Westonbirt Prep offers co-ed learning from 2 to 11 years. Children are immersed in a culture that promotes a love of learning as they progress through Nursery , Pre-Prep and Prep School. With an individualised provision that caters for a diverse range of characters, interests and skills, academic achievement is high and pupils move on from Year 6 to Westonbirt School or to other top independent and grammar schools.
The world around us continues to change at a rapid rate. The one constant in this remains the importance of a well-rounded education. No one can predict exactly what we are preparing children for but we do know the values and traits that will be vital as they embark on their journey through education and beyond.
At Westonbirt Prep, an environment has been created in which these important attributes can be nurtured and developed. Children are immersed in a culture that promotes a love of learning, a desire to improve and a bravery to try new and exciting things without fear of failure. These are coupled with a strong emphasis on values such as respect, determination, friendship, courage and equality and a passion from staff to develop the whole child as a person as well as a learner.
My personal ethos is led by the belief that children should be exposed to as many opportunities as possible to ignite their passions, fuel their self-belief and foster learners and leaders that thrive both in areas of strength and when challenged to be outside of their comfort zone.
Our close-knit school, set in 210 acres of beautiful, inspiring parklands in the heart of the Cotswolds, is able to provide the material benefits of much larger school, such as a state-of-the-art sports centre, a 9-hole golf course and access to the specialist facilities and teaching of Westonbirt School with whom we share our fantastic site.
Alongside this, we are able to cultivate a caring and family centred feel that ensures children enjoy their time at the school and parents feel involved and supported in their child’s learning.
As a school community, we are committed to developing our children into articulate, bright and engaged young adults, capable of facing any challenge that they are confronted with in the future and determined to fulfil their potential and follow their ambitions.
I look forward to welcoming you to the school.
Sean Price Headmaster
2 – 4 years
Children can start their Westonbirt journey in the nursery from 2 years old. Nursery is a fundamental part of the Westonbirt community and follows the same values as the rest of the school with the matching aims of creating inspiring opportunities for learning and experiencing a joyous childhood. Children learn primarily through play and follow the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum; they begin to build their understanding of numbers, sounds and language with daily sessions that build through their time with us. We support and nurture children from 2 years old through to their transition to Reception. Our core programme is supplemented by a range of exciting and dynamic extra-curricular activities that are led by specialist teachers including Forest School, swimming and dance. The location allows for extensive use of our wonderful outdoor space and exploring nature and the wider world is a large part of the Westonbirt Nursery experience.
Westonbirt Pre-Prep provides children with a nurturing, supportive and stimulating start to their formal education. Classes are small and benefit from outstanding provision from their form and specialist teachers, as well as our Teaching Assistant team. Children develop independence and there is particular focus on the progression of the core skills of reading, writing and maths. Learning is explorative, creative and most of all, fun! Messy hands and muddy boots are commonplace in pre-prep as pupils are introduced to new and exciting concepts, and encouraged to use their creativity to explore the world around them.
From Reception children are taught swimming, languages, PE, drama and music, alongside their core subjects and the wider curriculum. These are delivered by subject specialist teachers and make the most of senior school facilities such as the Orangery Theatre, the sports centre, the swimming pool and the music technology studios.
We are blessed with vast amounts of space and natural beauty and fully utilise our incredible surroundings to benefit children’s learning. Whether it is basking in the sunshine of the Italian Gardens, getting wet and muddy in the Spinney or climbing and jumping in the play areas, outdoor activity plays a huge role in life at Pre-Prep.
As children progress through the school into the prep phase, there is an increase in specialist-delivered provision to cover science, art, product design and games, in addition to continuing with the subjects studied at pre-prep. These experiences with specialist teachers and senior facilities are vital in preparing children with the knowledge and skills for senior school as they learn to manage different teaching styles, develop independence and get used to moving around the school to a variety of classrooms. Importantly, they are designed to ignite passions and inspiration and to allow children the opportunity to try new things, learn new skills and be challenged in a variety of ways.
In Year 5 and 6, children are prepared for senior school entrance. This includes preparation for Westonbirt School, 11+ entry to local grammars or scholarships for a wide variety of independent schools.
Pupils at Westonbirt Prep are confident, articulate and well-rounded individuals. During their time in school, they are given the opportunity to explore their interests and passions, to develop skills and try new things whilst retaining the joy of childhood. We aim to make them ‘comfortably-uncomfortable’ by exposing them to situations that challenge them but doing so under a watchful eye and in a safe environment. Opportunities to perform, to investigate, to explore, to collaborate and to gain independence all help pupils to learn more about themselves and to broaden their awareness of the wider world and how to interact with it. All children are at different stages of their personal journey and all have individual needs; at Westonbirt we adopt an approach that does not put children in a box but looks at what works for each of them and allows them to grow and develop individually. Behaviour is excellent at the school and the community is inclusive and friendly. Communication is the key element of our pastoral support network; this includes sharing knowledge across the staff body and being in regular touch with parents to ensure that a two-way dialogue is in place so that we can tailor our approach to each child. Personal development is delivered informally through everyday activities but also through a specific programme of PHSE lessons and wellbeing activities. In order to ensure that our pupils have a rounded, engaging and stimulatory final year, the students take part in a Skills for Life programme that includes projects on entrepreneurship, charity, performance and lifelong skills such as first aid.
Pupils at Westonbirt Prep are encouraged to be Curious, Creative and Courageous. Throughout the school, we aim to deliver an individual provision that caters for a wide and diverse range of characters, interests, skills and knowledge. Pupils across the school demonstrate progress from whatever their starting point may be and are valued for their efforts and successes based on an in-depth knowledge of each individual’s strengths and development points. The curriculum focuses on the core subjects of English and maths with the subjects being delivered daily. A range of assessment strategies allow us to consistently review progress and to put in place the plans and interventions to enhance learning for each child. Pupils’ progress is reported termly through means such as parent consultations, reports and assessments.
Teaching is engaging and provides a range of memorable and enjoyable experiences; it also encourages children to be challenged at the appropriate level and is designed to provide a breadth of coverage and deep understanding of concepts. The wider curriculum, including specialist teaching, is skills based and provides children with a range of strategies and knowledge that can be transferred to different contexts. We pride ourselves on having a wide range of individuals in school and on providing support and challenge for all, be that additional help from our excellent Learning Support team, inspiring and motivating individuals or preparing them for academic scholarships; we aim to bring the
Our dedicated Learning Support department plays a vital role in supporting our children throughout their schooling. Tailored provision is in place that allows children to remain included socially in their class whilst building academic skills and confidence. Strategies can range from individual support programmes to short-term booster groups and the approach for each child is designed with both child and their parents to be specific to the
Every class in the school benefits from weekly music and drama specialist lessons. Our performing arts team delivers a curriculum that allows children to learn theory, to explore and create using their own ideas and a variety of mediums and to perform in a multitude of different contexts. They use the shared facilities of the Orangery Theatre and Music Technology Centre to enhance their experience and allow for the best delivery possible.
Drama and music focus on inspiring the children and giving them the chance to enjoy the subjects and express themselves with confidence. They learn a range of different instruments, styles of music, drama techniques and performance skills. Pupils get the chance to be in public performances each year with the pre prep Nativity, the lower prep showcase and the end of year upper prep production. We have musical performances for Christmas, Harvest and other celebrations and individual and group concerts for instrumentalists and singers. Additional clubs such as Prep School Choir and String Group and individual peripatetic music lessons and Speech and Drama lessons allow children to follow their passions in our co-curricular offerings and often work towards
Children benefit from excellent facilities in art and design. We have a spacious art studio which is used across the prep school and enjoy specialist DT teaching in the upper prep. Children learn to use saws, drills and other tools in the workshop and are taught about laser cutting and 3D printing in product design. Each year, we hold an art week across the school where children are able to explore a theme and produce work that is displayed around the school in a gallery. For those who show a particular aptitude and passion for the subjects, we support scholarship applications
With extensive grounds, specialist sports coaches and outstanding facilities, physical activity is integral to our curriculum and extra-curricular provision. Our core sports are rugby, netball, hockey, cricket and swimming for all children. In addition to this, cross country and athletics are part of the offering and additional lessons in sports such as fencing, judo, golf and tennis are also available.
Children from Nursery through to Year 6 are given the opportunity to swim at Westonbirt. Every year group has at least one swim lesson a week all year round in our excellent indoor 25 metre pool. Headed up by our swim lead who is a former Olympian, we focus on children initially learning water confidence and then develop pupils’ swimming across multiple strokes. As children progress into Year 3 and above, there is an added competitive element where children are able to compete in galas. We have been very successful in recent years, winning trophies on at a national level in the Olympic pool in London on multiple occasions.
All children take part in weekly PE lessons with our sports specialist staff. These begin with two sessions a week in pre-prep and continue alongside Games in prep. PE focuses on introducing health related fitness, a variety of games and sports and the disciplines of gymnastics and dance.
Children from Year 3 upwards take part in Games lessons and fixtures weekly. They have a weekly Games coaching session with our specialist staff and a fixture afternoon where they visit and compete against local schools from the surrounding areas.
Children are encouraged to be competitive, determined and to give their all but at the same time to be evaluative of their performance, supportive of others, fair and most of all, to enjoy sport. Where children show a particular aptitude for sport, we will encourage and assist in their development and support them with their journey.
Outdoor Education and Forest School is a key part of life at Westonbirt. Being fortunate to inhabit a spectacular site, this offers countless opportunities for children to learn outside of the school buildings. Led by our team of accredited Forest School Leaders, our Outdoor Education and Forest School lessons provide children from Nursery to Year 6 with an opportunity to take part in activities such as fire building, whittling, den making and campfire cooking. The lessons are part of our thematic approach and are linked to numeracy, literacy and other subjects. Lessons continue throughout the year and in all weather and allow children to appreciate the nature and environment around them.
To ensure your child’s learning and happiness continues outside the working day, a rich after-school activity programme is provided and a late-stay facility until 6pm. After the school day finishes at 4pm, children can opt to stay for tea and then beyond into our after school clubs. Clubs are wide ranging and designed to be educational and entertaining. Recent offerings have included judo, fencing, sewing, animation, coding, cookery and yoga. Clubs are popular and well attended and are charged on a termly basis.
Morning drop off begins at 8am and clubs finish at 5.20pm. Care and supervision is available until 6pm to allow for all of our parents to choose an option that suits their lifestyle.
Each class attends trips to supplement their learning. Classes will embark on visits around the local area that link with their topic. From Year 3 up, children begin activity days, camp outs and stay-overs, culminating in a week long residential trip at Year 6. We also welcome visiting speakers such as authors, charities and people linked to topics, such as scientists, engineers, sportsmen
Exciting Holiday Camps, for ages 3-7 years in our Holiday Club and 8-14 years in our Adventure & Activities Camp, are run in our beautiful and extensive grounds during the school holidays.
