The Marist Prep Guide

THE MARIST PREP

CONTENTS

01 Introduction

in a 11 Excelling Digital Age

03 Excellent Early Years

14 Outdoor Learning

for 05 Set Success

Marist 15 The Community

08 The Curriculum

18 Sport for All

the 10 Beyond Classroom

Girls’ School 19 The Advantage

Introduction Welcome to The Marist Prep, where we establish a strong foundation for every pupil to embark on a joyful and intellectually engaging journey through education.

We hold high aspirations for our pupils and arm them with the essential skills to seize every opportunity. They are challenged and supported by a blend of excellent teaching, an extensive curriculum and dedicated staff. This sees them flourish within our wonderful community, nestled in 55 acres of beautiful woodland.

At Prep, academic ambition and a spirit of curiosity are intertwined.

Our pupils are urged to push their boundaries, explore new horizons, and pursue their interests. Whether it's performing in front of audiences, participating in various sports fixtures and competitions, or delving into coding and STEM subjects; the array of opportunities is vast.

We take pride in being an 'all-through’ school, with our goals, principles and expertise seamlessly integrated from Prep into Senior, facilitating a smooth transition for the girls as they move up through the school.

Each pupil is appreciated for their unique qualities and contributions to our school. Celebrating diversity is ingrained in The Marist ethos, as we value learning from different perspectives. We aim for our pupils to be self-assured yet humble, to know themselves, hone their moral compass and care for others.

Our Catholic values form the bedrock of all our endeavours at The Marist, where our pupils build resilience, respect and a sense of responsibility.

They kindle a passion for lifelong learning that will ultimately guide them to success.

Selecting the right school for your child is a significant decision for your family. While you can glean insights from our prospectus or website, nothing compares to experiencing our wonderful school first hand. The Marist community; the pupils, parents, and staff, is truly special and we warmly invite you to join us and witness why The Marist Prep is such an enriching environment for growth and learning.

Will May

Head of Prep

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Excellent Early Years Early childhood education should be that of awe and wonder. We believe that with the right learning environment, based on curiosity and kindness, children have an excellent foundation from which to grow.

My vision in the Pre-Prep is to guide our youngest members to explore and feel empowered to independently drive their learning forward. With the ‘Curiosity Approach’ fully embedded in every aspect of their first years in the school they seamlessly move into inquiry-based learning where asking questions is fully encouraged.

Learning to be resourceful and developing the skills to find answers to questions prepares the children to embrace all that the Prep and Senior departments have to offer and gives a solid foundation to the STEM curriculum.

The Marist Pre-Prep is most fortunate to have a highly skilled team and a wealth of resource. The opportunities the children are exposed to far exceeds what a child would ever hope to experience. Our classrooms extend into the beautiful grounds and woodland, providing inspiration for creativity, exploration and developing curious minds.

I understand how important it is to work in partnership with parents and families. The Marist is an extension of home where our children feel happy and safe. A happy child is open to learning and it is our priority to establish positive relationships with parents and engage in clear communication. Together we ensure that the child is at the centre of every decision we make, every opportunity we offer and every lesson we teach; this really is a setting where our children have their feet firmly on the ground whilst reaching for the stars!

Lisa Chapman

Head of Pre-Prep

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Set for Success Our youngest cohort move up into Reception well above age-related expectations and are fully ready for a more formal approach to education when they arrive in our Pre-Prep.

Our pupils are empowered to The children have teachers who are experts in early years education, have recognise that they are all leaders and access to subject specialists, along with advocates for themselves and others. ‘senior’ school facilities and resources. They celebrate different cultures, They become well-rounded individuals perspectives and backgrounds, who are academically prepared, and engage in discussions about bias confident, empathetic, and ready to and inequality in the world. make positive contributions beyond the classroom. With exciting initiatives Success is evident when the children develop confidence in their abilities, such as our ‘Aim Higher’ projects, the Marist Diploma and ‘Wow’ have a positive self-image and are questions, we ignite their potential. comfortable expressing themselves.

Success at the Prep goes beyond striving for academic excellence and includes the holistic development of our pupils. This includes involving them in our all-through school inter-house programme, taking on challenges in a safe and supportive environment, formal leadership roles across all year groups, driving community initiatives such as the work of the ‘Mini Vinnies’ or utilising our 55 acres of woodland as we become a ‘Centre of Excellence’ for Outdoor Learning.

We encompass physical, mental, emotional and social growth and provide every pupil with opportunities to explore their interests, develop critical thinking skills and engage in co-curricular activities. Recent examples include our production of Frozen Jr, the fantastic Book Festival and our ‘Fiver Challenge’ where they have raised over a thousand pounds for charity.

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The positive relationships between pupils, teachers and parents with events such as ‘Share My Learning’, help contribute to a supportive environment which we believe prepares each child for life beyond Prep as they move up to the Senior School.

Our intention for your child is to discover their talents, enable their success and build a strength of character that will stay with them for life.

A superb day school that balances intellectual firepower with kindness and community.

The Curriculum We deliver an exciting education which is innovative and ambitious, to encourage every pupil to explore new learning opportunities and develop a lifelong love of learning.

At the Prep, we deliver a rich and creative curriculum. We have developed a cross-curricular, topicbased approach to teaching and learning in which all subjects centre around a core theme. This approach to teaching gives children a deeper understanding of their lessons. Each term we incorporate trips, visits and events to help bring the topic to life.

We have a strong focus on the core skills of reading, writing and mathematics but we also offer a rich and varied curriculum. Our wide range of academic subjects are taught by class and subject specialists. We also take learning beyond the classroom with our bespoke Outdoor Learning programme which utilises our wonderful grounds, as well as during sport, music and drama.

investigating which drinks are most harmful for our teeth using eggshells as a substitute for our tooth enamel, or dissecting flowers to examine how plants reproduce.

In the Prep, we encourage all pupils to broaden their interests through a diverse co-curricular programme of clubs, through private instrumental lessons and LAMDA lessons, and through our bespoke curriculum which is designed to pique children’s curiosity and deepen their thinking.

We believe that all pupils should have the opportunity to reach for the stars, to find their feet and to flourish, no matter where their skills and talents lie.

We strive to give our pupils a range of opportunities to build a passion for STEM subjects and to ignite their curiosity. Science is taught by a specialist teacher with hands-on experiments throughout each topic, whether that’s witnessing the explosion method of seed dispersal with balloons and sequins,

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Beyond the Classroom We believe self-confidence goes a long way to achieving success and a love of school life.

We want to provide a rounded education for all our pupils, whether they are bookworms, water sports fans, music enthusiasts or artists. We proudly offer an extended cocurricular programme.

What does our provision look like?

Over 90 clubs before or after school and at lunchtime.

Co-curricular offerings are seasonal and reviewed termly, depending on popularity.

Enrichment opportunities give pupils a chance to excel in their learning beyond the four walls of the classroom.

All year groups take day trips to ignite passion and learning around their termly topics. This includes Marwell Zoo, Butser Ancient Farm, The Living Rainforest and many more. Residential trips include the Year 5 trip to PGL Osmington Bay and Year 6 residential to France.

Pupils are encouraged to take part in at least two co-curricular sessions a week but many decide to do more, including: Dance Gymnastics Horse Riding Marist Maker Space BBC Micro:bits Science Club String Ensemble Maristers Choir

BEBRAS COMPUTING CHALLENGE WRITING COMPETITIONS BBC 500 Words and Rotary Young Writer

‘STEAM’ Competitions

DRAMA PRODUCTIONS

MARIST DIPLOMA

Frozen Jr and Annie

Competitive & Recreational Sports

National Maths Challenges

Football, netball, swimming, athletics & hockey

Regional Music Festivals Internal Competitions and Concerts

FIRST LEGO LEAGUE CHALLENGE

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Excelling in a Digital Age In today’s digital age, technological literacy is essential and it is important that education helps pupils to understand and navigate technology confidently.

These skills, often referred to as 21st-century learning skills, include critical thinking, communication, collaboration, creativity, digital literacy and global citizenship.

They enable pupils to become adaptable, flexible and innovative learners who can thrive in an everchanging world. They also prepare them for the workforce, where employers increasingly demand employees who can work effectively in teams, solve complex problems, and use technology to their advantage.

Coding is at the forefront of our Computer Science curriculum, engaging pupils with real-world technology in the form of BBC Micro:bits and Lego Robotics.

Students complete projects such as programming step-counters, creating a digital compass to navigate the outdoors, or tracking changes in temperature. This provides opportunities for pupils to see practical applications of their coding skills. Programming games and animations allows our students to further hone these skills.

Our new Marist Maker Space has been an opportunity for our pupils to engage with technology beyond the curriculum and enable them to get creative with coding, app design, 3D printing and robotics. The popularity of these clubs has soared, and girls from Year 5 upwards are able to design and code their own solutions to real world problems.

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Outdoor Learning We are passionate about Outdoor Learning and are fortunate to have 55 acres of beautiful woodland to explore on a regular basis.

From Nursery up to VI Form, our pupils get to embrace this natural space and develop a wider knowledge of the great outdoors.

In 2018 The Marist Friends, firm supporters of Outdoor Education, helped fund a bespoke outdoor learning classroom, called Hillview.

Hillview is fully equipped allowing us more flexibility with our teaching and is a constant hub of activity and exploration.

The Outdoor Learning curriculum covers a broad range and includes STEM subjects, Art, Literacy, RE, PSHE, Topic and more. We link the outdoor learning lessons to the national curriculum and our ‘Creative’ curriculum. This could be cooking teriyaki noodles or pizza over the fire with Year 2 or Year 4 building 2D Robots from sticks and measuring the perimeter as part of their ‘Rise of the Machines’ topic.

During our Forest School training, the children develop key skills; resilience, perseverance and leadership, making learning more memorable and further extending their overall Marist experience.

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The Marist Community The sense of community and belonging has long been central to The Marist’s history, and our value of Family Spirit epitomises a Marist education. The Marist is about the whole family. every term so that parents can enjoy a hands-on experience with their child in the classroom. The partnership between parents, school and your child offers 360˚ support, giving every opportunity for your child to flourish academically and socially. As a small school, teachers know each pupil really well, and therefore know how best to personalise their learning.

Parents, grandparents and siblings are encouraged to attend our community events; cheering from the side-lines, supporting at musical performances, manning a stall at the Christmas Fair, to playing weekly parent netball and football matches. Family involvement is integral to our culture and The Marist has been the foundation of lifelong friendships for generations of Maristines and their families. We were delighted that so many could attend our annual Cheese and Wine event in the autumn term and enjoy both the outdoor cinema and our wonderful summer music concert.

Our aim is for parents to also build relationships with staff so that both groups can support our pupils’ personal growth and academic development. The Prep School hosts ‘Share My Learning’ sessions 15 | Feet on the ground | Reaching for the stars

The Marist Friends are our active parent group who help organise fun social and fundraising events that directly benefit the pupils.

Recent projects have included the Sports Pavilion, Outdoor Learning Classroom and lighting for our Drama department. Class Reps, who have volunteered to aid communication of key messages and organisation of school events, meet with our Leadership team for termly Coffee Mornings and their feedback is valued and actioned.

My daughter has had a remarkable start at The Marist. Since joining, she comes home with a huge smile on her face every day.

Marist Parent

Sport for All Sport plays a significant part of school life at The Marist and our Games and Co-Curricular programmes give every girl the opportunity to find a sport they enjoy.

Sport not only promotes healthy bodies and minds, but allows the children to develop skills such as teamwork, pride and resilience, and helps inspire them into a lifelong love of sport.

In Years 3-6, the girls have PE twice a week and both games and swimming once a week. We play netball in the autumn term, football in spring and cricket in the summer, with a busy list of fixtures on Wednesday afternoons (Years 5&6), and Friday afternoons (Years 3&4).

X-Country, hockey and athletics also runs over the course of the year.

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Children in Pre-Prep benefit from PE specialist lessons twice weekly, alongside weekly ballet and swimming.

The whole Prep school has a variety of sports available to try as part of our Co-Curricular programme.

Weekly clubs include horse riding, gymnastics, hockey, badminton, dodgeball, dance and tennis.

A highlight of the year is our Prep Sports Day where the girls join their Houses (Bowman, Clare, Drexel and Stein) for an afternoon of friendly competition. It is a wonderful event and there are plenty of fun activities for parents to take part in!

The Girls’ School Advantage Research from the Girls’ Schools Association (GSA) shows that girls who have enjoyed an all-girls’ education are more engaged, confident and ready to lead than their co-ed peers.

We remain proudly single-sex from Years 3-6 because, as experts in girls’ education, we understand your daughter’s needs and aspirations.

We know that girls at The Marist will grow up to be confident; they will play sport, perform on stage, develop as leaders and risk takers because they are in an environment where stereotypes play no part.

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Our pupils leave us with high expectations of themselves and of others and they make good use of their Marist experiences to have a positive impact on the community around them.

As they move into the next stage of their education, our girls learn and thrive in an environment designed just for them.

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