Oakridge Prep ages 4 to 13
Pre-Prep, Reception to Year 2
Four to seven. A classroom with a carpet in it, a teacher and a teaching assistant, and a morning that still has playing in it.
Reading from the first week
Phonics every morning, and a book read aloud to an adult twice a week.
Outside every day
Two breaks on the field or in the woods, whatever the weather is doing.
Specialists from Reception
Music, French, PE and swimming are taught by subject staff from the start.
Oakridge Prep ages 4 to 13
Lower Prep, Years 3 to 5
Seven to ten. Subject teaching starts properly, maths goes into sets, and the week opens out into languages, science and sport.
Latin and French
French from Year 3 and Latin from Year 4, both twice a week.
A year of an instrument
Every child in Year 3 learns an orchestral instrument, lent by the school.
First week away
Four nights on the coast in Year 4, the first time most of them have packed a bag.
Oakridge Prep ages 4 to 13
Upper Prep, Years 6 to 8
Ten to thirteen. Common Entrance, scholarship papers, and the year when a child starts running things rather than joining them.
Common Entrance
Prepared for in lessons, not in extra hours bolted onto the end of the day.
Scholarship sets
Separate maths, English and science sets for children sitting scholarship papers.
Responsibility
Year 8 runs the clubs, the library and the younger children’s reading, and it shows.
