PUBLISHED 01 March 2020
23rd April, 1.30-4pm
Our forthcoming Nursery and Preparatory School Open Afternoon & Mad Hatter’s Tea Party/Craft session on 23rd April, 1.30-4pm provides an opportunity for families to explore our school on a normal working day.
Young visitors are invited to take part in an Alice and Wonderland themed treasure hunt around our school, whilst their parents are able to speak to staff to find out what makes an AKS education so unique. Vistors will end the afternoon in the Hall, for our Mad Hatter's Tea Party and craft session.
Both current and prospective parents are welcome to see what is special about our school and to meet our students and teachers who bring our community to life.
To find out what you can expect from our school, please view our Preparatory School videos.
Our Nursery
We have a caring and friendly all year-round nursery where staff welcome children from the age of two years old. Our staff care for children as individuals, supporting their social, emotional, physical and academic development. French lessons are taught, and the children’s creative talents are encouraged in specialist music and dance lessons.
Our commitment to building foundations for life is reflected in the results of our parent surveys, with 100% of those with children in our Early Years classes reporting that ‘My children’s development is well supported at AKS’, ‘My child(ren) are treated as individuals at AKS’, ‘I’m confident that my child(ren) will be well prepared to move on to the next class at the end of the school year’ (Parent Survey, February, 2019).
Our Preparatory School
We ensure each child achieves their individual academic ambition. Every child is challenged in their lessons each day, inspired by creative teachers to do their very best.
Our students do not sit SATs, enabling us to keep our curriculum as broad as possible throughout the year and formatively assess the children each term. This enables us to set learning targets for each child and tailor their learning accordingly. In Year 6, 60% of students are working beyond age-related expectations for reading and 40% in their writing and over 60% in their mathematics.
A love of investigative science is nurtured, and coding is taught to the children in specialist computing lessons. French, Spanish and German are also taught by specialist teachers. Similarly, the humanities are taught creatively and is explored in greater depth across the curriculum, including creative writing, field trips and art. There is a strong culture of performance, from assemblies to music concerts and plays each term.
Sport is central to our commitment to the physical and mental wellbeing of the children in our care. We are outstanding in hockey and enjoy success in the disciplines of rugby, football, netball, athletics, cricket, rounders and tennis.
Character education is central to our commitment to the emotional, personal and social development of our students. Through the Round Square Discovery Framework, we inspire our students to develop their skills of self-awareness and personal responsibility, teamwork and resilience, both at school and more intensively on annual residential trips which take place from Year 3.