Lower School Syllabus to GCSE

All boys joining us at the age of 13 study a broad range of subjects for the first year. These are: English, Mathematics, French or Spanish, History, Geography, RS, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Art, Music, Drama, Design Technology, Information Technology.

The boys are streamed in Maths, English, French and Science to ensure that they are able to work at a comfortable level. The sets rarely exceed 12 pupils.

At the end of the Spring Term, they will make their choices for GCSE, and generally take between eight and 10 subjects forward into the next two years.

Each boy’s progress is monitored by his academic tutor and his housemaster, who are in turn updated continuously by their colleagues. Grades for attainment and effort are published every three weeks. Parents receive a brief report every half term and a full written appraisal at the end of every term. Parents are welcome to contact their child’s tutor or teachers by telephone or email at any time – in a small school, lines of communication are short and response times quick.

Our teaching philosophy
We shall encourage your son to make the most of the subjects he is best at, and to make the best of those he finds difficult. In some, he will forge ahead; in others, he may have to fight the good fight. Very few of us are good at everything. Because our class sizes are small, teachers can address the particular intellect and personality of each boy, urging him to work towards his personal best.

We are not about trying to score as many A*s as possible to satisfy the league tables, although naturally we are always delighted to get them. Results show that our teachers customarily raise achievement well beyond any prediction. Where they cannot, it is never for want of trying.

Click here to download our curriculum booklet, which contains details of GCSE courses.