FAQ's & Key Information
| HOW BIG IS THE SCHOOL? |
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| Blundell’s Prep School is a medium size day school of approximately 230 pupils. It caters for girls and boys aged from 3 to 11 years old. |
| WHAT ARE THE CLASS SIZES? |
| Blundell’s Prep offers small class sizes to ensure that each child receives high quality individual care. Our class sizes range from 10 to 18 depending on year group and the school has the flexibility to increase the number of classes to enable children to be taught in smaller groups should numbers in the school increase. |
| WHAT AGE CAN MY CHILD START? |
| Your child may start in our Nursery in the term they turn 3. We offer Taster Days before a child starts to ensure that their transition into School is easy. |
| DOES MY CHILD HaVE TO START AT THE BEGINNING OF AN ACADEMIC YEAR? |
| Although the majority of children do join at the start of the academic year, we do understand that a house move, or other circumstances, can mean that a family is not in the position to join us until later in the year. Therefore, children are welcome to join us at any time during the year. |
| DO MOST CHILDREN LIVE LOCALLY? |
| Our children come from quite a wide area across Devon and Somerset. Some parents carshare and we have a few who walk in. Although the majority live in Tiverton and the surrounding villages, we do have others who live a long way out. |
| DO YOU OFFER A MINIBUS SERVICE? |
| Children attend from quite a wide area, and we are able to offer a comprehensive bus service in tandem with our Senior School. |
| HOW MUCH PREP WILL MY CHILD HAVE? |
| Our school day is busy, long and productive and homework is normally used to reinforce material already learned in class. In their early years the focus will be on reading and by Year 2 spelling and some practical maths activities will be included. During Years 3 & 4 reading, spellings and times tables are general requirements. More structured homework can be expected in Years 5 & 6 where 15 minutes of reading and two 30 minute Preps are set weekly. |
| WHAT PROVISION IS THERE FOR BEFORE SCHOOL AND AFTER SCHOOL CARE? |
| Children are welcome to enter school from 8.00 am each morning and are supervised until school commences at 8.30 am. We offer a wide range of clubs, many of which there is no charge for. Provision for after school care is available until 6.00 pm. |
| CAN MY CHILD LEARN AN INSTRUMENT? |
| We pride ourselves on the range of instruments on offer to our children. A wide selection of musical clubs is also available including orchestra, Strings Group and Brass Club. Both Pop and Choral Choirs are available as well as individual Speech and Drama Lessons. |
| DO WE NEED TO PROVIDE LUNCH OR SNACKS? |
| Not at all as we provide a choice of hot lunch or a salad along with choices of hot pudding, yoghurt and fresh fruit. Our aim is to provide children with a well-balanced nutritional diet and snacks are offered during the day including fruit and bread sticks. For those staying after 4.30 pm, sandwiches and fruit are available. Special dietary needs are catered for. |
| HOW IS MY CHILD KEPT SAFE? |
| We have a thorough procedure for ensuring the safety of the children in our care. Health and Safety checks are carried out regularly and staff are kept up to date with First Aid training, child protection training and carrying out risk assessments. |
| WHAT IS YOUR POLICY ON BULLYING? |
| We have very effective anti-bullying, behaviour and expectations policies and any issues are resolved quickly and discreetly. Our school policies may be accessed on the website. |
| HOW DO WE COMMUNICATE WITH PARENTS? |
| We operate a system whereby parents can meet, email or talk by telephone to staff in order to discuss day to day concerns and their child’s progress. In addition, we hold informal coffee mornings and a weekly iLetter to keep parents up to date with events at the school. More formal feedback is given through parents’ evenings, Progress updates and reports, and detailed written reports. |
| HOW ARE NEW CHILDREN HELPED TO INTEGRATE? |
| We pride ourselves on enabling children to settle in quickly. All staff take the time to ensure that new children feel part of each class and are supported not only in their learning but in all areas of school life. Each child is assigned a couple of buddies to take care of them during their first few weeks of school and there is regular contact between parents and their child’s Form teacher. |
| WHAT FACILITIES DO YOU HAVE? |
| Our school day is busy, long and productive and homework is normally used to reinforce material already learned in class. In their early years the focus will be on reading and by Year 2 spelling and some practical maths activities will be included. During Years 3 & 4 reading, spellings and times tables are general requirements. More structured homework can be expected in Years 5 & 6 where 15 minutes of reading and two 30 minute Preps are set weekly. |
| DO CHILDREN LEARN ANOTHER LANGUAGE? |
| All our children learn French as part of the curriculum from Nursery to Year 6. From Year 1, all pupils are taught by a modern languages specialist. |
| DO CHILDREN GO ON RESIDENTIAL TRIPS? |
| Children in the Prep School enjoy residential trips during the summer term, giving them the opportunity to experience time away with their friends. Year 6 children enjoy a three-night trip on Exmoor, whilst Year 5 have a three night residential trip on Dartmoor. Year 4 take part in a two-night trip to Folly Farm near Bristol and Year 3 join enjoy an overnight camp out in school In addition, all of Year 6 are invited to go on a sports tour to Jersey. |
| HOW DO YOU PERFORM ON THE GAMES FIELD? |
| Blundell’s is renowned for its sporting prowess with all our boys and girls given the opportunity to represent the school against the leading teams in the South West and beyond. Participation is important and every child will represent the school in a range of sports during their time with us. |
| IS THERE SATURDAY MORNING SCHOOL? |
| Blundell’s Prep School does not operate Saturday School. For those joining the Senior School this currently commences in Year 9. |
| IS THERE A LINK BETWEEN THE PREP SCHOOL AND THE SENIOR SCHOOL? |
| The link between the Prep School and the Senior School is very close and very strong. The majority of the children move from the Prep School through to the Senior School (over 90% each year) and the academic and pastoral handover is extremely comprehensive. Whilst there is no 11+ entrance exam for Blundell’s Prep pupils, there is an opportunity to sit the 11+ Scholarship exams. The two schools enjoy various joint events, including concerts, workshops and transition occasions. Prep musicians can play alongside senior school musicians, and our choristers often sing alongside their older peers, with Evensong performances taking place each term. The Prep Head Master is part of the school’s Senior Executive Team, and the schools share the same board of Governors, with the Prep School having its own committee, made up of members of the full board. |
