Main School Departments

English  

Here at Norman Court, we believe that children should be given a stimulating and positive experience of the wonderful world of literature right from the word go! We have great fun dressing up as our favourite book character on World Book Day and also fundraising for the very worthwhile charities that Readathon supports.

 

Great emphasis is placed upon creative writing and giving the reader an absorbing and pleasurable connection with the text. Poetry is sent off to various competitions and we are lucky enough to have been the winner of a very prestigious award recently!

 

We aim to make our children confident, perceptive and accurate users of the English language in all four interconnecting skills: reading, writing, speaking and listening. Whilst supporting pupils with learning difficulties in small, friendly classes, we also challenge and stimulate the most able with rewarding and innovative teaching techniques, often contributing to Scholarship success at 13+.

 

We don't forget how very lucky we are to be situated in such tranquil yet exciting surroundings and pupils often enjoy the freedom of nature walks to stimulate ideas and vocabulary to use in their own writing. So come and join us and allow your child to experience the joys of English at Norman Court!

 

 

Art Department

The Art Department is located in a purpose built room that is light and spacious. It has its own pottery area and kiln.

All our pupils have a double lesson a week (1hr 15mins) with the facilities open during extra-curricular activities time. Pupils working towards scholarships are invited to use the Art Room in their free time.

Our pupils regularly gain Art scholarships to the major senior schools. We also support pupils taking All Rounder scholarships by providing a portfolio of their work.

Our pupils learn to investigate their subject by looking and drawing from observation. They experiment with a wide range of wet and dry media through painting, print making, sculpture or ceramics. They are taught how to read and understand work created by a variety of artists and craftspeople. Through doing this they learn to understand the context of their own endeavours. This is done within the Art Room situation or by visiting both local and national galleries and sculpture parks.

We take part in National school exhibitions, local art exhibitions, display work in local shops as well as having the pupils' work on display around the school. The culmination of this is our Annual Art Exhibition where every pupil from 3 – 13 years has a piece of work selected for display.

History Department

The History Department has several important aims:

1. To develop enjoyment and stimulation for the subject.

2. To develop historical language. Pupils will be encouraged to express themselves clearly in both speech and writing and to develop their reading skills.

3. Pupils are given opportunities to develop and apply their ICT capability in their study of history. ICT is firmly embedded in the curriculum, with the digital projector and whiteboard giving pupils access to the wealth and variety of historical material available online. The use of the school's two ICT suites enables children to engage in research and develop their writing and presentational skills.

4. To learn about the past in terms of people, change and continuity, and to understand how events from the past influence the present.

5. To develop the processes and skills required to successfully evaluate arguments.

6. To handle historical evidence and make structured conclusions from it.

7. To develop a range and depth of historical knowledge and understanding.

8. To encourage pupils to study the subject at a higher level i.e. GCSE and beyond and to prepare them for this option.

9. To bring out the best from each pupil and ultimately achieve exam success.

Mathematics Department

At Norman Court we aim to give each pupil a solid mathematical foundation so they can foster a love of and an interest in mathematics, as well as helping them feel mathematically confident for their future school and, later on, in their employment.

We endeavour to create a positive approach to mathematics and to create opportunities for showing how this important subject is part of daily life.

We recognise the importance of basic number bonds and tables and support each pupil's development so they feel confident with basic arithmetic in a variety of situations.

Taught by specialist mathematics teachers from Years 5-8, our aim is to both allow each pupil to access the Common Entrance syllabus as well as encourage pupils' knowledge and understanding to develop investigative and problem solving thinking.  Through this, we endeavour to extend and challenge those who are mathematically gifted, as well as supporting those who find the subject more difficult.

We take part in various local and national mathematics competitions, giving an opportunity for our brightest mathematicians to compete against other talented and gifted children.

Music Department

At Norman Court we aim to meet the needs of the musically talented as well as helping every child to discover the enjoyment of making and appreciating music of all genres.

Music plays an integral role in the life of our community. All the pupils are given lessons in singing, composing, performing and listening. Pupils in Pre-Prep are taught the recorder, whilst in Main School the focus changes to the electronic keyboard. The large majority of teaching is practical and pupils are encouraged to have fun whilst playing and performing. We also have a happy team of 17 visiting teachers who now teach over 140 instrument lessons a week.

Music also plays an important role in collective worship. Songs are taught that reflect the Christian ethos in the school.

We support group participation and have a large number of extra-curricula opportunities for children to enjoy at no extra cost. Choirs, orchestral groups and a variety of bands are well attended. The children are keen to perform in public and every effort is made to provide opportunities for this to happen.

Science Department

Children study science from Year 1 onwards. In the early years and Junior years (3 and 4) , science is taught by class teachers in classrooms with strong links wherever possible to other subjects, particularly the development of their literacy, numeracy and other basic skills, with plenty of opportunities for describing, explaining, observing and measuring.

In Years 5 to 8 the course is based on the National Curriculum Programme of Study for Key Stages 2 and 3 and the ISEB 11+ and 13+ Common Entrance syllabuses. Science is taught by specialist teachers in the two well-equipped laboratories, using a wide variety of teaching and learning methods. These include a lot of practical work, with children mostly working in pairs or individually, but also demonstrations and short video clips.

Children are taught how to use a wide range of measuring instruments and apparatus, and are often involved in the planning of experiments, always with a strong regard for safety. Questioning, predicting, fair testing, observing, drawing conclusions and suggesting explanations are all involved and children produce reports and descriptions of their experiments and secondary research (e.g. using internet sources). We also use the local environment for fieldwork.

Year 8 work towards Common Entrance Assessments in Physics, Chemistry and Biology and make a lot of progress, with more than 60-75% achieving A or B grades. In developing children's knowledge, understanding and skills, we aim for our pupils to be well prepared when they leave us, by making Science interesting, enjoyable, practical and challenging.

Pupils' feedback at the end of Year 8 is overwhelmingly positive; comments include: “I've learned a lot in a fun way and in a smaller class”; “it makes sense of the world around”; and “my sister's science teachers at her new school said she'd been very well taught here.”