JUNIOR SCHOOL

We know that children start school with sparkling imaginations and a willingness to take risks with how they think. We embrace this everyday through our teaching, creative learning and stimulating curriculum that inspires, excites and enables a ‘could be’ attitude. By doing this, we are able to nurture their fertile minds and celebrate each child’s ‘bright spark’ that makes them a unique individual.

Normally, we’d be delighted to invite you for a visit so you can see for yourself what makes Wells such a special place. As we currently are operating on a remote learning platform, we are not able to accept visitors to our site at the moment. Instead, we’d like to invite you to watch our Virtual Tour below and contact our admissions team to arrange a virtual meeting. As always, please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions; we are always happy to help. We look forward to hearing from you.

Julie Barrow, Head of the Junior School

Education at its best is a deep act of care. If we care, then we will notice. If we notice, then we will act on a child’s behalf. If we act for each child, then they will grow best, will achieve best and will become their best selves. To be known, to be noticed, to be valued and to be cared for are the essentials of a good childhood, and they are at the heart of everything we do.

In their learning and in their life at school, our dedicated team of staff devote themselves to knowing each child’s strengths and needs and responding appropriately. We have rigorous frameworks for knowing, communicating about and acting for each child and meet on a daily basis to talk about our children. The security they have in their relationships with teachers who truly know them and care about them is the springboard for their learning and the guarantee of their well-being.

We understand growing up is a learning process, which can present our children with challenges, and it is not always easy. Children will make mistakes and need to be allowed to learn from them in a safe, supportive environment. Through our dedicated team of staff, which includes form tutors, professional counsellors, qualified nurses and doctors, a head of pastoral care and a Life Skills programme, every child has a ‘safety network’ they can trust if they need to share any worries.

We always take time with each child so we can listen to their joys and concerns. No life or community is without difficulty, and occasionally unkindness will arise. When it does, our children trust us to care, to understand, to listen and to help them resolve things. We work closely with parents and families to resolve any issues, using open and honest communication.

When they leave our Junior School, our goal is to ensure that each of our children has a high level of spiritual awareness, emotional intelligence and self control and are also active and responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to the school and the wider world.

Our motto be what you are is reflected in our approach to our curriculum. We give our pupils a range of opportunities designed to help them to discover themselves, to challenge themselves (and be challenged!), to succeed, and to see failure as a learning experience. Through a vast and varied range of learning opportunities our children are able to develop their talents and discover new ones both in and outside of the classroom within an accepting community that encourages everyone to be exactly what they are and become the best version of themselves.

Our Junior School offers a challenging and creative curriculum to inspire our children to become problem-solvers and to take risks from early in their school careers. All children are encouraged to develop teamwork and leadership skills, make friends and have fun.

Children use their initiative and dare to take risks in a supportive environment. Whilst our curriculum complies with statutory requirements and takes account of the general requirements of the National Curriculum and EYFS framework, as an independent school we are released from the constraints of the National Curriculum and pupils receive a rich educational diet.

The children are mainly looked after by their Form Teacher up to Year 3 but also work with specialists in subjects like Games, Music, Art, Drama and Dance. In Years 4, 5 and 6, we have an increasing use of specialised staff across all subjects. In Languages, we want pupils to be confident in embarking upon new challenges so we study French in Years 1-6, with the opportunity to attend a Latin Club for Years 5 and 6 and a Spanish and Portuguese Club for the younger children.

We have a strong and effective partnership with the Senior School, both in terms of shared facilities and specialist teaching.

Through imaginative coaching that emphasises fundamental movement skills, we nurture each and every pupil as resilient and robust self-starters. By giving each child a clear pathway through a range of enjoyable physical activities, we hope to engender self-sufficiency, leadership and a perseverance to aim high in all that they do.

Nursery and Pre-Prep

We embed physical skills across our busy curriculum and active environment. Children receive specialist provision from games and swimming instructors and drama and dance teachers. This, in partnership with our ballet and football club, wake and shake, mini-me yoga and regular brain breaks whilst walking around our beautiful site, makes for a love of being active for life.  

As children develop their fine and gross motor control and coordination in our active environment, these fundamental movement skills, in turn, have a significant influence on all round development; they cannot write until they can hold a pencil – a very complex skill indeed!

Junior School (Years 3-6)

The organisation of a regular and appropriate fixtures programme is important to us. Pupils compete competitively in matches with other schools from Year 3 onwards. Our aim is to involve every pupil in these games with the emphasis on enjoyment and providing opportunities for the children to learn through playing the game with continuous positive encouragement from coaches. We have several teams per age group, which allows all children to experience competitive games at the appropriate level for them.

In addition to our matches in hockey, rugby, netball, cricket and rounders, we also compete in the local cross country league throughout the year, and many of our runners go on to represent Mendip in the inter-area championships. Many of our children also swim competitively for the school swim squad with several going through to the IAPS regional championships round each year.

We also run a wide range of co-curricular sports clubs that all pupils are welcome to attend whatever their ability: games, swimming, running, and rookie lifeguard to name but a few.