The Junior Years

Junior Years

The Junior Years offer a first-rate, engaging primary education for children between the ages of around 5-11 (P1-P7).  The programme in our Junior Years provides our pupils with the knowledge and experiences that enable them to become happy and successful learners, equipped with the skills to reach their full potential.

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Overview

In the Junior Years, in which L1-L7 equates to P1-P7, our pupils develop the essential skills that form the foundation for successful long-term learning. Our focus is not only on the future though; our inspiring all-round education ensures that our children are also acquiring the abilities that they require to thrive at this current vital developmental stage in their lives. Within a friendly, supportive and welcoming environment, our goal is to allow our pupils to be happy, rounded young learners.

To support all our pupils’ varying needs we have an extensive system of pastoral care, designed to ensure that each child is secure and confident, both in and out of the classroom.

We recognise too that each child is an individual, with his or her own unique talents and personality.  We aim to nurture their strengths and help them to develop new skills and interests so that they can achieve what they are truly capable of, with our extensive co-curriculum helping us to reach this goal.

Class sizes

In order to know children as individuals and give them the individual attention they require, we believe that class sizes should be small.  In L1 and L2, numbers are capped at 20. As the children progress through the junior years class sizes may increase, whilst still maintaining high quality education tailored to the needs of each individual.

Staffing

We believe that a school is built on people.  We are fortunate to have a very dedicated team of class teachers, who provide the main focus for each child, and a Principal teacher, two Deputy Heads and a Head of Junior School, all of whom are part of the teaching complement. In addition, our Senior School specialist teachers take many of our Junior years for ICT, drama, PE, music, modern languages, health and food technology and art. There are also four Classroom Assistants who give very valuable support in classrooms, organising and supervising practical activities or giving extra individual support to children who are experiencing difficulties.

Support For Learning

Our Learning Skills staff work closely with the class teachers to provide in-class support to pupils across all Junior Years. In Junior Years, the key focus of Learning Skills support is to reinforce literacy skills and children may be invited to attend the department to receive small group support with phonics, spelling, working memory, reading and comprehension. The amount and type of support a child receives will vary depending on their individual needs. 

Facilities

The Junior School is housed in the Margaret Harris building, a beautiful structure dating from the late 19th Century.  The traditional exterior belies modern facilities, with classrooms equipped with the likes of interactive whiteboards. 

The Junior School also makes full use of a purpose-built ICT suite, a well-stocked library and the extensive indoor and outdoor sports facilities at Mayfield for pupils in L4 and upwards.

Technology

To ensure our pupils are equipped with the skills they need to get ahead in the 21st century, children in the Junior Years harness the power of tablet technology. Pupils in L6 and L7 use iPads as part of their everyday learning in the classroom, utilising the devices under supervision and where and when appropriate. Children in younger year groups also make use of class sets of iPads, again supervised and where and when appropriate.