www.hazlegrove.co.uk #GreatStoriesBeginHere GREAT STORIES BEGIN HERE Jodie Smith CONNECT WITH @HAZLEGROVE MAKING THE MOST OF CHILDHOOD WELCOME TO HAZLEGROVE Dear Mr & Mrs Smith I am delighted that you are considering Hazlegrove for Jodie and have great pleasure in sending you our prospectus. I hope that it will give you a glimpse into the rich and diverse life at Hazlegrove. This is a school in great heart where the dedication of staff to children’s well-being is paramount as is our commitment to celebrating childhood. A vibrant and creative curriculum, exceptional pastoral care and stunning rural Somerset location combine to make children feel nurtured, motivated, inspired and encouraged to love learning for life. We are unashamedly busy and want children to embrace childhood before it slips away. It is so exciting to see children throughout the school striving to perform their best in sport, music and drama, caught up in the passion of the moment. With the majority of our boarders coming from word of mouth recommendation, our busy evening and weekend programme of activities benefits both boarders and day pupils alike. As a largely ‘unplugged’ school, you will not see children with their heads lost in mobile phones or devices, instead they have the time, space and enthusiasm to enjoy and make the very most of all that is on offer here. Hazlegrove is a dynamic, exciting, warm and friendly place in which to grow up and I will be delighted to meet you and show you around the school. Do please call Ali Rogers in our Admissions Office (01963 442606) to arrange to visit or if you have any questions about Hazlegrove. With best wishes. Yours sincerely Mark White MA Headmaster PRE-PREP Hazlegrove Pre-Prep provides children with a wonderful start to school life. We ensure that your child has a really positive first experience of education, building a foundation for a life-long love of learning. Our Pre-Prep is run by caring, creative and experienced staff who know exactly how to bring out the best in each pupil, and, most importantly, make learning fun! As part of Hazlegrove our Pre-Prep children have access to an amazing array of resources including our 25m indoor swimming pool, theatre, dance studio and sports pitches. We have excellent resources, small class sizes and have the flexibility to deliver the curriculum in a way that helps our children learn and consolidate that knowledge with practical experiments and activities. Our days are balanced with academic learning of key maths and literacy taking place in the morning, whilst afternoons are filled with creative and practical work including Science, Art, PE, Dance, Drama, Music, French and our popular Forest School sessions. The chance to take part in such a wide variety of activities from a young age helps children discover the talents and passions that define them, feel proud of their achievements and develop confidence in their abilities. We aim to give the children in our Nursery and Pre-Prep the very best start to their school lives, GOOD FOUNDATIONS ARE EVERYTHING PREP SCHOOL Happy children are best placed to learn well and each child is supported in their next steps through the school. The heart of prep school education is expressed in one word, preparatory. The curriculum at Hazlegrove prepares Art and Design and Outdoor Education, as well children for the next phases of their lives, for as a varied Sports programme. Computers and the demands of a more specialised senior ICT are seen as a vital component of Hazlegrove education and, in the longer term, to be able education but never as an end in themselves. to meet the challenges of the workplace and The curriculum has a real, hands-on feel where to thrive in their personal and professional lives, children participate and are not just spectators. understanding their responsibilities in making the We are passionate about developing in the world a better place. children, genuine awe, wonder and curiosity at The traditional academic disciplines, including the complexities of life and the world about us - Latin, are complimented by Music and Drama, past, present and future. THERE IS A SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENT LEARNING The breadth and balance in the curriculum This progress is regularly assessed, both formally give pupils an opportunity to get excited about and informally, and parents are kept up-to- the lessons they have each day. Activity and date about levels of effort and attainment investigation enable pupils to learn to think through the reporting system and pattern of for themselves and to solve problems. In Year regular parent-teacher meetings. Parents are 4, pupils join the rest of the Prep School in encouraged to discuss their children’s progress attending school on Saturday mornings from with staff at any time. which the children benefit in a myriad of ways; Pupils are prepared for entry to a wide range whether it be the space this creates over the of senior schools and considerable success is course of a week to explore topics and interests achieved on the scholarship front. They gain to the pressure that this removes from having to entry either through the Common Entrance or fit everything in from Monday to Friday. Scholarship examinations and awards gained Pupils’ progress is monitored from an early may be Academic, Sport, Music, Art, DT, Drama age to ensure that potential is fulfilled and any or All Round. difficulties are identified as early as possible. THERE IS A GENUINE SENSE OF BELONGING BOARDING Boarding is the heartbeat of Hazlegrove and we are proud to be a very busy boarding school with lots to entertain and engage the children who stay in every weekend. With Saturday school for all children in Years 4 - 8 followed by matches in the afternoon, the children have access to the wonderful facilities, including the swimming pool, sports hall, Art Department as well as their own go-kart track in the school woods. Food and family sit together at Hazlegrove. We have our own in-house catering team who source the best ingredients in order to provide a nutritious and delicious range of food for the entire school community. From the Boarders’ Feast at Christmas, the regular delicious roast on a Thursday to the food celebrated for International Languages Day not to mention the famous Hazlegrove Brownie, the children experience a broad and varied range of tastes and textures every day. In the evening, ‘Family Service’ ensures that children sit as families, siblings are together and the children serve from the table just as they would at home. It is of paramount importance to us that your children feel safe and happy staying here, and our thriving community of around 100 full-time boarders is testament to our success. You can be confident that our experienced houseparents and boarding staff will take care of your child’s physical and emotional wellbeing, ensuring they have a relaxed and fun time at school. It is not an easy decision to make, but with many of our boarder families choosing Hazlegrove on the strength of personal recommendations from past and current pupils, we know we offer an extremely positive boarding experience both for boarders and their parents. It is a wonderful opportunity for your child to reach their potential, grow in confidence and make friends and memories that will last a lifetime. SPORT Children at Hazlegrove have a huge array of sporting opportunities and experiences. All children from Year 3 to 8 represent the School in major games and matches. Participation, whatever ability, is central to the school’s philosophy. Mr Phil Cobb, Director of Sport, comments, ‘Sport is about so much more than results and we passionately believe that enjoyment and exposure to a broad range is the key in the formative years. We are privileged to have both superb sporting facilities and a very dedicated and passionate team of teachers. We instil the lifelong values of healthy living and having fun through our sporting endeavours. From Outdoor Education to both team and individual sports, we foster the ethics of fair play, fun and team work. We have two recent alumni that have won gold medals at recent Olympic Games and a number of past and current pupils that have represented Great Britain on the international stage. However, we pride ourselves on not only the achievements of our top performers, but on the wealth of opportunity accessible for all children, as well as ensuring access to the more diverse OPPORTUNITIES sports of Archery, Kayaking, Laser FOR SPORT LIE Pistol Shooting and Martial Arts’. AROUND EVERY CORNER THE MUSIC CHALLENGES, INSPIRES AND DELIGHTS MUSIC The Music at Hazlegrove challenges, inspires and delights. The range of instrumentation and the level that so many achieve is testimony to the dedication of pupils and staff. Pupils get lots of opportunity to experience the The curriculum is carefully designed and enjoyment of playing, whether as soloists or completely cross-curricular. together in bands and ensembles. They are also Music is under the inspirational direction of encouraged to perform in front of an audience Mrs Nicola Sclater, who attended The Lady at one of the many concerts we hold each Eleanor Holles School as a music scholar and term. went on to study for a BA (Mus) and a PGCE at The Music Department is vibrant and busy and The University of Bristol. She has performed at pupils can join one of the many ensembles venues such as The Royal Festival Hall and Eton including Girls’ Vocal Group, Boys’ Vocal College. Group, Chamber Ensemble, Strings Quartet, The early years of education are the ideal time Percussion, Swing Band, Wind Ensemble, to instil a love of music and the arts.