Lower School

“Pupils in Year 1 produced writing of very high quality during a comprehension exercise, featuring well-constructed sentences and well-formed cursive handwriting. They read their work fluently, confidently and with much expression, exhibiting reading skills well above age-related expectations.”

ISI Educational Quality Inspection - June 2019

T he Lower School, for girls from Reception to Year Two, forms the foundation for the education of our pupils.  In Reception, we provide an easy transition from Little Vic. Girls are given a thorough grounding in phonics and reading and will be taught to recognise and use numbers with a real understanding.  We also believe that the Reception year establishes a secure environment so that the girls enjoy coming to school and in which they will flourish and be able to learn easily.  Our small class sizes and a teacher and teaching assistant in each class ensure the girls get the best possible start.

The Old Vicarage School has opted out of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum, but Little Vic and our Reception classes still follow the Government’s Curriculum Guidance.  Information on this can be found in our Curriculum Policy and our ‘Early Years Information for Parents’ document.

In Years One and Two, while they still have the security of a form teacher who teaches them most subjects, the girls start to apply the core skills learned in Reception in a classroom environment.  They will have fun creating imaginative stories, explore many different books and authors and begin to explore poetry.  We introduce the mastery approach to the teaching of mathematics, based on the approach followed with great success in Singapore and the girls are achieving excellent results based on the Concrete, Pictorial and Abstract approach, with the early mathematicians developing their understanding through all sorts of different practical approaches.  They explore their local community in History and Geography lessons and learn about other countries and other times.  We are so fortunate to have many local and London museums to bring the past to life.

By Year Two, the girls are introduced to more specialist teachers for Music, Art, PE, ICT, French and Religious Studies, some of whom also teach the girls in earlier years.  In this way the girls both know, and are known by, so many other members of staff and really feel part of the Old Vicarage Community.

Year 5 Spring Concert – Alice in Wonderland

Our Year 5 girls certainly weren’t late…for a very important date this week! ⏰ They delivered two brilliant performances of their Spring Concert, Alice in Wonderland. They sang, spoke, and acted with great exuberance and comic timing in a world without reason and full...

World Book Day

Yesterday our corridors were filled with our favourite book characters as we celebrated World Book Day! 📚 We were fortunate enough to have a visit from bestselling author Maz Evans who also kindly held a mini book signing. Well done to our Year 6 girls who held an...

Year 4 Spring Concert – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Our Year 4 girls showcased their incredible talent in Roald Dahl’s adaptation of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs on Monday and Wednesday evening this week. A twist to the classic fairy-tale, Snow-White escapes captivity, aided by seven ex horse-race jockeys and the...

Year 3 Spring Concert – The Bee Musical

There was a buzz in the air this week when our Year 3 girls delivered two brilliant performances of their Spring Concert, The Bee Musical.  Their energy and enthusiasm was infectious as they sang, danced and acted with such confidence and joy.  Well done girls, you...

Chinese New Year

Our girls celebrated Chinese New Year yesterday. A fun filled day making lanterns & origami rabbits, calligraphy writing & food tasting! They were even treated to a delicious Chinese feast at lunchtime! Gong Hei Fat Choi to our OVS community, wishing...

Christmas Carol Service

Last night our OVS community joined together for our annual Christmas Carol Service at St John the Devine. This really is one of the best evenings of the year, showcasing our talented girls in Years 3 to 6, with every girl in their final year having the opportunity to...

Lower School Nativities

The culmination of the Autumn Term was four great Christmas stories told by our pre-school and Lower School in their own unique ways.  Considering there were a few absences (including Mary!) in the lead up to these performances, the girls really pulled together...

Reindeer Visit

Despite their busy schedule, we were very lucky to have a special visit from Santa’s reindeer today.  All the girls were able to meet them and learn all about life on the North Pole!

Year 2 trip – Science Museum

As part of their topic on Space, our Year 2 girls recently visited the Science Museum! They visited the Space gallery and watched “Our Beautiful Planet 3D” in the IMAX, a fully immersive experience on board the International Space Station. They finished their day with...

Annual Prize Giving at Richmond Theatre

Today we were blessed to be able host our annual Prize Giving at Richmond Theatre for the first time in 3 years – a truly wonderful occasion to celebrate our OVS girls’ incredible achievements over the past 12 months and say farewell to our remarkable Year 6 girls. ...