ucs.org.uk
A warm welcome from Head of Lower School Edd Roberts
The first two years of a pupil’s journey through the UCS Senior School are exciting, enriching and fulfilling. Pupils discover their academic passions and have their talents nurtured. They are invited to pursue their interests and enjoy a variety of new experiences. Moving from primary or prep school to the Senior School may be seen as daunting, but staff and existing pupils help our newcomers make the transition as smoothly as possible.
The Lower School at UCS comprises Year 7 and Year 8. Each year group consists of 120 boys; approximately half of these join from primary and prep schools around London. The remaining 60 pupils arrive from the UCS Junior Branch, also located in Hampstead.
Lower School boys are taught a rich, ambitious and diverse academic curriculum by highly qualified subject specialists. They are supported by a dedicated team of Lower School Form Tutors, a Year Warden and a Head of Year, with chances for older pupils to provide additional support and mentoring. Outside the classroom, pupils dive into a wealth of co-curricular opportunities. They can choose from over a hundred clubs and societies held throughout the week, and a number of boys establish and lead these clubs. Lower School pupils also take part in a wide variety of curricular and co-curricular trips.
The Performing Arts, sport and charitable endeavours are intrinsic parts of Lower School life and most pupils complete the Headmaster’s Lower School Award scheme during their two years. The Young Leaders Award, introduced in 2022, offers further opportunities for boys to develop leadership skills and appreciate their role in the wider community.
Lower School pupils thrive on the ‘buzz’ of being on a campus alongside much older pupils. Sixth Form students act as mentors and guide Lower School pupils at numerous points throughout the two years. They support them in setting up new societies and the younger pupils enjoy the opportunities to work alongside the older ones at established clubs – debating for example. Our younger pupils can also benefit from the wealth of academic enrichment activities which take place outside the classroom. It is not uncommon to find Year 7 pupils attending a Chemistry Breakfast discussion group run before school or a highly challenging Morris lecture held at lunchtime. LearnMeets give further opportunities for older students to pass on their experiences to our Lower School pupils and they value the advice offered regarding study skills during these sessions.
As a happy and close-knit community, the Lower School aims to prepare pupils for study in the Middle School and upwards – and, just as importantly, gives them a highly palatable flavour of life beyond UCS. Our aim is that the Lower School at UCS is the most exciting and joyful two years of a pupil’s schooling and that the memories of these years stay with the pupils for the rest of their lives.
By E. Roberts
Pastoral Care
UCS is renowned for its outstanding pastoral provision. The care which pupils, and at times their families, receive is comprehensive and is facilitated by the fostering of strong and open relationships between all members of the school community.
Our community works extremely hard to ensure that pupils settle swiftly into life here. Approachable, experienced staff members guide pupils and their parents through the Lower School in a warm and engaging manner. Even before Year 7 begins, pupils and their families attend a series of induction and welcome events which enable them to get to know key pastoral staff as well as each other.
Pupils in the Lower School are divided into tutor groups of roughly 22–24 boys. Each form group can count on two form tutors, with further support offered by the Year Warden. The Head of Lower School oversees the pastoral and academic provision, which comes reinforced by two school counsellors.
Year 7 pupils are encouraged to spread their wings and fly. They revel in the opportunities and freedom which arise from joining a secondary school, and yet
Our community works extremely hard to ensure that pupils settle swiftly into life here.
there is a definite safety net should they need it. Boys completely new to UCS are mixed with those arriving from the Junior Branch and this informal buddy system helps all pupils to settle.
Year 12 students also act as form mentors and organise activities and games on a weekly basis. They quickly get to know the boys and this helps the newcomers to feel at home and part of the UCS family. Our older pupils love being role models to pupils in the Lower School. They take their mentoring programme seriously and our younger pupils gain a huge amount of confidence from spending time with the Sixth Form boys and girls.
Regular assemblies, form periods, a wide-ranging PSHE programme and the study skills curriculum also help to embed the Lower School’s Life Values in pupils. Throughout Years 7 and 8, boys are asked to think about and then develop their aspiration, bravery, compassion, decisionmaking and self-reflection. These ‘ABCDs’ form the basis of much hard work.
Pupil wellbeing always holds the highest priority, and staff do their utmost to make sure that every pupil progresses to the Middle School with the skills and perspective required to flourish at GCSE level and beyond.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
“I joined UCS from a small primary school. The induction and welcome events made things really straightforward at the start. I don’t live nearby but it’s been easy making friends and I have loved joining clubs. Being part of the Lower School play was a highlight from last year. Peter Pan was just so much fun and I got to know lots of pupils from the year above. I was nominated to be a House Captain this year. It has been a real honour and I have enjoyed leading House assemblies.”
Freddie
A Diverse and Exciting Curriculum
The Lower School curriculum is broad and academically stretching. It is designed to help pupils develop a love of learning and positive study skills, which in turn will enable them to develop their academic specialisms as they advance up the school.
In Year 7, pupils study Art, Dance, Design & Technology, Dialectics, Drama, English, French, Geography, History, Latin, Maths and Science. The Dialectics course introduces them to the philosophy of learning, and lessons in all subjects place a strong emphasis on the value of discussion. Pupils develop an understanding of what knowledge is and how it is acquired.
Lessons are taught to classes of 12 pupils and a strong emphasis is placed on critical thinking and reflection. In Year 8, Science is divided into separate Biology, Chemistry and Physics courses taught by subject specialists and Dialectics is replaced by PPE, giving pupils a first taste of studying
UCS teachers are passionate about nurturing a love of learning for learning’s sake.
Philosophy, Politics and Economics.
Critical thinking is further developed and pupils are guided on how to draw clear distinctions, to ask pertinent questions, and to draw on relevant examples. The course also introduces pupils to the concept of interdisciplinary study.
Lessons are tailored to teach the academic subject in question while also conveying the four UCS Learning Values – resourcefulness, responsibility, relationships and resilience. A dedicated Learning Values Week in September puts the spotlight on these qualities early in the academic year, before lessons and co-curricular activities instil them further over the course of the year. As part of the week, Year 7 pupils take part in a teambuilding morning which promotes these values while also encouraging the boys to get to know each other.
Lower School lessons and events are regularly linked to a central theme. Elements of these themes are woven into each subject area and reinforced by special activities and assemblies. Currently the termly focuses are global connectivity (autumn), wellbeing (spring) and risktaking (summer).
UCS teachers are passionate about nurturing a love of learning for learning’s sake. So while homework is an undeniable
feature of school life, in the Lower School it is designed to foster a thirst for knowledge above any other consideration. The homework timetable serves to balance pupils’ workloads, with the expectation that Year 7 pupils do no more than 40 minutes a night. Year 7s also have subject tests throughout the year but will sit no end-of-year exams. Passion for learning really is paramount at this stage.
Academic Enrichment
Inside and Outside The Classroom
UCS’s extensive Academic Enrichment programme ensures that pupils receive the broadest possible academic education. Lower School boys benefit from bespoke Dialectics and PPE courses taught in Year 7 and Year 8 respectively. They love the skills and concepts taught. Critical thinking is an essential skill which is developed throughout UCS and pupils find that many of the ideas taught in Dialectics are often further developed in post-16 study. Subject-specific Enrichment Weeks afford our pupils further opportunities for study beyond the confines of the curriculum. The current Enrichment Week programme looks like this:
Final week of September: Modern Languages
First week of November: Art, Classics, Computer Science and History of Art
Middle of November: English, Philosophy and Music
Final week of January: Economics, Geography, History and Politics
First week of March: Biology, Chemistry, DT, Maths and Physics
Middle of March: Psychology, Dance and PE
Subjects are grouped together to encourage pupils to make cross-curricular connections. In a recent Modern Languages Week, for example, Lower School pupils worked on their translation skills in a literature workshop run by the Sir Stephen Spender Trust, as well as participating in Chinese chess and tai chi workshops. The STEM equivalent included pyrotechnics (demonstrated by Sixth Formers!), a contest to design an ergonomic garden tool and experimenting with the colourful properties of rhubarb.
During each Enrichment Week, Morris lectures enable pupils of all ages to mix and engage with leading academics on a wide range of topics. Recent Morris lectures have included:
• Reconstructing Queer (Hi)stories – an examination of how the stories of women, queer people, people of colour have been overlooked in history.
• More joyful, more energetic, more genius –an examination of the effects of dancing.
• The impact of laser cooling.
• Femininity, Domesticity and the Ideal of the Roman Statesman in 18th Century Britain.
Younger pupils benefit hugely from being part of this dynamic Enrichment programme and hugely enjoy the chance to rub shoulders and work together with the Middle School and Sixth Form.
Teaching and Learning
A fundamental goal of a Lower School education is to establish in pupils the study habits that will enable them to prosper in their GCSEs, A Levels and beyond.
Lessons in all academic subjects are planned in such a way as to develop and inculcate the UCS Learning Values of resourcefulness, relationships, resilience and responsibility; meanwhile, the study skills course that is taught to Year 7 allows pupils time to evaluate their practices and develop a ‘growth mindset’. Each week in these lessons, tutors help pupils to hone their vision, reflect on their effort levels, examine their practices both at home and in school, and build an attitude of improvement.
As you would expect, UCS teachers are highly qualified practitioners, both in their academic subjects and as educators. As such, they remain fully conversant with educational developments, aided by the school’s engaging CPD programme which ensures that pupils receive the very best possible education.
All pupils have laptops in lessons and utilise Google Classroom as a virtual learning environment.
Indeed, continuing professional development is a cornerstone of teaching life at UCS, where the Directors of Teaching and Learning arrange halftermly TeachMeets for colleagues to share best practice. These seminars are crucial for finetuning teachers’ abilities and keeping staff up to date with shifting educational trends and research. Staff and pupils also use technology prudently to support their teaching and learning. All pupils have laptops in lessons and utilise Google Classroom as a virtual learning environment. Each department has its own website providing pupils with resources to consolidate or broaden their learning.
Interestingly, UCS employs a Research Fellow to monitor and communicate the latest developments in education. This staff member conducts their own educational research, some of which has gained national recognition and has been published in journals. Research is also fed back to pupils through a series of Educational Toolkits. These are designed by the Directors of Teaching and Learning and explain to pupils ways of improving aspects of their study. Toolkits addressing revision and focus are particularly wellreceived.
Support for Learning
All UCS pupils have access to a wealth of support to help them achieve and surpass their academic potential. The Learning Support Department at UCS ensures that this support is available to all our pupils whose first port of call is the department’s Study Smart website. The site is easy to navigate and includes a wealth of evidence-based strategies which enable pupils to improve their study skills and to work more efficiently. Pupils can download one of the UCS Toolkits, which are tailor-made resources to help with revision, procrastination, focus, and metacognition. The UCS LearnMeet video series is also available on the Study Smart website. In these films, UCS pupils present their own strategies that have helped them learn and their peers have found these to be hugely beneficial. Pupils can also use the site to book a 1:1 Study Smart session with a member of the Learning Support team. There are such sessions available throughout the week and these are proving a popular resource for pupils across the school.
If a pupil needs additional subject specific support, each department offers various channels of help, including workshops, 1:1 support sessions as well as subscriptions to the latest digital interventions.
Alongside academic challenges, some pupils may require some emotional support. The school counsellors are available throughout the week and offer friendly, confidential talking therapy to help pupils tackle the challenges of adolescence.
If a pupil has been diagnosed with an additional need, a Learning Support Profile (LSP) is put into action. The LSP includes details of need from professional diagnostic reports and specialist teacher assessments, the pupils’ views about their own learning challenges, as well as agreed classroom support strategies and exam access arrangements to help the pupils get the most out of their lessons. Pupils with an LSP have regular check-in meetings with a member of the Learning Support team; these meetings are generally once or twice a term, but the frequency often varies and is dependent on the specific needs.
The ethos of support at UCS is centred on inclusion and individuality. We take into account the specific needs of each
child and shape a support plan that helps them to develop into an independent and self-assured learner. And because the help on offer from the Learning Support Department is readily available to all pupils in the school, thanks to the Study Smart website and sessions, there isn’t any stigma attached to the overall provision and so pupils are empowered to take the steps they need to overcome the barriers they may face. After all, at some point in their academic career, all pupils will face challenges no matter how bright they are, and at UCS we have robust mechanisms, seamlessly embedded into the curriculum, to help them sail confidently through the storm!
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
“My Year Warden is so supportive. I have sometimes asked him for help and each time he has given me really good advice. I really like our PSHE lessons – we’ve just finished looking at racism in society and our teacher is amazing. I also really like the food at UCS. It’s always particularly good on Tuesdays. I never know what to choose.”
Shaan
Sport
Lower School pupils have the benefit and bonus of two afternoons of Games lessons per week. They travel by coach to the school playing fields, a ten-minute drive away in West Hampstead, and their choice of sport depends on the term: rugby or hockey (autumn); football or hockey (spring); and cricket (summer), with tennis available in the second half of term.
Pupils of all abilities are encouraged to represent UCS in fixtures, and so there are A, B, C and D teams in rugby and football, A, B and C teams in cricket, and an A team in hockey. All teams have midweek matches while the A and B teams also play on Saturday mornings. During the Autumn Term, extra training is offered to keen footballers on Wednesday afternoons, with a similar system applying to rugby players during the spring.
Furthermore, all pupils are welcome to join the Athletic Development Programme, and a number of them attend local football, hockey and rugby academies.
A glance at the Year 7 timetable also shows weekly PE lessons, aimed at encouraging pupils to develop their strength and conditioning and improve their knowledge of how to keep their bodies healthy. These sessions also allow pupils to participate in sports that are not taught in Games.
A raft of sports clubs, meanwhile, form an integral part of the school’s co-curricular provision. Pupils bring considerable energy and enthusiasm to these clubs which take place either before or after school, including: athletic development, basketball, cricket, fencing, indoor rowing, running, squash, swimming, table tennis and tennis. There is the added inducement of fixtures with other schools in basketball, running, table tennis and tennis.
The overriding sporting ethos of the school remains proudly inclusive, with every landmark or success celebrated –whether that’s a spirited performance by the Under-12D rugby side or a tournament victory by a team at the senior end of the age spectrum.
The overriding sporting ethos of the school remains proudly inclusive, with every landmark or success celebrated.
Performing Arts
The Performing Arts are a central pillar of a UCS education. Music, Drama and Dance are taught as part of the Year 7 and Year 8 curriculum. All pupils have the possibility of weekly instrumental lessons while keen musicians can audition to take part in one of 30 ensembles or groups which rehearse on a weekly basis. These groups are tailored to fit the musicianship of each individual player; so relative beginners may try their hand at String Group whereas Grade 8 cellists will find a place in Symphony Orchestra.
Performance wise, there are frequent concerts and recitals staged both at lunchtime and in the evening. Concerts held in the iconic Great Hall at Frognal are particularly unforgettable occasions, and pupils new to UCS get their chance to perform publicly in the autumn Arrivals Concert.
On the Drama front, all Lower School pupils are invited to audition for the annual Lower School production, scheduled each May. Around 50 pupils usually feature in these superb productions, with the cast comprising a mix of Year 7 and Year 8 boys. Recent plays include Treasure Island, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr Fox and Peter Pan. Pupils also take leading roles in the back-stage crew and are involved in lighting, sound and set design. This year, Lower School pupils also figured in the whole-school production of the musical Oliver!, teaming up brilliantly with older students.
There are further opportunities to shine in the annual House Drama, Dance and Music competitions. These keenly contested events give all pupils a chance to showcase their talents within a more relaxed context – and UCS boys generally need no invitation when it comes to stepping out on stage. They learn so much from performing with the older pupils in various ensembles and productions but also benefit from having separate Lower School events which mean everyone can get involved!
The Performing
Arts are a central pillar of a UCS education.
An Outward Looking Community
UCS likes its pupils to be forward thinking and outward looking; young people who take pride in their work in the local community and fundraise enthusiastically for local, national and international charities.
Lower School pupils certainly throw themselves into an array of community activities and get their chance to lead projects, which in turn develops skills such as teamwork, time-management, leadership and even marketing. Pupils are affirmed and supported in these rewarding endeavours by older students and staff.
In 2021–22, the pupil body founded a Humanitarian Crisis Fundraising Committee, consisting of children from across the school community, who have since proceeded to promote important and often urgent charitable causes while also generating much-needed funds.
One of the school’s annual undertakings, meanwhile, is the pupil-led autumn collection for North Paddington Food Bank, which prefaces a six-week period
of sustained charity fundraising known as Community Action. Needless to say, Lower School boys are integral to this vast collective effort.
Lower School pupils also take part in conservation projects run on Hampstead Heath by charity Heath Hands; they read on a weekly basis to Year 1 pupils from the UCS Pre-Prep; and they heighten their awareness of the needs of others in the community through participation in the inhouse Young Leaders Award (see page 32).
Furthermore, UCS is home to budding environmentalists who, as members of Green Impact Society, produce their own publications and website, care for the school allotment and rewild areas of the school campus, among a litany of credits. Their work has helped UCS win an EcoSchools Green Flag with Distinction and also become the first UK school to win the gold standard in every step of a UN climate-neutral initiative.
Pupils are affirmed and supported in these rewarding endeavours by older students and staff.
Houses
House competitions are another permanent strand in the fabric of UCS Lower School life. A wide-ranging programme of events means many opportunities for friendly competition within the Lower School as well as time for Year 7 and Year 8 pupils to spend working in harmony. The Houses are led by House Captains; two Year 8 boys who lead assemblies, coordinate community activities and rally teams at events.
Around 25 House competitions are usually run every year. The exact offering always varies but in 2021-22, competitions included: art, athletics, basketball, chess, cricket, dance, drama, football, hockey, linguistics, pancake tossing, poetry writing, public speaking, rugby, swimming, table tennis, Taskmaster and tennis. Often, competitions give Year 7 and Year 8 pupils the chance to work together and the Houses promote teamwork between the two year groups. Points are awarded after each competition and a final trophy is presented at the end of the school year.
The Lower School Houses were renamed in 2022 after pupils had been asked to nominate public figures who epitomised the UCS Learning and Life Values. More than 150 nominations later, the five names selected were (Sir Roger) Bannister, (Sir Chris) Bonington, (Guy) Kendall, (Mary) Macarthur and (Mary) Seacole. All five candidates did remarkable things, had connections with UCS or North London, and endeavoured to make the world a better place.
“The boys chosen to be House Captains really represent the school through their kindness and willingness to work hard in everything they do. In fact, I would say that every boy joining the school should aim to become one.”
Christian, House Captain of Bonington 2022
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
“There are so many opportunities in sport at UCS. I had never played rugby before but now I am in the A team. I also captain the Under-13A football side and we really enjoyed our run in the ISFA Cup this season. It was great travelling around the country playing other schools. We are also encouraged to set up our own clubs and societies. Last year, pupils in our year set up several including Hindu Society and Coin Society!”
Harry
PSHE/Personal Development of Pupils
Personal Social Health Education (PSHE) is an intrinsic part of the curriculum for every year group at UCS. In the Lower School, all pupils are taught PSHE by the Head of PSHE. These lessons take place weekly and pupils attend in groups of 12. The course content is constantly evolving to take into account an ever-changing world.
The Year 7 curriculum currently includes the following topics:
Healthy lifestyles
Online gaming and addiction
LGBTQIA+
Gender discrimination
Vaping and smoking
ISI Inspection Quote 2021:
“Pupils have an excellent understanding of right and wrong. They know they have responsibilities to themselves and to
others
and
so their behaviour in lessons is consistently supportive of learning.”
The Year 8 curriculum also has five important themes:
Community
Conflict and conflict resolution
Explicit material, online gambling a nd screen time
Careers
Contraception
The PSHE curriculum is spiralled. This means that pupils may be introduced to certain age-appropriate elements of topics in the Lower School, before the same topic is then revisited in greater detail at intervals in the Middle School and Sixth Form.
Parents are kept informed about the PSHE curriculum through regular year-group specific PSHE evenings held by the Head of Department. These are a chance for parents to discuss the course with both Lower School tutors and the PSHE Head, before a headline talk concludes each of these events.
Every January, meanwhile, trained Sixth Form pupils lead a series of lessons covering mental health topics with Year 7s. This scheme was introduced in 2018 and was extremely well-received by pupils and parents. Every February, Year 8 take part in an annual Wellbeing Symposium where they spend a day researching and presenting to their peers on a range of wellbeing initiatives. The quality of talks is always impressive and gives further opportunities for pupils and teachers to speak about aspects of healthy living.
Building Leaders and Team Players
There is no shortage of opportunities at UCS for young people looking to develop their leadership skills. At Lower School level, this includes – but also transcends – the important part played by House Captains in leading their Houses throughout an academic year and the role of Year 8 pupils in mentoring the incoming Year 7.
Various schemes act as vehicles for promoting entrepreneurship in the pupil body while considerable time is dedicated to helping pupils work on the qualities or character traits that will enable them to assume greater responsibility as they move up through the school.
One key programme is the Young Leaders Award which around 20 Lower School pupils complete each year. This ‘character education’ course starts during the May of Year 7, and pupils spend the next 12 months participating in weekly seminars which examine aspects of leadership. Discussions focus on communication, teamwork, conflict resolution, managing others, decision making, emotional intelligence, strategic planning and self-awareness.
Through all this activity, pupils are being asked to be(come) the best versions of themselves.
Although these are demanding subjects for 12-year-olds to consider, the boys nonetheless impress with their mature, sensitive stance on topics. Pupils also undertake a community-based project of their own making at the end of each term, and are obliged to self-reflect and think deeply about their progress at regular intervals. The Young Leaders Award concludes in the April of Year 8.
A second offering of ‘character education’ in the Lower School is the Headmaster’s Lower School Award. During Year 8, pupils are invited to complete four out of five challenges – academic, adventure, cocurricular, community and sustainability – centred on key aspects of school life. In some ways, the Headmaster’s Award acts as a precursor to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award introduced in Year 9. The bushcraft expedition that pertains to the adventure section is a popular highlight, with pupils taught to make shelters, light fires, cook outdoors, on top of basic survival skills.
Through all this activity, pupils are being asked to be(come) the best versions of themselves.
Reflections, Rewards and Reports
Pupils are rewarded for their achievements in the Lower School with commendations. These are often linked to our Learning Values (resilience, relationships, responsibilities and resourcefulness) and commendations can be awarded for excelling in co-curricular activities as well as academic matters. When a pupil receives six commendations, they are further rewarded with a Lower School certificate. Once a pupil has collected 20 such certificates, a Colours tie is awarded and a further ten certificates results in a pocket badge being rewarded. Ties and pocket squares are presented in Lower School assemblies and pupils highly value this system of rewards. They wear their ties and blazer pockets with pride for the remainder of their time in the Lower School (and sometimes beyond!).
Furthermore, their progress is tracked carefully, with progress grades and/or reports issued at four intervals across the year; at each of these, pupils spend time with tutors reflecting on their progress and setting learning targets. Such frequent
tracking allows staff to get the very best out of pupils and provide tailored support wherever necessary as well as to celebrate their progress and achievements.
As their time in the Lower School draws to a close, Year 8 pupils and their parents are invited to the annual Lower School Awards Evening. This evening is run by the pupils themselves and celebrates their achievements over the previous two years. Pupils receive a memento to represent their time in the Lower School and the evening is greatly enjoyed by all. Prizes for impressive contributions to all aspects of schooling are also awarded.
Moving On Up
The UCS Lower School experience concludes at the end of Year 8, when pupils proceed to the Middle School. The hitherto five Lower School form groups then become six forms (of about 20 pupils) which remain in place for Years 9–11. Each of these new form groups is assigned to a House (or Deme), whose House Master (or Deme Warden) will look after the boys’ development from this point onwards, taking care to build strong and respectful relationships with all pupils and their families.
Academic and pastoral development is now overseen by the Head of Middle School, as the skills, interests and passions triggered in the Lower School continue to take flight. In Year 9, pupils also begin to take greater responsibility for their academic diet. They can select three languages from a choice of seven (Ancient Greek, French, German, Italian, Latin, Mandarin and Spanish) and three so-called creative subjects from a list of six (Art, Computer Science, Dance, DT, Drama and Music). Pupils’ influence on
the line-up of subjects studied increases further as they start their GCSE courses in Year 10.
Ultimately, the end goal is to leave UCS after the Sixth Form with an impressive set of external exam grades and with excellent learning habits honed over the course of a career at Frognal. Any future academic success, here or elsewhere, will attest both the quality of the pastoral care provision in all UCS year groups and the exemplary standard of teaching.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
“The teachers are all so different and this makes the lesson really enjoyable. From the first day, all our lessons have been so interactive. I now love Maths. Our teacher has made it seem like a series of puzzles and I like discussing how different pupils solve the problems. Last year, my form tutor helped me set up a club and I really enjoyed running it. UCS has really helped me to discover talents that I didn’t know I had.”
Shaurya
The Lower School Experience Admissions & Welcome
Early January
Entrance exam
Late January
Pupil interviews
Mid February
Offer letters sent to successful applicants
June
Induction events for parents and pupils
August
Welcome days for pupils
Early June Form groups assigned and parents informed
March Offer acceptance deadline
Year 7 (Entry)
September First day
Early September Learning Values Week
Mid-September Team building day
March Spring Concert
February Form social event
January Peer Education Project
April
Start of Headmaster’s Lower School Award and Young Leaders Award
June Sports Day
June
Outdoor pursuits trip to Devon (four days)
Mid-September Year 12 mentor project starts
Late September
Translation workshops in Languages Week
Early October New Arrivals Concert
December House Music
November Headmaster’s Lunches begin
October First tracking and reporting point
Year 8 (Shell)
September First day back
September House Captains announced
Mid-September Bushcraft trip (optional)
May Shell assessments
Early May Lower School Play
March Deadline for Headmaster’s Lower School Award and Young Leaders Award
June
Residential trip to battlefields (four days)
June Lower School Awards Evening
Early October
House Table Tennis
October
House Hockey and House Rugby
November
Pre-Prep reading mentoring scheme starts
Late February Wellbeing Symposium
February
Ski trip (optional)
December Conservation project on Hampstead Heath
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
“The lessons here have been great. Art and DT have been real highlights – the workshops are just fantastic. I also love Geography and the mock COP26 conference last year was brilliant. I have been part of the Young Leaders Award and we have learnt so much from the experience. Our group has worked well and we have all pulled together. We are now also much better at planning events – it actually feels like it’s preparing us for work in the outside world!”
Michael
University College School
Frognal
Hampstead
T.