The Academy School is Independent Secondary school in Selective for kids aged 6 to 14 (Gender - 6 to 14 )
The Academy School began in 1997, based on the principle that children should first and foremost be happy. They are a family school for boys and girls, where every child arrives each morning excited about the day ahead, and goes home animated by what they have done and learned that day. We cultivate a lively spirit of freedom alongside responsibility, so that our children learn to value themselves and others as individuals.The aim is that every child should feel safe, secure and understood, and we know that children whose emotional and intellectual needs are met are most likely to meet their full potential academically. We have a strong record of children going on to their preferred senior school (often with scholarships), and we are proud that we are known as much for our confident, happy children as for our traditional academic excellence.
Classics
An understanding of the classical world is first built up through lessons on classical civilisation, focussing on mythology and way of life in Ancient Greece and Rome. Latin language skills are then developed through following the Cambridge Latin Course, with older students translating increasingly complex passages. There is also an option to study Ancient Greek in addition to Latin, in the eldest years. Students are encouraged to explore how Latin, and classical civilisation relate to modern languages and culture, and to extend their English language skills through knowledge of Latin vocabulary and grammar.
English
Across all ages, we aim to inspire a love of reading that goes hand in hand with developing oral and written communication skills. Through class discussions and written assignments, our students develop skills in understanding and appreciating prose, poetry, and non-fiction, with classes studying texts originating across different time periods and countries. Spelling, punctuation and grammar lessons complement extended written projects, such as writing a novel for the year 6 book launch. In preparation for 11+ exams, children sit past papers in exam conditions to build up experience of the different exam formats and the ability to communicate ideas effectively under timed conditions. Small classes allow students the opportunity for plenty of class discussion at a high level. This develops their self-confidence in expressing themselves orally which alongside mock interviews helps enable our pupils to excel at interview for senior schools. We teach students not only to formulate and comunicate ideas, but to discover their imagination, and a genuine joy in reading and writing.
French
Younger students begin their study of French through building their spoken French; learning and practicing key conversational phrases. More formal grammar and vocabulary is then introduced, enabling students to confidently translate and compose written passages, in addition to improving their listening and speaking skills. French skills are used to gain insight into modern French culture, including music, cuisine and literature.
Maths
Maths lessons for younger students focus on building up a strong foundation of arithmetic, equipping them with a confidence with numbers and pattern spotting that enables them to progress to more advanced problem solving. Faster learners in the class are given extension questions to engage and challenge them, whilst those less confident are given individual support and encouragement, to ensure that every student can flourish and enjoy maths. Students take part and have had much success in national Maths competitions such as the Primary Maths Challenge and the Junior Maths Challenge. In the run-up to 11+, children do timed practice papers in exam conditions; individual feedback helps them to improve their exam technique and ensure that they are familiar with all the different types and formats of maths exam that they may encounter. By this time, children are not only confident in their knowledge of the syllabus, but also have an enjoyment for problem solving and excitement to continue studying maths.
Learning Support
Individualised learning support is provided to any child who has specific learning requirements such as mild dyslexia or dyspraxia. Our subject teachers and dedicated learning support teacher identify any difficulties and create a programme to address them. This includes one to one lessons or small group sessions in differentiated spelling, reading, handwriting or reasoning. This helps children learn in ways that play to their strengths and helps to develop self-confidence and independent learning. There is regular and frequent communication with parents so that appropriate support is provided both at school and home.
Reasoning
The range and quality of our curriculum and teaching helps all of our children to develop their cognitive ability to the greatest extent possible. Given the nature of the assessments for senior school which involve reasoning, often online, we provide an in-depth programme of Verbal and Non-Verbal Reasoning from year 5 onwards. This programme has been devised by our highly qualified teachers to cover all of the potential assessment tests your child may face. This programme, combined with the other aspects of our curriculum and teaching, ensures that your child is extremely well prepared for any assessment test for secondary school as is demonstrated by the results we achieve.
Please check the school website link for details.
0.14 miles
