Our broad and balanced curriculum
Our broad and balanced curriculum
Our diverse curriculum is designed to develop a curious, confident attitude through skills-based learning and prepares pupil for the challenges of life, personally, socially, culturally, and spiritually.
All pupils are encouraged, recognised, and celebrated for their achievements. We are continually seeking ways to broaden our pupils’ education with relevant and engaging activities that develop a range of skills to prepare them for the future.
Our younger children learn through our creative curriculum from Nursery to Year 2, and from Year 3 to 8 we follow the Pre-Senior Baccalaureate (PSB).
Early years curriculum
We foster a love of learning in our pupils at the earliest possible stage. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum focuses on three prime areas of learning: communication and language, physical development, and personal, social and emotional development. These are fundamental to supporting children's development. In addition, the curriculum includes four specific areas: literacy, mathematics, understanding the world, and expressive arts and design, all of which build on the foundation set by the prime areas. Learning is a wonderful mixture of teacher and child-led activities and focuses on holistic development, with well-being at the heart of everything we do.
Pre-prep creative curriculum
Reading, writing, and maths are the core focus in Reception, Year 1, and Year 2.
We launch an exciting new topic each term through our creative curriculum approach, seamlessly linking humanities, science, and art to create a dynamic and engaging learning experience. These creative projects not only deepen children’s understanding but also spark their curiosity and passion for learning.
By exploring topics holistically, pupils gain a richer understanding of the world, with every subject reinforcing and enhancing the others. This approach makes learning both relevant and engaging, helping children retain knowledge while developing a wide range of skills. The results speak for themselves, with pupils showing heightened engagement and a more integrated understanding of their subjects.
This approach also nurtures essential life skills such as teamwork, research, critical thinking, and problem-solving, empowering children to grow both academically and personally. All of this prepares our children for success beyond the classroom.
Academic curriculum in prep
Timetabled lessons from Year 3 include art, digital literacy, engineering, English, French, games, geography, history, Latin, mathematics, music, PE/swimming, personal social and health education (PSHE), philosophy, religion and ethics, and science. All subjects are taught in single-sex classes.
Some of the wider learning areas we focus on are:
Digital literacy
Our pupils make good use of information and communication technology to gain practical skills for the future and support their learning in all areas of the curriculum. All Key Stage 2 and 3 pupils have a digital literacy lesson once a week, and children from Year 5 build webpages to showcase their online portfolio. Staying safe in the digital world is a key aspect of teaching in all year groups.
STEM
We have placed STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) at the heart of our curriculum at Somerhill. These are skills we feel strongly about as we prepare children for an ever-changing world. Our engineering programme evolved from our innovative design technology (IDT) curriculum, which grew pupils’ knowledge of applying software to products and covered topics such as robotics and electronics. We are always thinking ahead and looking to use new technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality. Some classes have already created their own AR displays.
PSHE
Our curriculum focuses on three core themes: health and well-being, relationships and living in the wider world. Within these themes, we cover topics such as emotions, family and friends, health, economic awareness and enterprise. We encourage pupils to contribute to discussions and express their thoughts.
Pre-Senior Baccalaureate (PSB): A 21st century education
We are proud to be a flagship school for the PSB programme. The PSB is about challenging perceptions of school and developing a love of learning. This is best achieved by children developing a clear understanding of their skills and their areas for development.
The PSB assessment framework focuses on six key areas: leadership, collaboration, independence, thinking and learning, reviewing and improving, and communication. By focusing on these core skills, children are best equipped to deal with the challenges and opportunities of senior school life and beyond.
The PSB, with its focus on building a full range of skills, reflects our vision for how children are educated at Somerhill.
‘Non-cognitive skills and attributes such as teamwork, emotional maturity and empathy are as important as proficiency in English and mathematics in ensuring young people’s employment prospects.’ - The Pearson Report
Please visit the PSB website for more information on the Pre-Senior Baccalaureate programme.
Parents as partners
We believe that a strong home-school partnership is key to enhancing and supporting children's learning. Our open-door approach fosters strong relationships with parents, ensuring open communication and mutual trust. The more we connect and collaborate, the better we can support your child's development, creating a shared commitment to their education and well-being.
