Yes, and that means seeing far more than how they do in English and maths. We want to know what captures their imagination, how they respond when something is difficult, what they choose when given the chance and what makes them feel proud.

We see children in many different settings. A specialist teacher might notice a pupil come alive in drama, music, art or sport. The Horizon Project and St Christopher’s Compass reveal other sides of them: the quiet child who takes the lead in a group challenge, or the pupil who discovers how much they care about helping others. Teachers share what they notice, so we build a genuinely rounded picture of each child and can help them find opportunities that feel right for them.

We’ll get to know your child before expecting them to find their way around a new school. We’ll ask you what they enjoy, what unsettles them and, if they have had a difficult experience elsewhere, what we should understand about it. Their teacher will help them become familiar with the people, places and routines of St Christopher’s. We’ll also assign them a buddy: another child who can show them around, help with the everyday routines and give them a friendly face to look for.

Settling in is rarely a straight line. A child might happily join a lesson but find playtime harder, or seem confident here and feel overwhelmed once they get home. We want you to tell us those things, and we’ll keep talking with you about how they are getting on. A cheerful first day is lovely, but what matters is helping your child feel at home over time.

Children have a familiar routine, but their day is full of discovery. They listen to stories, learn early phonics and number, explore outdoors, make things, talk through ideas and play with friends. Their teachers plan carefully for what children need to learn, then make space for the questions and imaginative turns that young children bring to it.

Fun Story Fridays help make reading something the whole community enjoys. Through Launching Learners, children also begin to practise life skills and understand that they are part of a world beyond their classroom. You’ll see early academic foundations being built, alongside the equally important business of learning how to be with other people.

The day grows with the children as the year goes on. In Preschool, for example, children begin by having lunch served at their table; later, they choose and collect it themselves from the serving hatch. In Reception, we build on the play-based learning of the autumn term, gradually developing children’s focus and readiness for more structured activities. Each term brings another step forward, so children can look back and see just how much they’ve learned to do for themselves.

In our Early Years, play is often where the most interesting learning happens, and it is carefully planned. All seven areas of learning are reflected in what children can explore, from literacy and science activities to small-world play and construction. Children building together are planning, testing and negotiating; children acting out a story are developing language and imagination. Teachers know when to join in with a question that takes their thinking further.

There is also explicit teaching in phonics, reading and maths. The balance becomes more structured as children move through Reception and into Year 1, but we don’t ask them to abandon curiosity at the classroom door. We want children ready for the next stage because they have strong foundations and enjoy learning, not because we hurried them through being four.

We’ll listen to your child, speak with those involved and work out what is happening. Their class teacher will usually be the first person to help, with our pastoral team involved if the situation needs more sustained support. We also have a school counsellor who can offer additional support where it would be helpful. We’ll help children express how they feel, hear another point of view and understand what needs to change.

We teach children practical ways to recognise and manage their emotions through the Zones of Regulation, and the Relaxation Station gives pupils a calm space when they need a moment to reset. Most importantly, we would keep checking in with your child and with you. A friendship difficulty is only resolved when the child is actually happier, not when the adults have finished talking about it.

A child does not have to be the first to put their hand up to be doing brilliantly. Teachers notice what pupils show through their work, play and smaller conversations as well as what they say to a whole class. We can give a quieter child time to think, invite them into a smaller group or help them build confidence with a familiar adult before asking them to speak in a larger setting.

We are also mindful that a summer-born child may be almost a year younger than others in the class. Particularly in the early years, we look carefully at each child’s stage of development. We want to challenge them and celebrate their progress without treating a difference in age as a lack of ability.

Belonging begins with the small things: adults knowing your name, someone noticing when you are missing from a game and feeling that you have something to contribute. Our three phases give children a close-knit community as they grow, while making sure they still feel part of the whole school.

Our Phase Fusion sessions bring different year groups together for shared activities, helping friendships and familiar faces develop across the school. Vertical form times and our house system create more opportunities for children of different ages to get to know one another. Younger pupils have older children to look up to, and older pupils learn to include and encourage them.

That sense of community reaches beyond our gates too. Our pupils choose causes to support, volunteer locally and spend time with older members of the community through singing and reading. They learn that belonging also means making room for others.

That is exactly why breadth matters. Children can explore music, drama, art and sport as part of school life, and St Christopher’s Compass opens up further opportunities through its four directions: Think, Create, Move and Care. A pupil could find that they enjoy a problem-solving challenge, try calligraphy, discover a new sport or become interested in helping with a community project.

We don’t expect a child to arrive already knowing where they shine. Nor do they have to be immediately good at something for it to be worthwhile. Sometimes the activity they were reluctant to try becomes the one they can’t wait to tell you about at home.

We look for ways to deepen their learning and give them an appropriate next challenge. That might mean exploring a subject in greater depth in lessons or taking part in small-group enrichment. Beyond the classroom, a musician can develop through instrumental tuition and performance; an athlete can train and represent the school; an artist can work with different media and see their work displayed in our St Christopher’s Art Gallery.

We also want children to understand that being talented does not mean everything should come easily. A pupil who excels in one area can still benefit enormously from trying something unfamiliar, persevering and enjoying being a beginner again.

We begin by identifying the difficulty rather than applying a label too quickly. Is there one concept they have missed? Do they need more practice, a different explanation or help organising what they know? Their teacher can adapt teaching in class, and our Learning Enrichment team can work with them to plan more targeted support, including small-group or individual work where appropriate.

We would share what we have noticed with you, explain what we are trying and review whether it is helping. If your child has more significant needs, we would discuss those openly before they join us so that we can make a careful, honest decision together about the provision they require.

It means that academic learning is strong, but a child’s week contains much more besides. They might be developing an argument in English, experimenting in science, making art, rehearsing in our drama studio and learning to work as part of a sports team. Specialist teaching helps give those subjects the attention they deserve.

Learning also takes children out into the world. Day visits and workshops connect with what they are studying; residential trips begin in Year 3 and culminate in a week on the Isle of Wight in Year 6. Children gain knowledge, certainly, but they also discover interests, manage new situations and make memories with their friends.

Confidence grows through experiences a child can look back on and feel proud of. For one pupil, that may be answering a question in front of the class. For another, it may be auditioning for a part, trying a new sport or showing visitors around school. The challenge should be real, but the child should feel prepared and supported.

We don’t want children to believe that confidence means never feeling nervous. Often the most useful lesson is that they were nervous and managed it anyway. We notice effort and progress as well as outcomes, so children have the courage to try again even when the first attempt isn’t perfect.

We develop independence in practical, age-appropriate steps. Young children learn to make choices, manage belongings and have a first attempt at solving a problem. As they grow, we expect them to take more responsibility for their work, explain their thinking and contribute to school life. Adults guide them, but we try to avoid stepping in so quickly that a child never discovers what they can manage.

Our weekly Horizon Project gives pupils opportunities to think independently and tackle questions that do not always have one obvious answer. Residential trips develop independence in a different way: managing yourself away from home, adapting to new routines and working with others. By Year 6, we want children ready to take the next step with confidence and good judgement.

We expect children to learn from mistakes, including mistakes in how they treat other people. An adult will help them understand what happened, who was affected and what they can do to put things right. There are clear expectations and appropriate consequences, but a child should also have the chance to repair a friendship and make a better choice next time.

The same principle applies in lessons. We want pupils willing to offer an idea that might be wrong, listen to feedback and try again. They should take responsibility for their actions without feeling that one mistake defines them.

You’ll receive an autumn snapshot, a spring review and a fuller summer report, alongside opportunities to speak with teachers. We want those conversations to cover academic progress and the things parents may be thinking about on the way home: Does my child have friends? Are they joining in? Are they growing in confidence? Is anything worrying them?

Our Parent Partnership events also give families a chance to see more closely how we teach and ask questions about our approach. If either you or we notice a concern, we should talk about it when it arises. A report at the end of term is useful, but it should never be the first time you hear that your child is finding something hard.

Children use iPads across Years 3–6, but we decide when they will genuinely improve the learning. They might help pupils research a question, practise a skill, create something or present an idea in a different way. There will also be plenty of lessons when a book, a pencil, a conversation or a practical activity is the better choice.

This matters to us. Children still learn to write by hand, read closely, calculate, draw, make things and concentrate without a screen. Our digital approach is about helping them use technology thoughtfully and well, while protecting those traditional skills and the pleasure of learning away from a device.

We prepare pupils carefully for the whole senior school process, including assessments, interviews and visits to different schools. They practise talking about their interests and ideas so that, when they meet a new school, they feel confident being themselves.

Preparation is much more than working through past papers. Those can help children recognise a question format and understand timings, but repeatedly doing them will not, by itself, deepen their understanding or make them a stronger thinker. We focus on the knowledge, reasoning and confidence that will serve them in the assessment and long afterwards.

Meanwhile, Years 5 and 6 remain full of sport, music, drama, leadership, friendships and the Year 6 residential. In 2026, 48% of our Year 6 pupils secured scholarships to senior schools. We’re proud of those outcomes, and we care just as much about the experience children have on the way there.

We talk with you about your child as a whole person: how they learn, what excites them, what sort of environment helps them flourish and what they want from their next school. We can then guide you through possible destinations and the admissions process.

Our place within St Dunstan’s Education Group creates opportunities, including automatic progression to St Dunstan’s College for some pupils who meet the criteria. It is a valuable option for many families, but it will not be the right school for every child. Our job is to help you choose well for yours, including looking at other senior schools where appropriate.

Their class gives them a familiar everyday base, but they are part of a school that runs from Preschool to Year 6. Vertical form times, houses, assemblies, clubs, performances and community events bring different ages together. Older pupils also take on responsibilities and become children the younger ones know, rather than just passing faces in a corridor.

Our new Year 1 and Year 6 buddy system makes that connection more personal. Year 1 children have an older pupil to get to know and look up to, while Year 6 pupils have a meaningful way to help someone younger feel at home. That matters in both directions: younger children can imagine themselves growing into those roles, and older children learn that leadership is about how they behave towards others, not just having a badge or a title.

I would encourage you to ask them when you visit, because you’ll get a better answer than one I could write for them. One child may talk about friends, another about football or drama, and another may immediately take you to a favourite place to play. That variety is rather the point.

If you can, visit while school is in session. You’ll get a much more honest sense of us from watching children talk to their teachers and one another than from reading a list of facilities. I hope you’ll notice that they seem comfortable being themselves here.

The motto of St Dunstan's Education Group is "Excellence. Differently". For us, it means we are ambitious for children without expecting them all to be brilliant in the same way. We teach the fundamentals carefully and prepare pupils well for senior school. At the same time, we give music, art, drama, sport, character and community a genuine place in their education.

You can see it in the child who gains a scholarship, and also in the child who finally volunteers to speak on stage; in the pupil who excels at maths, and in the Year 6 group that chooses a charity and organises events to support it. Compass helps children explore new directions; the Horizon Project develops the skills they will need beyond their next exam. For me, that is what the phrase has to mean in practice: high standards, plenty of opportunity and room for each child to grow into themselves.