St. Michael’s Preparatory Schoolstmikesc.nextmp.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/St-Michaels-Prep-… · strengths. Small class sizes ensure that learning is tailored to the individual

St. Michael’sPreparatory School

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A word from the Head

“Having taught at St. Michael’s before becoming Head of the Preparatory School,

I have always been proud and passionate about working in a school, which gives

children a love of learning.

With small classes, we are able to ensure that the whole school is an excellent

learning environment, which inspires, excites and celebrates effort and achievement.

The ethos of our school is one that encourages each child’s natural curiosity to learn,

to ensure that every learner experiences success.

St. Michael’s is a school where each member of staff knows and values each child.

We harness and develop each child’s interests and talents and provide endless

opportunities thus, educating the whole child, both academically and socially.

We provide an education, which is enriching, enjoyable and fulfilling.

I value and respect every member of the school community and everyone is

encouraged to take responsibility, to make a contribution, to make a difference

and to achieve their full potential.”

Mari Davies BA Ed (Hons) PG Dip EdHead of Prep School


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Life at St. Michael’s

“Laying the foundations for the futureacademic success of our pupils forGCSE, A Level and beyond...”

St. Michael’s School was established in 1923 and after many years of academic success at Senior level, demand was such that a Preparatory Department was started in 1985 with just six junior pupils. So successful was the department that with the addition of a Pre-Prep it has grown into a school in its own right.

With a dedicated and hardworking staff, St. Michael’sPreparatory School is one of Wales’ leading Independent Schools.

Through continuous assessment and regular examinations we are quickly able to identify pupils'strengths. Small class sizes ensure that learning is tailored to the individual and that they are challengedthroughout their school life.

We aim to create an environment where pupils feelcared for and respected. We nurture and support ourchildren to develop confidence in their own abilities ensuring each child reaches their full potential.

We successfully combine traditional methods with a broad and well balanced curriculum, designed to enthuse and inspire our pupils, whilst aiming to challenge each child’s natural desire to learn.


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Early Years and Pre Prep (ages 3-6)

“Fostering the natural curiosity of our children to learn...”

For children entering the school at Early Years level we provide a springboard for learning through a balance of structured teaching and play, promotingand developing confidence, independence and perseverance.

Nursery and Reception pupils have their own enclosedplaying area with climbing frames, slides, tricycles andscooters to aid the development of gross motor skillsand provide a place for fun.

Curriculum

We offer a wide range of subjects to ensure that even our youngest pupils receive a broad and balanced curriculum. The formal teaching of Mathematics andEnglish, which are the fundamental building blocks tounderstanding and learning, begins in Nursery.

We do not underestimate our pupils and realise how important it is to foster a positive attitude towards learning from the very start.

The curriculum is about the child; it is concerned not only with content of learning but also its context. It is designed to provide active involvement and relevant first hand experiences for the child in an environment rich with possibilities.

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The Early Years and Pre Prep curriculum is designed to inspire and challenge each child’s naturalability to learn.

It is the aim of the whole school to create a loving, caring, relaxed atmosphere where our young children become happy, confident, interested in life and enthusiastic about learning.There is an overlap between the Early Years and Pre Prep curriculums to ensure smooth transition between key development phases.

All pupils take part in assemblies and the Christmas concert and many are involved in thePreparatory School Choir, the Senior School Orchestra and String Group.

Educational visits are organised to support and enhance the delivery of the curriculum. Outings to sites of national heritage, local sites of importance and field trips help bring learningto life. Our pupils’ social development is also very important to us. Activity holidays as well asvisits to local theme parks and Father Christmas further enhance our school year.

MONDAYDISCUSSIONSOF WEEKENDNEWS/DIARY

WORK

GAMES CHANGE FORLESSONS

COMPLETEDIARY WORK

HANDWRITING

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

I.T

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

I.T

WELSH/R.E/CIRCLE TIME/

P.S.E

WELSH/R.E/CIRCLE TIME/

P.S.E

TUESDAY MOVEMENT ENGLISH MATHS MATHS SCIENCE SCIENCE MUSIC SCIENCE

WEDNESDAY ENGLISH ENGLISH MATHS MATHS ART ART FRENCH RHYMETIME

THURSDAYMUSIC

EXPRESS

MATHS

MATHS ENGLISH ENGLISHKNOWLEDGE

AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

HISTORY/GEOGRAPHY

CUTTINGSKILLS

SONG TIME

FRIDAY ENGLISHSPELLING

ENGLISHSPELLING

GAMES MATHSCOMPLETE

UNFINISHEDWORK

FREE CHOICE

FREE CHOICE DRAMA STORY TIME


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Older Years Prep 1-4 (ages 7-11)

“Small classes allow staff and pupils time to work together...”In the Junior School the formal teaching of Mathematicsand English continues and is complemented with ‘traditional’ classroom settings.

The Curriculum continues to offer our pupils variety whilststill achieving a solid grounding in the basics.Teaching andlearning is based on staff understanding and challengingeach child as an individual.

MONDAY ENGLISH ENGLISH PE MATHS

MUSIC MATHS

ENGLISH ENGLISH

MATHS MATHS

ENGLISH ENGLISH

HISTORY HISTORY

ART/DT ART/DT

SCIENCE SCIENCE

MUSIC P.S.H.E

SCIENCE SCIENCE

MATHS WELSH

SCIENCE SCIENCE

R.E P.E

GEOGRAPHY GEOGRAPHY

I.C.T. I.C.T.

B

R

E

A

K

B

R

E

A

K

L

U

N

C

H

DRAMA P.E

MATHS MATHS

MATHS MATHS

FRENCH ENGLISH

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

Great emphasis is placed on planning the curriculum so that there is continuity and progression, challenge and pace to prepare our pupils for the Senior School.

The school's curriculum consists of:

Core Subjects: English, Mathematics, Science and I.C.T.

Foundation Subjects: Art, Design and Technology, Drama,French, Geography, History, Music, PE, R.E. and Welsh

To further enhance learning we include Personal, Social, and Health Education (PSHE) and for linguistic diversity wealso offer Chinese.


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Education is a partnership between home and school and we place a great deal of emphasis on our relationship with parents. We believe that children learn best when home and school work together for their benefit.

Children coming into the school bring a wealth ofknowledge and understanding about the worldaround them. It is our aim to build on these skills and promote a willingness and enthusiasm to learn.

The wide ranging curriculum will stimulate your childto acquire knowledge and develop individual skills.Children’s achievements both in and beyond the classroom are celebrated in our weekly awards assembly and newsletter and everyone enjoys regularsuccess and praise during their time in school. We encourage children to become independent and confident in both their work and social development.

I.C.T.

Our pupils enjoy the use of individual laptops. Nurseryand Reception pupils learn simple keyboard skills ontheir class computers, whilst pupils from Pre Prep 1 to Prep 4 use the laptops across the curriculum, working on tasks as varied as basic text manipulationto databases, spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations. We also have the assistance of the Senior School I.C.T technician. Each classroom is fullyequipped with internet linked PC's, where staff encourage pupils to complete their own research forall areas of the curriculum. Once again the smoothtransition to the Senior School is ensured.

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Ethos and Culture

St. Michael’s Preparatory School encourages pupils to show honesty, display tolerance and respect the needs of others.

Here at St. Michael’s we are not only about academic success, we appreciate our pupils as individuals and know how important it is for them to be exposed to a wide range of stimulating activities.

Dance, Drama and Speech play very important roles in the school and every one of ourpupils aged from three to eleven are involved in our school productions and are able to take modern dance and ballet lessons.

Chess club is extremely popular and is open to pupils from Pre Prep 1 – Prep 4. We have our own termly tournaments and our pupils attend local and National competitions.

We have a thriving Orchestra, String Group, Wind Ensemble and Choir, all of whom benefitfrom involvement with our Senior School musicians and teaching staff.


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Sport for all

“Where both participation and competition are valued...”Sport can help to develop confidence and a positive mental attitude that permeates all aspectsof a child's life. Here at St. Michael’s we aim to develop a love of sport that will last our childrena lifetime and in offering such a wide range of sports feel confident that we have something forevery ability and interest.

We hold Infant and Junior Sports' days, that allow pupils to participate and become a valuedmember of a team. We also have extremely successful tennis, football, rugby, netball, cricket,rounders, orienteering, athletics and cross country teams all receiving first class coaching fromour team of specialist P.E. staff on our extensive playing fields and tennis courts. For juniorpupils we also offer swimming lessons with coaching at our local pool.

We also have two minibuses at our disposal for pupils to enjoy weekly fixtures against localschools.


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Homework

From Nursery through to Prep 4, homework is a part of our routine. We understand that learning does not take place solely at school and therefore homework is an opportunity for our pupils to share their learning experiences with their parents, as well as developing a good routine to meet later educational needs.

Homework enables the children to take pride in their work, develop good work habits and allows us to assess just how much children have understood and retained.

Our approach to homework is based upon a positive partnership between home and school.

In Early years, homework may be written or creative and at Pre Prep pupils will have English,Mathematics or topic related homework two to three times a week.

Key Stage 2 children are encouraged to use their diary as an ‘organiser’. All parents are asked to sign their children’s diary on a weekly basis. We greatly value the support of our parents withhome learning.

Junior children receive reading or written homework every night. Pupils are expected to readevery evening from the scheme or books chosen from the library.


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Healthy Eating

As a school, we actively encourage our children toadopt a healthy lifestyle. Our School Council runs afresh fruit stall and pupils are encouraged to drinkwater freely throughout the day during lessons.

The school provides nutritionally balanced, deliciousmeals cooked on the premises. Menus are sent home in advance and provide a vegetarian option. The children also have a choice of salads and a second pudding option of yoghurt and fruit. Meals can be booked weekly or daily.


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The School Council was established in 2008

Why do we have it?To make school more fun.To organise events for children.For children to have a say in the running of the school.

Who can join?Anyone from Pre Prep 1 to Prep 4 can put themselves forward for nomination. We have a very strong StudentCouncil with representatives from Nursery to Prep 4. The Council representatives raise funds for various charitiesas well as initiate improvements to the school environment.

They have so far:

• Set up a daily fresh fruit stall and banned sugary drinks to complement our healthy eating programme

• Raised funds to supply each child with a water bottle as part of our ‘keep hydrated’ campaign

• Bought a ‘Buddy Bench’ to ensure that no child is left alone during playtimes

• Played an integral role in the school gaining its Eco Schools’ Award

• Bought picnic benches and parasols to make our school more attractive

All of these extra activities help to enrich the quality of ourpupil’s learning experiences.

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Out of School ClubWe offer before and after school care facilities during the week for the benefit of working parents and have a holiday club which is always very popular with both parents and children. Both facilities are far more than a ‘baby sitting‘ service as we provide a wide variety of activities to keep the children interested and entertained. Pupils have full use of school facilities and resources. The staff who run the clubs also work with us during the school day, so know the children well, providing a happy and secure environment – to ensure your peace of mind.

Pre SchoolOpen from 8.00 a.m.

After SchoolOpen from the end of the school day.Monday to Thursday 3.30-5.30pmFriday 3.30-4.30pm

Holiday ClubOpen subject to demand, during the holidays.This facility is registered with CSSIW and is run by our support and teaching staff.

There is a nominal charge for these services.

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St. Michael's School (Bryn) Ltd. Registered in England and Wales No. 1424406

A member of Broadway Education Registered Address: Bryn, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, SA14 9TU

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