The Prep School Curriculum
Prep School Curriculum
The happy, purposeful atmosphere of the Prep School encourages children’s natural curiosity and ensures learning is both rewarding and fun.
Using the National Curriculum as a base, our highly-skilled teachers cover every academic subject and expand the horizons of each child with activities, trips and workshops which really bring subjects to life.
Our children benefit from specialist language, music, art, drama and sports teachers, which is not normally seen until children reach secondary or senior school. They learn conversational Spanish from Year 1, and take on French and Latin as they move through the school.
The core curriculum covers linguistic, mathematical, scientific, technological, human and social, physical, and aesthetic and creative education. This is supplemented by TALL lessons, The ISEB IPQ (an extended project), the ad astra stretch and challenge programme, and Greek for the most able linguists.

Years 3 to 5
In Years 3 to 5, children are mainly with their form teacher, who effects the transition from Pre-Prep with close support and plenty of encouragement. Lessons are fun, involving teamwork and individual challenge, and the nurturing atmosphere helps children develop their own learning styles without fear of failure.
Discovery lessons bring together many subject disciplines into a cohesive, engaging unit of work. Children benefit from specialist teaching in Spanish, music and drama, PE, art, PHSE and, from Year 5, they’re introduced to French and Latin. In addition, children enjoy regular PE and swimming lessons, and often work outdoors, including in our forest school.

Years 6 to 8
From Year 6, children receive specialist teaching in every lesson and move from classroom to classroom. Work and study become more formal and they receive a timetable to help them take responsibility for their own learning, ahead of the transition to senior school.

Preparing for next steps at our private school in York
In Years 7 and 8 the curriculum prepares all pupils for the requirements of the ISEB Common Entrance Examination or Common Scholarship examination. We also assist children in preparing for specific entrance exams to senior schools, including reasoning lessons and interview practice.
Children leave Terrington Hall with a solid foundation of academic learning, the discipline necessary for successful study and the ability to meet every challenge with a ‘can do’ attitude which will serve them well at their senior school and beyond.
In the classrooms we observed fun, interactive lessons and the teachers clearly know their pupils’ strengths and weaknesses.