Prep Curriculum

English is at the heart of the curriculum; the ability to communicate effectively in English, infer accurately and respond with sensitivity is vital to a child’s development at The Hampshire School Chelsea. A balance is sought between linguistic and literary, oral and written, creative and technical skills. We aim for all our pupils to develop a love of reading and writing.  We do this through the use of high quality texts that stimulate and excite the children’s imaginations so they can use these authors as mentors to inspire their writing.

A high quality mathematics curriculum nurtures in children the ability to reason mathematically, and have a sense of excitement and curiosity about the subject. As pupils learn Mathematics, they need to acquire fluency in procedures and develop a conceptual understanding if they are to be able to solve increasingly complex problems. The implementation of ‘Inspire Maths’ curriculum, a Singapore approach to teaching mathematics, across the pre-preparatory school, enhances pupils’ performance with an approach that starts with the concrete and pictorial and leads to abstract conceptual competency at an early age.  The curriculum is thorough and delivers challenging academic content to stretch all our pupils, with the ultimate goal being to achieve mastery in the subject. Whilst preparing the children for the rigours of their future education, the Inspire Maths approach is engaging, ‘hands on’ and tailored to individual needs. Mathematics in the Prep School is based on the ISEB syllabi, National Curriculum KS2 and KS3, and the requirements for selective independent senior school entrance tests.

Inquiry, collaboration, and an emphasis on process-based learning are at the heart of our approach to science, technology, engineering, the Arts and mathematics (STEAM) which encourages wonder, critique, inquiry, and innovation. We also place great emphasis on equipping our children with the emotional literacy they will require to negotiate the vicissitudes of life and thus to find happiness and fulfilment.

Our science curriculum leads to scientific literacy and is a portal to a world of possibilities developing in children an understanding of how the world works. At The Hampshire School Chelsea, we approach the teaching of science as a process of acquiring knowledge rather than teaching a body of knowledge. The science curriculum in the Prep School prepares the children for 11+ senior school entrance examinations.

Modern Foreign Languages are an integral part of the curriculum. French is the main language taught to all children from Pre-Nursery to Year 6. Within the curriculum, French is the study of the language, written and spoken, and the development of practical communication skills. It also encourages interest in and understanding of French speaking countries through study of and exposure to their society and culture. For our fluent or native French speakers, differentiation to an advanced level takes place during the school day in lessons and clubs. Italian is offered as a club and when demand is high we are able to offer a Spanish and Latin clubs.

The humanities subjects of geography, history and the Theology, Philosophy and Religion (T.P.R.) are taught as distinct subjects and as humanities in the Prep School and Pre-Prep where the timetable refers to this area of the curriculum as ‘topic’.

History is a fascinating record of human experience showing us how the past has shaped the present. We believe that this common inheritance is a vital subject of learning and enquiry, if only to understand how the modern world has evolved. It is delivered with our younger children through a structured curriculum and ‘stories’, while the older children embrace the vast spectrum of social, political, economic and cultural aspects, provides a whole raft of valuable cross-curricular and PSHEE links. The curriculum is brought to life through ‘hands-on’ experiences such as dramatic re-enactments of historical events and educational visits.

Historical skills such as evidence gathering, interpretation, analysis, persuasive argument, and cogent writing enhance literacy and critical thinking, thus preparing children to meet the complex challenges of the modern world.

Our geography curriculum is about understanding the world in which we live on a global to a local scale and is an essential component in preparing young people for life in the twenty-first century. It is concerned with the interaction between people and places. It teaches the skills of data handling, numeracy, literacy, problem-solving, collaboration, analysis, research, decision making, creativity and ICT, all of which prepare children for life.

T.P.R is increasingly incorporating some of the philosophical questions and links closely with current affairs. It allows children to link the study of religions to their own lives and experience.

Art is a significant area within our curriculum and is taught in our dedicated Art Room. It is a subject that includes many skills through a variety of mediums and we aim to enrich pupils’ artistic development through a range of experiences.

Physical Education, music and the Arts play a central role in developing a child’s confidence, social and personal skills and in these curriculum subjects we incorporate and encourage a variety of key attributes including enjoyment, perseverance, resilience, communication, team work and leadership.

Our extra-curricular activities programme is extensive and these activities are about discovery of interest, talents and passions. The alchemy that happens when ‘opportunity’ meets ‘yet’ is very powerful and all our pupils at The Hampshire School Chelsea flourish and enjoy celebrating their achievements.

There is a thriving music department at The Hampshire School Chelsea with a high percent of pupils learning a musical instrument from one of a team of 11 visiting music teachers. Children develop a love for music through a wide range of opportunities from singing in a school concert or a school play to performing their musical instrument in front of an audience. There is the opportunity for every individual to be part of something musical at The Hampshire School Chelsea.

Drama at The Hampshire School Chelsea is inspiring and exciting. Every pupil from Early Years to Year 6 has weekly drama sessions with a specialist drama teacher, giving them a real opportunity to develop their performance skills. All children in Years 5-6 have the opportunity to take part in a drama production during the year, which is performed to parents and the rest of the school. Drama workshops delivered by visiting leading professionals further develop the children’s performance techniques and confidence.

We offer a LAMDA club which is a very successful programme for developing the children’s projection skills and confidence.

The Hampshire School Chelsea has a fully-equipped IT suite as well as classroom iPads available to all pupils.

Ensuring the children learn about how to stay safe on the internet is paramount and this is reinforced in ICT lessons as well as in other lessons across the curriculum.

ATOM learning is a new online learning platform, introduced to children in the Prep School this year that is also taught in weekly lessons. It is an adaptable programme that aids the children with improving their verbal and non-verbal reasoning skills.