Spring Grove School prospectus

Spring Grove School

A Great Place to Grow

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Spring Grove a small school with big horizons There is a strong family feel at Spring Grove – a sense that everyone involved in the school community is working together towards a common goal.

The children at Spring Grove clearly love learning and enjoy living, and we pride ourselves that academic rigour and wellbeing go hand-in-hand. We deliberately cultivate an appetite for adventure and a tolerance for error, creating can-do people who are able to act independently.

Our expert teachers and support staff deliver a broad and ambitious curriculum, instilling in our children mastery of subjects from phonics to the skills they need to play a musical instrument. Among staff we promote a culture of coaching, where our exceptional teachers learn from each other. We also champion strong parental engagement - because it matters to us.

As our pupils grow they develop into adaptive, responsive and caring people. We cherish the uniqueness of every child in the school and seek to nurture them as individuals so they develop and thrive in every way they can.

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5 Our youngest children start their Nursery journey from 2 years old Children are welcomed into the Teddies class where our experienced staff know all there is to know about settling children in and helping them to take their first steps on their education journey. Through a mix of carefully targeted activities and support, children in the Nursery develop confidence in themselves and in their ability to learn and achieve.

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indoors / outdoors

Every day is an outdoor day at Spring Grove Nursery. The design of the Nursery classrooms and outdoor spaces allows free-flow for the children to go in and out to the class gardens, which have canopies for wet days. There is also a spacious, walled Nursery garden for the children to run free, equipped with bikes and scooters, a mud kitchen, a musical instrument corner, a fairy garden, and climbing and balancing equipment.

Teddies children move into the Giraffes class for their pre-school year (3-4 year olds). The children meet a wider range of staff with specialist French, Music, PE and Forest School sessions, as well as attending the Family Assembly on Fridays. By the time your child leaves Giraffes he or she is well equipped for the transition into Reception class and their first year at school.

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7 Curiosity is at the heart of all learning at Spring Grove

All of our children are encouraged to be inquisitive, open-minded and forward-thinking. A large part of this process is being allowed to take appropriate risks and make mistakes in a supportive learning environment.

Spring Grove children have the confidence to challenge themselves, and are given the structure and strategies to improve their skills. They know it’s important to keep practising the hard bits to make something the best it can be!

Small class sizes allow our teachers and teaching assistants to know each child as an individual. At each stage of the learning journey, teachers assess where the child is starting from in order to identify weaknesses and strengths.

Carefully sequenced teaching with timely interventions and feedback allows every child to embed core knowledge and to become a problemsolver. Praise is for effort and focus, for strategies and perseverance, and for improvement. Children are encouraged to listen empathetically, to ask good questions and to receive feedback well.

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The wide range of activities outside the classroom allows children at Spring Grove to develop their confidence and curiosity further. Class trips both local and further afield open up new possibilities and challenges.

At Château de la Baudonnière in Normandy, visited every year by our Prep 5 children, everyone is encouraged to listen and speak in French as they take part in a wide variety of activities from bread-making to kayaking!

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Spring Grove children are ‘can-do’ people

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Every day at Spring Grove, our children are given opportunities to develop and try out new things whether at Forest School, on the sports field, in assemblies, or on the stage. They learn that everyone can get better through practice and determination, and that this is a really important life skill.

As a Spring Grove parent, you are invited every Friday to attend the Family Assembly. Led by the children, these occasions are great opportunities for public-speaking and performance. Sport also helps the children build their confidence and skills. We encourage girls and boys to try a wide range of sports including rugby, football, hockey, netball and cricket, athletics, cross-country and tennis, as well as swimming in our heated pool. There is an extensive fixture calendar for the older children, with matches against schools across Kent.

From crafting Celtic slingshots to creating rainbows out of Autumn leaves, Spring Grove’s Forest School is a truly magical place. Established in 2016, it was the first in a UK independent school to be approved by the Forest School Association as a recognised Forest School Provider. Since then, SG Forest School has won many accolades including the Woodland Trust’s Gold Award. Children visit regularly for a half-day session of outdoor learning and activities. It is a place where children develop their confidence and self-esteem, let their imaginations run riot, and where they can play and have fun.

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11 Spring Grove children are imaginative and inventive

Our children love the opportunity to perform – especially in front of an audience. Every year, your child will have the opportunity to sing, dance and act in fully-staged productions ranging from the traditional Nativity plays at Christmas to musicals such as ‘The Bee Musical’ and ‘Dragon Days’.

Singing helps to boost selfconfidence in children of all ages, and it is for everyone at Spring Grove – our community sings together in assemblies, in concerts and to celebrate special occasions. Dance is another important part of our arts curriculum and is led by a specialist teacher – it improves agility and co-ordination, releases stress and is fantastic exercise!

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The Spring Grove Art Room is a special creative place, tucked away in the attic, where our children design and paint. The Bill Jones Music Room, with a large teaching space and smaller individual practice rooms, is where our visiting music teachers are based.

Most children in the school learn an instrument, and music-making is part of everyday life. Opportunities to perform range from low-key informal concerts to the School Prom in the Summer term, which is a highlight for everyone in the Spring Grove community.

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13 Showing kindness to others is central to everything we do The family focus and ethos of the school means that the wellbeing of our children is embedded in the daily routine, in the curriculum, and in our extra-curricular activities. Personal, Social, Health and Economic education is taught across the whole school and all staff have ongoing training in mental health awareness.

We are lucky to have 14 acres of beautiful grounds for the children to explore and let off steam! Unless the weather is very bad indeed all of our children are outside every day, in waterproofs and wellington boots if necessary. The House system offers opportunities for the older children to take a lead and look after the younger ones in the school. House sports, spelling and times tables competitions and other events all encourage teamwork across the age ranges.

Being considerate to others extends far beyond the bounds of the school.

Spring Grove has strong links with the local community in Wye, and each child is encouraged to think about the part he or she plays as a global citizen. Children learn that their actions can make a difference – whether by raising money for charities, writing to supermarkets about plastic use, or being elected on to the School Council. Spring Grove is proud to fly the Eco Schools Green Flag, which acknowledges and celebrates the work of the pupil-led Eco Council.

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Every end is a new beginning The end of this first chapter in your child’s education journey is as important as the beginning. As a completely independent Prep School, we work in partnership with parents to give impartial advice about destination schools, based on our knowledge of each individual child.

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Your child will leave Spring Grove equipped and ready for life at his or her next school – wherever that might be. Some of our leavers go on to independent schools – including Ashford School, St Edmund’s Canterbury, Kent College Canterbury and Junior King’s – many with scholarships. Others go to local grammar or other state schools in Ashford, Canterbury or Folkestone, and some go to independent and grammar schools further afield.

We aim to send your child on to his or her next school as a curious, confident, creative, caring and considerate person. Your child will have the skills he or she needs as a global citizen in an uncertain world. And wherever our leavers go, we know that our former pupils look back on their time at Spring Grove as magical and inspiring.

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Spring Grove School Harville Road Wye Kent, TN25 5EZ 01233 812337 office@springgroveschool.co.uk www.springgroveschool.co.uk Charity No. 1099823 Cover images: Peter Cook © Copyright 2022 Spring Grove School

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