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Exciting school with dynamic plans ; INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS [Newcastle Evening Chronicle (England)]
[September 23, 2014]

Exciting school with dynamic plans ; INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS [Newcastle Evening Chronicle (England)]


(Newcastle Evening Chronicle (England) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Newcastle Preparatory School pupils skiing in Norway Newcastle Preparatory School pupils skiing in Norway pupils to develop a range of important skills and to take part in countrywide championships" - Independent Schools Inspectorate. Beyond the classroom there is an astonishing variety of activities which is always extending.



pupils to develop a range of important skills and to take part in countrywide championships" - Independent Schools Inspectorate. Beyond the classroom there is an astonishing variety of activities which is always extending.

There is always plenty to stimulate and inspire such as bicycle maintenance, comic and games, glee, street dance, photography, debating, cookery, design technology and art as well as the many sports clubs, choir, There is always plenty to stimulate and inspire such as bicycle maintenance, comic and games, glee, street dance, photography, debating, cookery, design technology and art as well as the many sports clubs, choir, Learning through experience and exploring - Year 5 puils Newcastle Preparatory School in the great outdoors Learning through experience and exploring - Year 5 puils Newcastle Preparatory School in the great outdoors NEWCASTLE Preparatory School (NPS) provides excellent primary education so that children build on firm foundations when they enter Senior School at age eleven, ready to embrace new opportunities and challenges.


Children experience success in every aspect of life through an enriched learning journey.

An excellent beginning "From the youngest children onwards, pupils' achievements are excellent as are their attitudes to learning" - Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) First Steps Nursery is where it begins for three and four year olds.

Experts in looking after young children, staff ensure nursery is a warm and welcoming place. In a safe and stimulating environment children are confident to explore, imagine and learn through a varied and carefully planned Early Years curriculum.

There are many high quality resources available both indoor and outdoor so that there are always new things for the children to enjoy.

Reception Classes are also great places for the learning journey to continue with each child eager to understand more about the world around them. With many different kinds of books available and varied games and equipment enriching the curriculum, all children acquire the skills they need to develop a real love of learning.

Continuing the learning journey "From the EYFS onwards pupils achieve high levels of knowledge, understanding and skills in both the subjects of the curriculum and in extra-curricular activities.

"Pupils read confidently, are most articulate and are able to reason logically. They have an extremely wide range of knowledge for their age. Younger pupils achieve excellent standards of literacy and older pupils write very well, both factually and creatively.

"Pupils' numeracy skills are very strong; they can work independently and think critically. Pupils use ICT competently across a range of subjects for research or to present their work. Pupils are most creative, as seen in the high-quality art work and in their work in English and music" - Independent Schools Inspectorate.

A broad based, creative curriculum allows the talents of children to be discovered and developed with everyone achieving success. Special focus weeks bring creativity to the fore, encouraging the whole school community to learn something new.

In such weeks NPS has been immersed in European culture and languages through a Europe Week with children receiving a passport to be stamped each day as they visited a different country.

Find Your Talent Week encouraged everyone to discover and develop new skills and during National Science Week practical experiments were carried out with all children throughout school from Nursery to Year 6 wearing white coats, goggles and blue gloves supplied by Procter and Gamble, with a team of professional scientists leading the way.

This academic year the focus is on 'Enterprise' so some budding entrepreneurs are soon to be recognised.

The enriched curriculum "Pupils have excellent attitudes to learning right through the school from the EYFS onwards. Their exemplary behaviour in the classroom strongly supports their overall achievement.

"They are skilled learners, capable of working both independently or co-operatively and can organise their work efficiently. In addition they work hard, are focused and willingly and confidently put forward their own ideas" - Independent Schools Inspectorate ICT In a technological age, children at NPS have access to the latest technology. There are iPads for children from Nursery all the way through school, Interactive Boards in all rooms, a computer suite, lap tops, Kindles and robots so that wide ranging computer knowledge and skills can be developed.

Foreign Languages From the age of three, 3 children at NPS learn French with an interactive approach, ensuring confidence in the spoken language.

Also children are introduced to Spanish and German so a good understanding of languages is fostered. To enrich general language development, Latin is taught and children really enjoy exploring and finding out the roots and origins of many English words.

Music, Art and Drama Vital to the lively curriculum are music, art and drama. Well resourced, stimulating music and art studios are busy places, alive with creativity. Children are encouraged to learn to play a musical instrument and a choir and orchestra perform regularly.

Through drama, children grow in confidence and become excellent public speakers and talented actors.

Parents enjoy watching many shows with recent highlights being a 1940s Radio Play written and composed by Year 6, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the Sound of Music.

Sport Excellent sports facilities include a purpose built sports centre with up to date equipment, a large games field, ball courts and an adventure trail.

An extensive range of sport is on offer; hockey, netball, rugby, football, tennis, cricket, handball, badminton, basketball, cross country running with gymnastics and trampolining along with the opportunity to swim every week at a local pool from age seven onwards.

Many fixtures with other schools take place and the Under 11 girls are winners of the Newcastle and Durham Independent Schools' tournament. Chess is played competitively too with children reaching national finals. NPS girls are ranked fourth in England.

Extra-Curricular "The varied and extensive extra-curricular programme provides a range of opportunities for pupils to develop their creative, sporting and academic interests.

"From gardening club to swing band and bicycle maintenance, the choice is excellent.

"Pupils are encouraged to try new clubs and to establish their own activity groups. The teaching of chess is strong, allowing pupils to develop a range of important skills and to take part in countrywide championships" - Independent Schools Inspectorate. Beyond the classroom there is an astonishing variety of activities which is always extending.

pupils to develop a range of important skills and to take part in countrywide championships" - Independent Schools Inspectorate. Beyond the classroom there is an astonishing variety of activities which is always extending.

There is always plenty to stimulate and inspire such as bicycle maintenance, comic and games, glee, street dance, photography, debating, cookery, design technology and art as well as the many sports clubs, choir, There is always plenty to stimulate and inspire such as bicycle maintenance, comic and games, glee, street dance, photography, debating, cookery, design technology and art as well as the many sports clubs, choir, orchestra and drama club.

There are regular day visits for the children to enhance the curriculum with residential outdoor learning courses as well as cycling in Holland and skiing in Norway.

A school that cares "Pupils said that they feel safe and that staff were always available to support them. This was evidenced in the overwhelmingly positive pupils' questionnaires and through some Year 5 pupils who stated that they 'loved this school' being 'the best school in the world.' .

"Links with parents are excellent. In their responses to the pre- inspection questionnaires parents were overwhelmingly positive about the school they would recommend the school to another person, feel that questions and concerns are handled quickly and well and that information and policies are easily accessible" - Independent Schools Inspectorate.

Very importantly, underpinning all that happens at NPS is excellent pastoral care, meaning that every individual child is valued, understood and nurtured.

There is an effective school council so that children's views are taken seriously and Buddy System ensures that no one feels alone.

Further development NPS is extremely successful in providing the best in primary education and is always continuing to develop and keep up to date. The learning environment is stimulating and interesting and there are further exciting plans to improve the facilities.

Plans have been submitted for approval to Newcastle City Council to extend the building to provide two new classrooms for reception, leading into a garden for early years, a performing arts area on the first floor to allow even more opportunities to showcase music and drama and a playground on the top so that children can enjoy creating, imagining and relaxing in the outdoors.

Within the existing building there will be further improvements by creating a larger area for ICT, the dining room will be completely refurbished and the kitchen will be extended.

If planning permission is given the new facilities will be ready for September 2016.

A forward looking school where every individual is valued, NPS is definitely a wonderful start to the world of education.

Margaret Coates , head teacher (c) 2014 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved.

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