Full time education begins in the two Reception Classes, both of which have a class teacher and a full-time early-years practitioner to ensure that the sixteen children in each class receive plenty of individual attention and help. Children progress from the Early Learning Goals to the National Curriculum during the Reception year.
Strong emphasis is put on acquiring literacy and numeracy skills. Joined-up handwriting is taught from the start of the year and children are heard reading on a daily basis.
Creative artwork plays an important part in the curriculum and the colourful displays in the classrooms and around the school help to make a bright and stimulating learning environment. Daily physical education or movement lessons take place and ICT, science, design technology, religious studies, geography, history, drama and music are all included in the curriculum; but time for imaginative and free play is also built into the daily routine.
In Year One and Year Two swimming and games are introduced, taught by Highgate School’s specialist teachers, in addition to the subjects listed above. High academic standards are aimed for, whilst maintaining breadth and balance in the curriculum. The school prides itself on excellence in the creative and performing arts: all pupils from the Nursery upwards take part in two major dramatic productions a year enabling them to develop confidence in performing in front of others. Tuition is offered in the violin and cello, with about twenty-five pupils learning these instruments. All children are taught the recorder in Year Two.
An Arts Week and a Science Week are held each year with many visiting professionals who contribute to stimulating programmes of events in these areas of learning.
All classes go on at least one visit a term to museums, art galleries, theatres and other places of interest.
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