Bury Court - Prep School
The childrens' education at Burys Court forms part of their life in a school which maintains all the other aspects of a traditional preparatory school.
Music, singing and musical appreciation are part of the syllabus for all the children throughout their time here.
In Years 4, 5 and 6 all children in the class learn to play either the violin or the clarinet. In this way all children receive three years of tuition in one or other instrument. This is done in class rotation and while not every child keeps it up afterwards it is good experience for them and many do continue with their music.
Children can receive individual instrument lessons from visiting teachers and take the Royal Schools of Music exams. Regular practice takes place at school. Opportunities are given for them to perform in assemblies and in school concerts.
The children also perform in drama productions and enjoy the shows put on for other pupils and for parents each year. It is a pleasure to see them increasing in self confidence as they gain more experience of this.
We have a spacious and well equipped workshop for Design Technology with benches at various heights to suit the children. The children learn to handle resistant materials and produce an interesting variety of objects which they have designed and made rather than simply built from kits.
The school's main team sports are football in the Autumn Term, hockey in the Spring Term and cricket in the Summer Term. Swimming is done throughout the year, in the winter terms at a local pool and in the summer in our own open air pool where the older ones also enjoy games of water polo. In the summer the children do athletics and in the winter terms there is cross country running.
There is a wide range of educational visits through the year. The pupils have visited Battle Abbey, Leeds Castle, Amberley Museum, the Weald and Downland Museum, Birdworld, museums in London and many other places. Years 5 and 6 also spend time at a PGL outward bound camp, for which there is an extra charge. There is also an annual family ski trip to Italy which parents and other siblings are welcome (and encouraged) to join.
We have idyllic grounds in which the children enjoy their breaks; a lovely walled garden, an adventure play area with zip wire, ropes slides and swings and designated woodland in which the children can play and make their dens.
A variety of after schools clubs are available up to 5:30 to 6:00 pm or later in some cases.
