Description
Hurtwood House School is Independent Secondary school in Non-selective for kids aged 15 to 19 (Gender - 15 to 19 )
Barnardiston Hall is now benefitting from the experience that both have gained in the intervening years. Both Mr and Mrs Sinnott come to them directly from St Hugh’s, Mr Sinnott filling the role there of Deputy Head / Director of Studies and Mrs Sinnott as Forest School Lead and Head of Art and RE. Mr Sinnott is also an ISI inspector and was recently short-listed for Innovative Teacher of the Year for his work on visible learning.
Facilities
Nursery
The Acorns Baby Room accommodates children aged from 6 months. Acorns is laid out across two rooms to enable differentiation of activities between the ages. The smaller room provides a ‘home-from-home’ environment which is cosy, calm and enriched with care and support. The larger room provides opportunities for role-playing, sensory and creative activities.
Pre Prep
Learning numbers and sounds, going to French, ballet, sports, music and swimming lessons, it’s a busy life in Class 1 and the fun never stops!We are learning life-skills including ‘camping’ overnight in our classroom when we are 3/4 years old in readiness for camping in the School grounds when we are 5/6 years old and for camping and walking in the Derbyshire Dales in the Prep School. It is all very exciting!Whether we are making a dragon and dancing for Chinese New Year, celebrating cultures and traditions different to our own, stomping through the woods and finding mini-beasts and sticks that can be anything we want them to be, Class 1 is a time of real adventure. Music and instruments spark our creativity and we enjoy every part of the 36 acres they have to play in. They may come home slightly grubby at the end of the day but we will always have stories to tell of the new things they have learnt – they are brave, they are fearless, they are Class 1!
Prep
The first thing we aim to do is develop children’s enthusiasm for reading. They encourage pupils to read as much and as widely as possible, with book lists, library activities, frequent new books in the library and in classrooms, and as much reading in class as they can possibly manage! We all enjoy our daily reading time, which provides a wonderful period of silence in which to lose ourselves in our imagination. The set texts challenge children to look into different worlds and to see life through other people’s eyes. Whether it is Macbeth, An Inspector Calls, War Horse or Animal Farm, our children spend time engaging with great writing. They read plenty of poetry, too, and through this children come to see poetry as art in words – a sculpture in writing.
Features
Things to note
Music
The Pre-Prep at Barnardiston are always busy with some musical activity or other! They may be learning songs for their ambitious Christmas productions, for Harvest Festival, Easter and Mother’s Day or for their annual Pre-Prep Concert; or perhaps they are working on a piece for the Sudbury Festival, full of instruments, singing and choreography. They may be in their weekly music lesson, or perhaps rehearsing in the weekly U7 Choir session. Some of them may be busy in private instrumental or singing lessons; others may be learning an instrument such as the violin or the recorder in a whole-class lesson. Whatever they are doing, they strive to ensure that music-making is an enjoyable and rewarding activity in which all children can express themselves fully. The Pre-Prep children develop into bold and talented performers, ready to take the step into the Prep School.
Sport
Sport is an important part of Pre-Prep life, and all the Pre-Prep children take part in some form of physical activity every day, such as gymnastics, dance, ballet, tennis, hockey, netball, cricket, football, tag rugby and athletics. Swimming is also offered once a week to all the children. In addition, there are several after school clubs to supplement the class activities.
Clubs & Activities
Clubs & ActivitiesWe believe that the extra-curricular programme should be as strong as the academic one. They offer a wide range of tuition in musical instruments, including drums, guitar, piano, flute, clarinet, oboe, bassoon and violin. They also have singing lessons and speech and drama, all leading towards nationally-recognised exams and dance classes which include ballet, tap and modern for both boys and girls. Gymnastics, judo and tennis are also available.
Extra Curricular
Please check the school website link for details.
4.71 miles
