledge but also consolidates essential personal qualities, such as resilience, self-reliance and the ability to solve problems. Her years in our Prep Department stay with her for life.

Another important element in your daughter’s education is our House system. Joining one of our four Houses, her circle of friends expands beyond her year group – and as she takes part in activities with older girls, her confidence and self-belief grow further, along with teamwork skills, such as trust and tolerance.

individuality

She also learns about the world around her, and her place in it. Each year we adopt various charities to support, and we also respond to disaster situations. Our pupils are always keen to be involved, learning the values of kindness, respect and consideration for others. This reinforces our system of pastoral care, for which we are renowned, and which puts girls’ emotional wellbeing first: a happy child will always do well, academically and socially.

Whatever abilities your daughter has, the teaching and guidance she receives – within and beyond the national curriculum – help her explore her interests and expand her horizons fully. With small class sizes and specialist teachers in science, music, PE and languages, every child has many opportunities to excel. To enhance her learning, our facilities in Prep include a science laboratory, two ICT suites, an art studio and a library.

Pupils also enjoy the use of the wider school’s facilities, including a swimming pool, gym, playing fields, and the Octagon, a large, purposebuilt performance space. Sharing these assets with our Senior School enables your child to interact with girls from other years. She can also join taster lessons in our Senior School, learning more about the next stage of her education. True to its name, our Prep Department offers everything to prepare your child for her future.

Creativity and confidence

The more skills and activities your daughter can try, the richer and more rewarding her life is likely to be. This is why we offer a wealth of opportunities in many areas, including music, drama and sport, as well as instilling an interest in the natural world. While some of these are part of the curriculum, our co-curricular (optional) programme provides further opportunities to discover new passions, develop new skills, and have fun.

Our music department has three choirs, an orchestra, and numerous smaller ensemble groups playing wind and string instruments, recorder and guitar. Your daughter can play in school concerts and festivals, and perform in assemblies. In her final Prep year, she can take part in an annual production. Our philosophy is always to ‘have a go’.

confidence

Sports facilities and specialist teaching help your child develop her abilities in gymnastics, dance, swimming, athletics, and games such as netball, hockey, tennis, cricket and rounders. Many girls represent the School in competitive fixtures, and all girls from Years 1 to 6 take part in inter-house competitions. We also run a variety of co-curricular sports clubs. Those with sporting ambitions have the scope to pursue them, but we place equal emphasis on offering healthy activities for everyone.

For children who want to learn more about the outdoors, we have a gardening club and allotment. Other outdoor activities also feature strongly in the day visits and residential trips we organise from Year 4 – for example, in Year 5, a week’s stay at Cranedale Field Studies Centre in North Yorkshire, where exploring the forest and coastline enhances geography and science studies.

We give your daughter every chance to discover which activities she will have a passion for, and to gain plenty of experience in developing a wealth of different skills.

Ready

for the next big step

On completing Preparatory School, your child can look forward to a new chapter in her school life, moving to Senior School. New friends, new challenges, new opportunities. This, of course, will be in familiar surroundings if your daughter remains at EHS with its many opportunities.

To prepare your daughter for life in Year 7 and beyond, we organise a variety of events that help familiarise her with a senior environment. For example, in Year 5, we invite all girls to spend a morning in our Senior School, trying ‘taster’ lessons, such as science workshops. We also arrange regular catch-ups, where your daughter and her friends can gain answers to any questions about moving up. In Year 6, girls are invited to a special Induction Day at their chosen senior schools, giving them the chance to spend time with their new classmates and teachers.

We are very experienced in preparing and supporting girls in gaining places at other senior schools. However, we know that once they’ve become part of the EHS family, staying with us for their senior school years puts them in a favourable position when entering higher education.

Edgbaston High School is easy to reach by public transport. Alternatively, areas including Barnt Green, Bromsgrove, Catshill, Four Oaks, Hagley, Halesowen, Solihull, Stourbridge, Streetly and Sutton Coldfield are covered by the School’s own minibus services or by private coaches.

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