PREP SCHOOL PROSPECTUS
2008
I would first like to thank you for investing a little of your time to read this year’s prospectus and I hope it will prove informative and worth-while. In particular I would like to extend a warm welcome to parents from our nursery schools both at the Cottage and at Monton Village.
LAST YEAR - In looking forward to a new year it’s right to dwell briefly on some of the achievements of last year. Rightly or wrongly, results are seldom far from the surface when we talk about achievements, and last year’s results were once again excellent. We were ranked 1st in the Salford area, including all state primaries and prep schools. And although our small size does not permit our official ranking in other league tables, our last 3 years’ results would have ranked us 67th in the Sunday Times league table of the top 250 Prep Schools in the country (up from 137th last year), an absolutely outstanding result.
The children again did wonderfully well, almost all the Prep 8 children sat exams for either independent schools or state grammar schools, and they were all successful in receiving place offers. These included offers from: Bolton School (Boys division), Bolton School (Girls division), Bury Grammar School (Boys), Bury Grammar School (Girls) as well as bursaries and scholarships for Bridgewater School. In recent years we have also had offers from Manchester Grammar School, Withington, Manchester High School for Girls, Altrincham Grammar School for Girls, Sale Grammar School and Urmston Grammar School. The school’s SATs results for Key stage 1 showed another 100% pass rate at level 3 – a marvellous result putting ALL our 7 year olds in the top 25% of achievers nationally and well ahead of local schools. The Foundation Stage Profile, completed by children at the end of the Reception year (Prep2), showed all children to be working well ahead of national averages and well into Key Stage 1.
Many of you will know that there is much more about the school than just excellent results. Our huge commitment to Drama in the curriculum has long been a traditional strength in the school and again we saw some wonderful class productions at both Christmas and Easter. With so many moving and unforgettable performances, I shared again the sense of pride that the parents felt watching their children perform so well and with such confidence. The drama club’s production of Rocky Monster Picture Show, following on from their success with Bugsy last year was thoroughly enjoyable and together with the leavers festivities in July left many happy memories, which I am sure will be fondly remembered for a long time.
The children have again performed very well in sports, representing the school at various events including; the Eccles Swimming Gala, the Beech House Athletics and the Bolton School Junior Sports Challenge. Our Swimmers achieved the best results, with the boys’ squad coming first in the Eccles Gala and the girls 3rd. Sean Astley also won the individual boys trophy. Both the Football and Netball teams have performed well with good wins over Branwood. We finished 3rd in the Bridgewater Netball Tournament and were runners up in the Bolton School Football Tournament. The Cross-Country team have also performed well in the Salford Schools league.
NEXT YEAR – For many there will be important decisions to be made during the coming year. Parents with children in the nursery school who are 4 years old before the end of August 2008 will need to decide whether they wish their child to stay on into Prep 2 in September 2008. The coming years are hugely formative for children of this age and I do feel it is essential to ensure that their excellent start and positive attitude to school and learning is continued, developed and supported by plenty of confidence-building achievements.
Finally, I must thank my teaching staff, who make everything possible. The benefit of having a motivated and experienced team, fully committed to the ethos of the school cannot be overstated. We really do believe and EXPECT that ALL children are capable of achieving a good to high standard of education, a belief fully justified by our results. Many schools simply don’t believe that all their children can achieve and expect very little from many of them. At this school we will not label individuals as low achievers but work to try to maximise the potential in all children. I feel that the results speak for themselves.
Mrs. Emma L Howard. MA. BA(hons). PGCE - Head of Prep School
The pupils respond enthusiastically to all their lessons and enjoy their successes. There is a healthy sense of competition in the work but this does not prevent children from helping each other out when necessary—OFSTED June 2004