The Juniors in the Lower School is an exciting area of the school offering an independent education for girls and boys between the ages of 7 and 11 years old. One of the most striking aspects of the Juniors is how evidently happy, bright and confident our pupils are. Children in the Juniors enjoy a broad and balanced curriculum, taught by subject-specialist teachers, which aims to nurture their interests and inspire a life-long love of learning.
Whilst striving for academic excellence, we also place high emphasis on developing our pupils’ personal qualities and extra-curricular skills so that they move on to the Upper School as articulate, confident and motivated young people, ready for the next stage of their education.
As they learn and grow with us, Gad’s Hill School children benefit from an exceptional level of pastoral care. Following the success of the Juniors in recent years, we are fortunate to be a two-form entry school, with class sizes of between 10 and 20 children. These small class sizes support our personalised approach to teaching and nurturing the needs of each child, whilst also offering ample opportunities for children to socialise and forge friendships.
Children in the Juniors enjoy taking part in a range of exciting trips and experiences each year, including West End shows, residential trips, the annual cross-country race, carols in the cathedral and the show-stopping junior production. A variety of clubs are on offer for Junior pupils to further develop their extra-curricular skills and interests, the most popular of which have included cheerleading, shooting, climbing and karate.
Being part of an all-through school means Junior pupils enjoy access to a wide range of facilities including our on-site theatre, science laboratories, extensive gymnasium, playing fields, jungle gym and astroturf. The Gad’s Hill community is a fantastic place for children and their families to be supported through big changes such as the transition from primary to secondary education. During the final years of their Lower School education here at Gad’s Hill, pupils enjoy increased opportunities to use Upper School resources, discuss their future with Upper School staff and feel reassured by the fact that they will already know a number of their peers who will be joining them in the Upper School.
We value our strong working relationships with parents. Parents are able to contact teaching staff directly and families receive termly reports detailing children’s progress and achievements. The Juniors newsletter, distributed weekly, summarises news of pupil awards and achievements and outlines diary dates for the coming week, as well as being an opportunity to share photos of the exciting experiences children may have enjoyed that week.
