Curriculum Overview
AIMS
At Hereward House we aim to provide a warm, welcoming and safe atmosphere in which every child can thrive and feel comfortable. Whilst embracing the highest academic aspirations for our boys, we believe that a school should not be an exam factory. We strive to create a stimulating, purposeful, safe, and happy community, where every child feels valued and secure. We aim to be a school where boys will be encouraged and assisted to develop academically, morally, emotionally, culturally and physically. It is our belief each one should enjoy his school days and reflect upon them with pride, pleasure and affection. We are preparing boys not just for senior school, but for life.
Our Departmental Policies and Schemes of Work take into account the ages, aptitudes and needs of all children at the school. This is because we believe that all pupils must have the opportunity to learn and make progress. Our curriculum is designed to allow pupils to acquire and develop speaking, listening, literacy and numeracy skills.
Since we are preparing boys not just for Senior School, but for the opportunities, responsibilities, and experiences of adult life in British society, we should inculcate a love of, and commitment to, learning for its own sake, and provide the framework of values that support a happy life. To encourage this we have developed a detailed programmes which enable boys to make informed decisions and develop respect for other people. In addition, we believe in giving boys responsibilities, which increase their sense of ownership and belonging to the school. Hereward House has an outstanding record of preparing boys for senior school entry and scholarships. Although it is our firm belief that school is about much more than exams, this success is fundamental to our raison d’être. Please see the school website for exit routes of CE1 (Year 8) boys and their recent scholarship successes.
Moral, spiritual, social, environmental, cultural, musical, creative and physical activities are also extremely important. It is important that we build on boys’ interests and experiences and provide many exciting and enriching co- and extra-curricular opportunities. Academic provision is almost entirely from specialists who are zealous about their subject. We believe profoundly that boys should enjoy learning and be inspired by it. Striving to fulfil potential is good in itself; achievement is rousing and drives boys on to reach even greater heights.
To allow boys to fulfil their potential we employ a variety of teaching methods that cater to different learning styles. As a base, we ensure that boys feel safe, are heard, are aware of what is expected, and are given appropriate time to learn and succeed. However, some boys learn well on their own, whereas others prefer to work in pairs or groups. Some boys are confident readers, whereas other will benefit from more discussion, and some through visual stimuli. Some boys need to see a demonstration, to re-enact scenarios, or to physically move objects. Our departmental policies, schemes of work and lesson planning highlight the ways in which we vary learning activities, and our schemes of work are updated yearly to ensure that our planning caters to the needs of those who need particular help, and to those who need extension work. In reality, most boys learn in a variety of ways and enjoy taking part in multiple types of activities.
We employ both traditional methods of teaching as well as modern methods, which can make a subject more accessible. We have a school library, which is updated annually with fiction and non-fiction in order to encourage reading and independent learning. A class set of laptops and iPads help to incorporate ICT into the curriculum and to enable boys to learn more independently. In most classrooms we now have interactive whiteboards which are used to illustrate information or to involve boys directly in activities. In addition, we make use of online resources, which help boys to make progress in subjects such as French, Geography and Mathematics.
Several departments also employ outdoor and enquire-based fieldwork strategies, especially the History, Geography and Science departments, which run several yearly excursions and fieldwork trips in London and further afield.