Academic Success

Overview

From the start, our pupils are encouraged to voice their own ideas with clarity and confidence, as well as listen to and respect the opinions of others. All pupils regularly participate in debating activities, poetry recitals, theatrical productions and class assemblies – bringing undeniable benefit to their speaking and listening skills.

From Nursery to Reception, pupils are taught by their class teachers. From Year 1 onwards, pupils are placed in ability sets across each year group.

Public speaking and presentation opportunities increase as the children move through the school. We are honoured to be a licenced TEDx Centre – enabling pupils to write, practice, perform and film their very own Tedx Talks, which are then broadcast from Tedx’s global channel. Our pupils’ Tedx Talks have reached over 5 million views – a testament to the pupils’ professionalism, self-expression and communication skills.

A strong emphasis is placed on developing reading and writing skills, using a phonetic approach (‘Read, Write, Ink’) in the Early Years.

Reading

Pupils are encouraged to read a wide variety of fiction and non-fiction texts, making use of our well-stocked class libraries and whole school library. The children’s reading is greatly enhanced by our Home/School Reading Partnership, whereby parents, carers and grandparents regularly join us at school to listen to readers. Throughout the year, activities such as Book Week, World Book Day, Poetry Together and inspiring author workshops help cultivate a love of literature and a passion for reading.

Writing

In Nursery and Reception, writing is developed through topic work structured to improve cursive script. From Year 1, pupils take weekly English lessons in several formats:

• Comprehension – Pupils learn to look closely at what they are reading and, as they get older, reflect on what they are reading. This is subtle, yet vital preparation for the demands of the 11+ curriculum
• Composition – Learning to write in the styles of different genres, both non-fiction and non-fiction.
• Grammar and punctuation
• Spelling and handwriting

Children are expected to apply what they have learnt to their written work in all areas of the curriculum.

Click here for a suggested reading list.

Our Science Department aims to equip the children with a vast array of investigative skills, enabling them to confidently question the world around them. This enhances their scientific knowledge, while also empowering them to apply the learnt skills across other subjects throughout their education.

The National Curriculum is the foundation upon which the scheme of work in the Lower School is set. This, coupled with exceptional delivery, provides our pupils with every opportunity to succeed at the end of each Key Stage and Common Entrance level.

Our Science curriculum is delivered through a wide variety of mediums. We combine time in our state-of-the-art Science Labs with field trips and in-school visits, enabling each child to put theory into practice.

We always encourage the children to expand their minds. One way we facilitate this is through our popular STEM Club. Incorporating fun, imaginative experiments, the children explore the Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths subjects in a less formal setting.

At Eaton Square, we strive to develop confident problem solvers. Maths is therefore a vital part of life here. It is integrated into the daily programme of every year group within the school, with an hour of the teaching day dedicated to Maths.

The mathematical journey begins in Nursery and Reception with a firm grounding in the basic concepts of number, shape and measure. Taught through engaging, interactive activities, our pupils progress through the Junior Prep learning to perform and record calculations, and to collate and present data. Basic numeracy skills, such as times tables, are practised and consolidated to ensure that the more complex and challenging mathematical tasks undertaken in the Senior Prep are supported by a thorough understanding of key number facts.

We aim for all pupils to have acquired the multiplication facts to 12x by the end of Year 4. We use a fantastic platform called ‘Times Tables Rock Stars’ to help pupils to achieve this.

Pupils in all year groups regularly participate in House Competitions. Selected pupils from Years 5 and 6 can also represent the school in external maths competitions, including the Mathematical Association Primary Maths Challenge – a nationwide competition where Eaton Square achieves repeated success.

In the Summer Term, Year 6 pupils also take part in the UKMT Junior Challenge.

The school has a Maths calculation policy (here) to ensure continuity and progression in Maths skills throughout our school.

In our rapidly developing world, the use of technology naturally needs to form an integral part of every pupil’s learning experience.

At Eaton Square, we use digital resources in a range of ways to enrich the learning experience for each pupil. In doing so, we develop their foundational digital skills, all required for lifelong use.

Computing is taught in weekly lessons in our two Computing suites. Benefiting from desktops, laptops, tablets and other digital resources, pupils are expertly guided through the three key areas of computing: computer science, information technology and digital literacy.

From an early age, children are given access to a range of resources to develop their understanding of how computers work. They gain an excellent foundation in programming and coding through programmable Beebots and Probots, Scratch and Scratch Junior (used to create games), HTML coding (enabling them to build websites), and Minecraft: Education Edition. All these develop their computational thinking and problem solving skills.

Understanding how computers work allows the children to use technology to express themselves in many cross-curricular contexts. The key information technology and digital literacy skills learnt during Computing positively benefit several other areas, including presentation and communication skills, internet-based research and email use. Whether creating PowerPoint presentations on Ancient Egypt, researching and presenting the weather in India, or investigating the history of the internet, pupils truly embrace using computers in many interesting and engaging contexts.

Once the key Computing skills are secured, pupils apply their knowledge to deepen their understanding. This is most evident from Key Stage Two, where we have introduced individual devices for each child to use in the classroom. Using Surface Go Tablets, all pupils have immediate access to digital resources to enhance their learning, whether it be for creative writing, photography, film or digital communication.

We now also use Microsoft Teams and Atom Learning for all homework. This builds on the children’s excellent digital development during our periods of remote learning; and the reduced use of paper is of much delight to our Eco Committee!

As the natural centre of STEM subjects, Engineering challenges pupils to create innovative solutions to problems using the knowledge and skills they have learnt from Science, Technology and Maths.

Requiring the transferable life skills of problem-solving, resilience (trial and error is a natural part of the process) and teamwork (most projects are tackled in groups), Engineering develops broader character strengths. It is also highly useful for tackling the modern world’s challenges, thus further boosting our pupils’ environmental and humanitarian responsibility.

At Eaton Square, pupils are introduced to Engineering in Years 5 and 6. Engineering is taught through an open-ended, problem-solving, child-centred approach.