Junior Department
Junior Department (3 to 10 years)Foundation Unit (3 - 5 year olds) and Key Stages 1 and 2 (5 – 10 year olds) Facilities The Junior Department has its own large house, with a garden, Centenary pond and a rubber-surfaced playground. These facilities are situated on the same site as the Senior School. The Foundation Unit consists of two well-resourced classrooms, a new outdoor classroom, a bustling activity room, a quiet reading room and a safe, self-contained playground. These areas provide opportunities for creative and stimulating learning experiences. Interactive whiteboards aid active learning and multi-media teaching. Our classrooms for Years 1 to 5 are well-resourced, having their own computers, wet areas and televisions. Most classrooms have interactive whiteboards to aid active learning and multi-media teaching. Our well-stocked, modern library helps the girls to foster excellent study skills. The adjacent ICT suite, complete with an interactive whiteboard, provides individual workstations, which are linked to the school’s network and the internet. These facilities combine to enable pupils to access a range of up-to-date information to support their studies. Our Junior Hall ensures that pupils benefit from a large space for dance, drama, music and physical education lessons. This space is well-equipped with a climbing frame and stage lighting for our performances. Every girl enjoys a hot lunch, prepared in our kitchens. Members of staff encourage good table manners and etiquette through their supervision. Curriculum Our aim at Leicester High School is to provide a broad education in sympathy with the National Curriculum, which is flexible enough to allow for individual interests and talents to be developed. In the Foundation Unit we provide an Early Years Curriculum, using the six areas of learning, with an emphasis upon Communication, Language and Literacy skills and Problem-solving, Reasoning and Numeracy. The other areas include Knowledge and Understanding of the World, Creative Development, Physical Development and Personal, Social and Emotional Development. Children in our Foundation Class are introduced to letters and synthetic phonics, numbers and counting through a multi-sensory approach. In our Reception Class they are taught the initial skills of reading, writing and mathematics, in order to progress onto the National Curriculum. All the girls spend a high proportion of their time in structured play. They are encouraged to independently investigate the world around them through their play. All pupils are encouraged to be independent learners and to develop their creative thinking skills. The girls gain a thorough grounding in the basic academic skills, which lays the foundations for the rest of their lives. From Year One to Year Five the girls are taught lessons in English, Mathematics, Science and Information Technology, French, Art and Design Technology, Dance and Drama, Religious Education, Geography, History, Physical Education and Swimming. The girls are all prepared for the Senior School Entrance Examination in Year 5. Senior school links The Junior and Senior Schools are closely linked. Junior girls regularly use the Senior School’s facilities, view Senior girls’ work and attend whole school assemblies. Senior girls support events and voluntarily help within the Junior Department. Year 5 attend induction sessions in the Senior School to ensure smooth progression into Year 6. Teaching Fully-qualified and dedicated teachers, supported by nursery nurses and teaching assistants, use their skill and expertise to ensure that pupils enjoy learning. Small class sizes guarantee individual support and personal attention. Our focused, purposeful environment helps all our girls to succeed and reach their full potential. Through continual assessment we are able to track pupil progress and pinpoint individual needs. Using their knowledge of each pupil the staff provide learning programmes to support learning, or challenge those who are gifted and talented. Opportunities to view pupil’s work, teacher consultations and reports ensure excellent home-school liaison. At every opportunity pupils are praised and encouraged, which in turn promotes self-confidence and a desire to strive for excellence. Individual achievement is celebrated and teamwork is recognised through the House System in Years 3, 4 and 5. Every day our energetic and enthusiastic teachers make learning fun and interesting; constantly finding new ways to challenge their pupils’ thinking. Activities We offer a wide range of stimulating activities and clubs, led by the school staff and external specialists. The programme includes art, ballet, choir, drama, First Aid, gardening, gymnastics, Latin, needlework, netball, recorder and tennis. Many girls enjoy individual peripatetic music, speech and drama lessons. The girls in our Reception Class have weekly ballet lessons with our qualified ballet teacher. Trips are organised to places of interest to extend the classroom-based learning. In Years 4 and 5, the girls enjoy a residential visit, experiencing outdoor pursuits, such as rock-climbing and caving. Throughout the year visitors and performers provide lively experiences to enjoy, motivating our pupils to produce exciting work. Our vibrant productions, festivals and thought-provoking services all provide a platform for girls to practise their Performing Arts skills, developing their confidence and self-assurance. Ethos The girls join a community in which they grow and learn together in a happy, settled and friendly environment. We emphasise good behaviour, social skills and manners within a framework of individual respect and collective responsibility. |
