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.”
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.