West Dorset Living Jun - Jul 2023

ADVERTISING FEATURE
ON YOUR MARKS, GET SET, GO!
We all want our children to have the best start in
life and to fly out of the blocks. At Sherborne Prep
School (SPS) we know how valuable a positive
introduction to school life is. Mr Tom Briggs, Year
1 Teacher at Sherborne Prep School tells us more...
I was thrilled to join the team at the
Pre-Prep in September 2022 as the Year
1 teacher. I already knew a lot about the
school, as both my children are in the
Pre-Prep (my younger in Reception and
my older in Year 2); it’s become a bit of a
family affair!
So I speak from experience on both sides
of the fence when I say that at SPS we
really do provide the best educational
start. We keep class sizes deliberately
small, enabling teachers to really
understand their pupils, where they excel
and where they need support. This close
relationship means that we recognise
potential and nourish it early on. 1:1 work
is standard across the Pre-Prep, and all
children read every day to an adult.
We were all delighted to receive a recent
visit from the Independent Schools
Inspectorate (January 2023) as it gave us
the opportunity to show the inspectors
what a fantastic school we have. We were
even more delighted to find that they
agreed with us! The recently released
report found that SPS was found to be
excellent in ALL areas.
Children can join us the term they turn
three, in our self-contained Nursery.
Outdoor learning happens daily, with
a fantastic separate and secure play
space just for our youngest learners.
Overlooking our orchard (complete with
climbable apple trees!) our three-yearolds
quickly adapt to their first school
setting (they eat lunch in the main Prep
dining hall) and can see the progression
they will make as they join Reception in
the Pre-Prep building.
Our light and airy classrooms in the
modern Pre-Prep afford a perfect start
to a child’s formal education. Reception
has a double sized classroom, with plenty
of room for free play in several role play
areas; budding veterinarians have loved
recently playing in the ‘vets’ area Grace
Finney (our Reception teacher) spent
part of her halfterm building! They’ll have
the chance to put their play into action
soon as we begin to introduce animals to
the Pre-Prep; guinea pigs are top of the
wish list!
A Pre-Senior Baccalaureate school,
we teach Pre-Prep children to be
independent, work together, respect
each other and to persevere to overcome
adversity. Thus, ensuring that, from
Nursery onwards, children grow to be
life-long resilient, collaborative learners.
We encourage children in Reception to
climb the weekly ‘Challenge Mountain’
completing independent tasks. We
provide those in Year 1 and 2 with an
increasing amount of independence and
leadership roles as they grow to be the
biggest fish in the Pre-Prep pond.
We give all Pre-Prep children the best
opportunities to explore who they are and
what they enjoy. We have an extensive
enrichment programme that (aside from
one or two externally provided options)
is included within our competitive termly
fee. Violin, recorder, samba, choir? Why
not try them all?! Tennis, golf, dance,
gym? Sport is covered! Coding, art, DT?
Creativity after hours is no issue. Our
newly introduced Head’s Awards for
Pre-Prep could make a private education
more affordable.
A unique offering at SPS is provided by
our recent merger with Sherborne School
(SS). We are a secure school, which
will withstand the knocks and bumps
that inevitably come with straightened
times. Children benefit from the fantastic
facilities of the Sherborne Group (SPS,
SS and Sherborne International). PE
lessons take place either on site on our
own sports pitches, or in the Group’s
recently refurbished multimillion-pound
sports centre with heated indoor 25m
swimming pool.
Performances regularly take place at
Greenfields, the SS music centre and
Sherborne Abbey. Again, the smallest at
the beginning of their educational journey
benefit from seeing the road ahead, laid
out smoothly in front of them.
Pre-Prep children love their specialised
music, French, DT, IT, and art lessons
(every child exhibits their artwork in
our end-of-year gallery exhibition). The
Pre-Prep in-class curriculum (English,
Geography, Science and History) is
topicbased, with many cross-curricular
links ensuring that children really do make
the best possible start to their education.
Weekly Forest School visits mean that all
children grow in understanding their role
within nature and their responsibility for
it. The School’s active Friends Committee
recently refurbished our on-site pond,
providing a superb dipping site in which
to catch tadpoles!
Termly external visits –highlights so far
this year include Wookey Hole and Corfe
Castle – broaden children’s education
outside the classroom.
My daughters are now in their third year
at SPS, and I can say, without a doubt,
that choosing the Pre-Prep for them
was the right decision. They love going
to school and complain when it’s the
weekend or holidays! Fast starts? At
SPS we get children zooming down the
runway and soaring before you know
it! Why not come along and see for
yourself?
Sherborne Prep’s next open event is
Tuesday 6th June, 10am-12pm. To find
out more visit sherborneprep.org
18 | www.minervamagazines.co.uk