At St Olave's Prep School, we aim to develop happy young people with confidence and learning skills to cope with the demands of the senior school they move to, whether that be an independent, state or grammar school. Our preparation towards 11+ is gradual and supportive, placing our knowledge of the individual child at the heart of the process. In Year 5 and 6, children are taught to use and apply this knowledge and to have well-honed exam techniques through exposure to various practice papers. Alongside developing a growth mindset, this fosters a sense of resilience to approach the process with confidence.
Our dedicated teachers work closely with pupils and parents to give them the tools they need for their 11+ journey. One of the many benefits of our smaller class sizes is the personal attention lavished on each child to be prepared for their transition to secondary school. We are fortunate to have a dedicated, specialist teacher who works with our Year 5 and 6 children on their 11+ preparation, whether for grammar school, independent school or comprehensive school entrance examinations.
Alongside academic rigour, we continue to value and champion an enhanced, creative curriculum inspired by active learning where children develop a lasting love of learning and develop strong study habits.
The development of a growth mindset fosters a love of learning and helps develop happy young people with the confidence and learning skills to cope with the demands of whichever senior school they go to.
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Our youngest children experience problem solving and critical thinking through our curiosity approach. Alongside high quality teaching in English and mathematics, children are exposed to reasoning through games and puzzles. Reading forms the foundation for all future success, so high importance is placed on phonics, fluency and developing a love of reading for pleasure and enjoying a wide range of books. We also encourage our youngest children to start developing hobbies and interests by joining after school clubs, starting to learn a musical instrument and, from Year 2, taking Speech and Drama lessons. Interventions for any children requiring additional support take place during the school day in addition to timetabled lessons.
In Year 3, high quality English and mathematics lessons continue and weekly verbal and non verbal lessons are introduced gently. The children start to receive home learning linked to these lessons. We continue to encourage our children to develop hobbies and interests by participating in after school clubs, learning a musical instrument and taking Speech and Drama lessons weekly. We also start to look more closely at any children who may be aiming for scholarships at 11+ in sport, music, art or drama, and conversations will take place with parents at Parents' Evenings if this is of interest at this stage. Reading continues to be a focus and children are encouraged to read a wide range of age appropriate books, focusing on widening their vocabulary. Interventions for any children requiring additional support take place during the school day in addition to timetabled lessons.
In Year 4, high quality English and mathematics lessons continue and weekly verbal and non verbal lessons are taught. The children continue to receive home learning linked to these lessons. We continue to encourage our children to develop hobbies and interests by participating in after school clubs, learning a musical instrument and taking Speech and Drama lessons weekly. We continue to look more closely at any children who may be aiming for scholarships at 11+ in sport, music, art or drama, and conversations will take place with parents at Parents' Evenings if this is of interest at this stage. Reading continues to be a focus and children are encouraged to read a wide range of age appropriate books, focusing on widening their vocabulary. Interventions for any children requiring additional support take place during the school day in addition to timetabled lessons. Parents will be invited to a secondary transfer meeting with a member of the Leadership Team to start to discuss next steps and give advice on future schools for your child.
In Year 5, high quality English and mathematics lessons continue and challenging twice-weekly verbal and non-verbal reasoning lessons continue. The children continue to receive home learning linked to these lessons, usually two pieces a night. We continue to encourage our children to commit to hobbies and interests by participating in after school clubs, learning a musical instrument and taking Speech and Drama lessons weekly. Reading continues to be essential and children are encouraged to read a wide range of age appropriate books, focusing on widening their vocabulary and higher level comprehension skills.
Children have weekly lessons with our dedicated, specialist teacher who works on key areas of 11+ preparation across the four areas of English, mathematics, verbal and non-verbal reasoning. Regular exposure to exam questions and papers in English, mathematics and reasoning ensures that the children develop confidence alongside the key skills required. ETAP (Exam Techniques and Practice) lessons take place during the Easter, May half term and summer breaks and after school ETAP clubs are also offered. School choice focused holiday homework packs are provided for all children. Parents are invited to individual meetings with Miss Holloway to discuss the secondary transfer process and together create a shortlist of schools to apply to.
In Year 6, high quality English and mathematics lessons continue and challenging twice-weekly verbal and non-verbal reasoning lessons continue until the end of the exam period in January for those sitting independent school examinations. The children continue to receive home learning linked to these lessons, usually two pieces a night. We continue to encourage our children to commit to hobbies and interests by participating in after school clubs, learning a musical instrument and taking Speech and Drama lessons weekly and scholarship preparation is linked to these areas. Reading continues to be essential and children are encouraged to read a wide range of age appropriate books, focusing on widening their vocabulary and higher level comprehension skills.
Children have weekly lessons with our dedicated, specialist teacher who works on key areas of 11+ preparation across the four areas of English, mathematics, verbal and non-verbal reasoning until the end of the examination period in January. Regular exposure to exam questions and papers in English, mathematics and reasoning ensures that the children develop confidence alongside the key skills required. School choice focused holiday homework packs are provided for all children sitting independent school exams. The Bexley 11+ exam takes place at school so the children are in their familiar surroundings with their class teachers and Miss Holloway supporting them.