Nestled in 220 acres of North Yorkshire countryside between Harrogate and York, Chapter House Preparatory School, part of Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate, is offering learning opportunities and experiences that go far above and beyond the normal curriculum.
At the school, all primary students study Spanish and Mandarin each week under the tutelage of native speakers from Year 1 and have weekly swimming lessons in the 25m onsite swimming pool. They partake in cooking and baking classes in a specialist food technology room and have forest school lessons in a dedicated woodland area onsite, that are taught by a qualified forest school teacher. In addition, all pupils follow a sports programme under specialist coaches that focuses on multi-skills to keep every individual motivated and engaged in physical activity and sports. Each year they compete in the annual Sports Day in groups known as houses which creates a real sense of belonging and camaraderie, no matter their ability, and older students are involved in regular fixtures and workshops which develop their skills further.
Students enjoy a range of creative options including art, dance, expert music teaching and drama. As well as performing in school productions and nativities, pupils in Years 3-5 have the opportunity to perform dance and gymnastic routines at the annual Gym and Dance event to an audience of over 500 and can join the King’s Academy for Performing Arts. As student, Hannah, says, “Gymnastics club lets us get better at our skills in a safe, controlled area. I loved performing in front of everyone in the show.”
Gifted students are given the opportunity to explore their talents and push themselves as individuals. They are provided with several opportunities to compete in a variety of competitions across academics, sports, creative arts, and performing arts. Recently, our school community was thrilled to see our pupils, Ben and Rosamund, achieve 1st prize in the Junior Classical Style and Prodigy Short Recital categories of the Around the Globe International Music Festival.
Head of Chapter House and Queen’s Kindergarten, Karen Kilkenny, explains why her school is so special, “Every child has an individual learning pathway which is tailored specifically to them to ensure that they have the correct and best approach for their learning. We have regular learning sessions in our outdoor classroom settings and offer a wide range of extracurricular activities, trips and visitors to school to truly enhance the curriculum. We are always coming up with new ways to benefit our students. One of our most successful, and popular initiatives has been the introduction of our reading dog, Indie. It increases the confidence of reluctant readers by having a friendly and non-judgemental audience, with one Year 1 pupil improving their reading age by two years over one term.”
At Chapter House, wellbeing and safety is of the utmost importance. The school is set in the heart of the Collegiate grounds surrounded by the other three schools and the state-of-the-art facilities. All our primary students benefit from our ‘Thrive’ wellbeing initiative that includes specialist sessions to improve resilience, confidence and mental health as well as a peer mentoring scheme, and specialist outreach days with other schools.
Children leave Chapter House in Year 5 and move into our middle school, King’s Magna, as well-rounded, independent, prepared, and happy learners.
To find out more about why Chapter House could be the school for your child, visit qe.org/chapter-house or email admissions@qe.org to book a private tour.
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