Preparatory Department - Preparing for Senior School life.

Preparatory Department (7 to 11 years)

At the end of Key Stage 1 the children progress in the single stream classes of the Preparatory Department. Where year-group numbers are larger, the children are split into smaller groups for teaching. All Key Stage 2 pupils have bright, airy classrooms located in the recently built Salmon Building where they have easy access to Science, Art and ICT facilities. Fees for Years 3 and 4 (2010/11): £2950 per term, including lunch Fees for Years 5 and 6 (2010/11): £3150 per term, including lunch

In years 3 to 6 the strong foundations laid by the Pre-School and Pre-Prep departments are built upon and the children follow an enhanced National Curriculum which helps in the preparation for the selection procedure to State Schools at 11+ and for Common Entrance to Independent Schools. In Key Stage 2, specialist teaching in French, games, music, swimming and ICT is continued, and specialist science and art teaching is added to the curriculum. This ensures a greater depth of knowledge and further enriches the educational experience of the children.

The emphasis in the Preparatory Department is on helping the children prepare academically, emotionally and socially for Senior School life. They are encouraged to be independent, organised, thoughtful and to have confidence in their own abilities. Year 6 play an integral part in the social development of the other children in the school. In their role as Monitors and peer mentors they support and encourage the younger children and are vital role models to them. As Librarians, the pupils help our Librarian to ensure the smooth running of our well-stocked Library and give freely of their break times to ensure that this facility is at its best at all times. Everybody in the Preparatory Department is given the opportunity to represent the School on the sports field. Matches against other schools are held regularly and much enjoyed by all participants.

Academic Bursaries for Entry to Year 3 in September 2010

The Trustees of Hilden Oaks School wish to encourage children age 7 (National Curriculum Year 3) with high academic potential to attend the school. To this end, a limited number of means-tested Academic Bursaries will be offered to pupils whose parents would not otherwise be able to afford the full cost of school fees. The process for girls entering Year 3 in September 2010 will start in the Autumn term of 2009. Parents interested in this scheme should, in the first instance, contact the school office.

Kent Online School Admissions 2009-10

Applications for transfer to secondary school in September 2010 (Year 7) are open from 7 September 2009 until 6 November 2009. This is for children currently in Year 6. For secondary transfer, you can only apply to Kent County Council if you are a Kent resident and pay your Council Tax to one of the 12 Kent district councils. The Kent Online Admissions website is here: http://www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-learning/schools-and-sixth-form/school-admissions/e-admissions.htm We maintain a list of secondary school Open Events on the Calendar page of this website.

And Finally... from Ella in Form 5

Reasons Why I Like My School Our school is the best in the world because it makes everyone feel special. The teachers are very supportive and always have time to explain things to us. H umanities is very interesting and we watch lots of videos I n music we get to make up introductions for songs L unch is really delicious and Lisa is a great cook D oing maths is my favourite thing. E nglish is made really fun by Mrs Farnfield N o school is better than Hilden Oaks O ut in the playground we are all friends A rt is really fun, we do something new every week K itchen staff are really friendly S cience is great and we do lots of experiments Reasons why I like Form 5 I like Form 5 because we are treated like responsible girls and we set the example. Mrs Farnfield is a really, really nice teacher. The work is more challenging, but the teachers help you. I am proud to be a Hilden Oaks Pupil