Years 7&8 provides boys and girls with a real academic advantage over their counterparts in senior schools. The progress in Mathematics, English and French in particular are substantial in comparison. All children who achieve a Common Entrance pass to their senior school are significantly better prepared for GCSE exams in the future and many of our alumni are able to take GCSE exams a year early as a direct result of the grounding they have received at Halstead St Andrew's. At an early stage the school will provide an informed opinion based on the child's academic abilities and social development and will point parents towards a suitable senior school.

The activity and sporting opportunities available to children in Years 7 & 8 are also notable. Our relatively small numbers in each year group provide the majority with an opportunity to represent the school in a variety of events. These opportunities may not be available in larger senior schools with three or four times as many pupils in each year to choose from.

Children who have attended Halstead St Andrew's are renowned for their confidence and their ability to fit seamlessly into their next schools. This, to a great extent, is due to the additional support and care they receive in their final two years and the broad base of the education provided. Most of the children will have joined Halstead St Andrew's when they were young and have moved up the years as generations have done before them. They all have aspirations and objectives and many of those are fulfilled in their last two years of their time with us. We try to provide every child with a sense of pride in their school and a feeling of responsibility for their actions.

Over the years, the children all take their turn as senior pupils and gain enormously from the time honoured traditions that have been practised over many terms.

They are indeed 'big fish in a small pond' and have an early chance to learn very important lessons about responsibility and reward, and also about organising and managing the younger members of the community. Of course none of this could take place without input from our caring and dedicated staff. The development of character is a primary objective in our programme of pastoral care.

The senior schools inform us that a significant proportion of pupils who move on to them at the end of Year 8 eventually achieve positions of responsibility in their final years there. They are recognisably more mature and responsible and are renowned for their rounded approach to school life.

We strongly believe that the last two years at Prep School are probably the most valuable and the most enjoyable for our children. They are a culmination of years of preparation and hard work and are the main reason for the success of the pupils when they move on to the next stage in their lives...

If you'd like to find out more about joining Years 7 & 8 at Halstead St Andrew's, please fill in our register your interest form and we'll send further information.