I felt immensely proud of the Year 2 children at the Celebration Assembly at the end of term. This is the first group of children that have made their way up through the Pre-Prep whilst I have been Headteacher. It was phenomenal to see them perform and deliver their lines with great assurance. This group of ‘leavers’ has a different breed of
confidence.
The source of this confidence comes partially from the teaching methodology we use here in the Pre-Prep. One of the changes I made as Head was introducing the Read
Write Inc. Programme. The out-going Year 2 are the first year to have been through the programme since Reception, and I think they are the best prepared yet for Year 3. With Read Write Inc. we teach the children to work effectively with a partner to explain and consolidate what they are learning. By doing this, the children have effectively become teachers and if you can teach something to someone else you ultimately demonstrate a deeper understanding.
This methodology has also, for the most part, fulfilled another of my aims: I wanted to step away from the ‘hands up’ culture and have 100% participation in lessons. The interactive nature of Read Write Inc. means we no longer have the situation where teachers hear the thoughts and ideas of just a few of the children in the classroom.
A further initiative we introduced to the Pre-Prep is Inspire Maths, a programme designed to enable ‘mastery’ in maths – essentially ensuring that children are confident and
competent. I have seen a massive impact of this programme on the children’s problem solving and maths skills. The other day I even witnessed a 4 year old (Alastair Kitchin)
demonstrating how this method works: he was looking at eggs in front of him and said there were 8 eggs. I asked how he knew. “Because there’s 5 and 3” was the confident
reply.
Progress does not stop here. I am delighted we are introducing Forest School in September to all the children in the Pre-Prep. Children are often stimulated by the
outdoors and typically experience, over time, an increase in their self-belief, confidence, learning capacity, enthusiasm, communication, teamwork and problem-solving skills. We also know that children who spend time outside are calmer, happier, healthier and more creative. Forest School will enhance their experience of school and help them do even better. It’s a win-win!
