Prep Overview
Year 3 to Year 6
Children 7 to 11 years old
At Hoe Bridge Prep School, we ask nothing more of your child than to do their best in every pursuit. This is echoed in the school motto: Semper Optimum Meum (Always My Best).
Many families join us from our Pre-Prep department, so are already familiar with the many benefits of a Hoe Bridge education and our unique ethos. These children, of course, can maintain the friendships they have made in their younger years, but also make new friends as others join us from different schools, their parents keen for their children to gain the best preparation for the next chapter of their education.
Children are then ready to continue their journey into Senior Prep and into our Senior School or leave us at the end of year 6 and 8 for education at external senior schools as happy, confident pupils who have achieved their best, frequently beyond their own and their parents’ expectations. Whichever path they take as they progress through formal education and life beyond, they will always remember and appreciate the excellent teaching, care and richness of experiences here.
Excellent teaching, robust values
We challenge children to become the very best they can, and they invariably rise to the occasion. Our highly qualified and motivated teaching staff collaborate to achieve the best outcomes for the individual child whilst following the robust curriculum, enriched by their own passion and enthusiasm. They teach our children to be self-learners (under the watchful guidance and knowledge of their teachers), which amply equips them to perform exceptionally well in assessments that become a natural part of their education. Children discover for themselves that achieving in one subject or other area of school life can be repeated in others with equal application and passion.
Respect, independence, confidence, courtesy, fairness, inclusiveness, charity and responsibility are fostered in the classroom, on the playing fields, over lunch and on our wonderful school trips. Individual, team and house achievements are celebrated, whichever child, group or team has succeeded on the day. House competitions, the democratic School Council, presenting in school assembly and our chosen local and international charities are examples of how we put these principles into practice.
The best environment for your child’s schooling
At Hoe Bridge, we are proud to offer the very best environment in which your child can learn, play, discover and grow with fully equipped classrooms and specialist areas across ICT, Science, Music, Art and Design & Technology. Our playing fields, all-weather and cricket pitches, heated swimming pool and gym support a healthy balance, with sport enjoyed most afternoons. Our grounds are a hidden gem with their playing fields, adventure playground, meadow, woods, river and pond, whilst the new Performing Arts Centre, provides a vital stage for developing creativity, expression and confidence.
Achieving together
The strong relationship and consistent communication with our families ensures effective results as well as a happy child. With our smaller class sizes and experienced teachers, we are quickly able to address any gaps in your child's education and come together to offer additional support or whatever is needed to enable your individual child to access the exceptional curriculum in the best possible way.
It's wondering to see, with our Senior School now open, many of our children remaining to continue their Hoe Bridge education with us and several will be awarded scholarships as they move into year 7 and above. This is a testament to the hard work, commitment and potential they show in a specific area.
If you do choose to leav eus we will help you in considering your child's roadmap beyond 11+. This involves engaging you in a process of ongoing consultation on matching your child’s ability, needs and aspirations with the wide range of independent senior schools available. For your child, a series of CAT (Cognitive Abilities Tests), PIM (Progress in Maths) and PIE (Progress in English) tests produce the data we require to support our informed decisions. Please read more about our excellent results and senior school destinations.
Our Headmaster is in regular contact with all our local independent senior schools to monitor and discuss their constantly evolving requirements and assessment methods.
Extending school life
Our children and families alike benefit from the opportunity to extend school hours beyond normal classroom hours. The Prep day starts at 8:15am or children can join our popular Breakfast Club every day from 7:30am.
Year 3 finish their day at 4:15pm taking home a small amount of weekly homework and then can join an after school activity until 5:00pm. In Year 4 and 5 their day is extended to 5:00pm and 5:30pm for Year 6, 7 and 8 with children attending prep, completing supervised independent study and allowing families to secure quality time together or participate in additional clubs and activities with peace of mind. Following the end of Prep, after school activities are available for Year 4 and 5 until 5:45pm and 6:30pm for Year 6. We offer a wide range of optional after-school activities including sports, science, technology, chess, performing arts (including Stagecoach and LAMDA) and other interests, all providing a wonderful opportunity to adopt new interests and develop skills. These activities are extremely popular and help to enrich the experiences of many of our children.