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Upper School Learning Centre
Our Upper School Learning Centre opened in September 2024 in The Ruth Bourne Building. It has state-of-the art features, such as collaboration zones, brainstorm areas and a wellbeing garden.
This modern and inspiring facility has been specifically designed to meet the needs of our older pupils and provide a hub of creativity and innovation.
With uniquely designed seating, space-saving desks and break-out zones to encourage group discussion and problem solving, our pupils are able to thrive in a dynamic environment, tailored to foster teamwork and academic excellence.
Years 5 & 6
Years 5 and 6 build upon the exceptional foundations that children experience in Years 3 and 4. At this stage, pupils benefit from being taught by specialists across the subject range. The curriculum is broad, blending academic rigour with our innovative and modern approach to teaching. Critical thinking, problem solving and collaborative work are at the heart of everything that the children do in their lessons.
Specialised Curriculum and Preparation
Maths and English are taught in four groups, with the children benefiting from even smaller class sizes to enhance their learning. D&T is introduced in Year 5, while subjects such as Graphics and Latin begin in Year 6. Preparation for senior school entrance exams is an important part of the two-year process as we believe in giving the children the best opportunity to succeed in these tests.
Personalised Support and Guidance
Despite the move away from the traditional primary model at the start of Year 5, the children continue to benefit from first-class pastoral care. The role of the form tutor is vital; children will see their tutor at least once a day, with the focus being on monitoring each child’s academic progress and their wellbeing. The expectations on the pupils are different from Year 4 and while some pupils adapt quickly, others require additional support with areas such as organisation. In addition to the form tutor, the children benefit from having a dedicated Head of Year, alongside the wider pastoral team.
In Years 5 and 6, the children enjoy sports three times per week, alongside PE lessons. A huge array of clubs are available to them and there is a residential trip in both year groups.
Years 7 & 8
In Years 7 and 8, the children enjoy a secondary school experience, while remaining in a familiar environment and being at the top of a prep school.
Independence and Empowerment
Pastoral care remains at the forefront of what we do. The children benefit from being in smaller form groups, allowing them to build an even stronger relationship with their form tutor. At this stage, we introduce vertical tutoring, which allows peer mentoring and the ability to discuss challenging and relevant topics in a safe and controlled manner. Pupil voice is further expanded in Years 7 and 8, offering the children the ability to have a say in how the school is run. In Year 8, every child is afforded responsibility, which further fosters confidence and self-esteem.
Balancing Tradition with Innovation
Academically, the children are taught in groups that rarely exceed fifteen, which allows close attention in each individual session; lessons are taught by staff that love working with this age group. Academic rigour is essential and we are guided by our secondary schools on the skills that they want to see the children arrive with when they enter Year 9.
Nurturing Lifelong Learning
In the core subjects, the Common Entrance syllabus is followed and the children have practice exams to ensure that this is a less daunting task when they arrive in their secondary school. Equally, our innovative and adaptive approach to education that the children are familiar with does not stop; we firmly believe in equipping the children with the skills that they will require later in life. We continue to encourage the children to read broadly and with ambition.
Exploring Creative Passions & Sporting Talents
Our creative arts provision is comprehensive and pupils are given the opportunity to ‘major’ and “minor” in their preferred subject area, whether that be Graphic Design, D&T, or Art. Similar flexibility is offered within their single games lesson, with a scope of different sporting activities to choose from alongside the major sports. All children are given the chance to participate in school fixtures against a variety of prep and secondary schools and many of our children play in tournaments across the year.
Electives
Our Year 7 & 8 Electives Programme on a Friday afternoon allows pupils to choose a topic for half a term that they are passionate about. Pupils can choose from the following options:
| Forensic Science | Food Technology |
| Mandarin | Life Saving |
| Community Outreach | Introduction to AI |
| Politics | Passion for Fashion |
| Orienteering | Construction |
| Robotics | The Apprentice |
| Programming | Forest Skills |
School Trips
Exciting residential trips are offered in these year groups, with recent excursions to Valencia, Rome, Sorrento and Barcelona proving particularly popular.
We chose Hazelwood Years 7 and 8 for our child because it provided a safe, challenging and inspiring environment for her to grow and mature before the big jump that her senior state education in Year 9 would throw at her. We couldn’t be happier with all she has gained emotionally and academically from her two years at the school.
Former Hazelwood Parent