The educational philosophy behind The Roman Ridge School programme is based on the pillars of Responsibility, Discipline, Excellence, Morality, Integrity, and Leadership.
“It is easier to build up strong children than to repair broken men.” ¬ Fredrick Douglass
In the Middle School, we strongly believe that every child deserves to grow up in a safe, caring, and nurturing environment. Our section is blessed with amazing pupils full of talent, skills, drive, and energy, who are all hungry to learn, grow and excel.
Each day, my team and I arrive to school brimming with enthusiasm and deeply committed to guiding, mentoring, teaching and nurturing each pupil entrusted into our care. Our Mantra is ‘EVERY CHILD MATTERS’ and we can guarantee that no child will be left behind on our watch. We believe in providing an equal opportunity for all to reach their potential. We celebrate diversity and our pupils come from all corners of the globe, with unique backgrounds, gifts, and strengths. We are grateful to our parents for the partnership we share, working hand-in-hand to ensure that each child is supported and guided to grow up into responsible, productive global citizens and leaders in their communities.
The academic programme in the Middle School builds on the very strong foundation laid by our Junior School. We challenge our pupils to develop their skills in critical thinking, analysis, evaluation, problem solving and public speaking. We guide each pupil to expand their knowledge and understanding beyond the confines of the curriculum using technology, extended research, practicals and project work, to ensure they are at par or even exceed their counterparts in the UK Independent Schools. We love to learn outside the classroom in the Middle School and extend our pupils through a wide variety of exciting activities, events and programmes which build skills and encourage creative expression; making learning fun, fulfilling, and exhilarating!
We prepare our pupils to ably meet the academic & social demands of the Senior School, our Cambridge International programmes and beyond. Middle School pupils progress to the next level, fully equipped with the knowledge, strength of character, confidence and soft skills to thrive and lead in any environment they may find themselves.
The Middle School seeks to build upon the strong foundation established in our Junior School to further develop each child’s broad skills, as well as expand their knowledge and understanding of concepts.
Emphasis is placed on developing their abilities in critical thinking, analysis, evaluation using evidence to support opinions and the sound application of knowledge to solve problems. We develop each child’s confidence to learn independently and expand their interests through research, design thinking and opportunities to explore ideas creatively.
A strong sense of self-confidence is absolutely critical at this age and we guide our pupils to embrace mistakes as an important part of the learning process. We work to develop the unique talents & interests identified in each of our pupils and offer a wide range of clubs and activities for pupils to explore their interests and talents. We teach our pupils to appreciate diversity and to be tolerant and accepting of others. We promote the open sharing of ideas through lots of discussion, presentations, and public speaking, also promoting the development of their leadership skills through a myriad of activities and opportunities for community involvement.
Our curriculum is broad and converges the requirements of the UK Primary National Curriculum and the UK Independent School Examination Board (ISEB) Common Entrance 11+ and 13+ syllabi. Emphasis is placed on the core subjects English, Maths and Science, with each child also studying Geography, History, Religious Education, Art, French, IT, PE and Music (until Class 6). Topics in Personal, Social & Health Education are covered by Form Tutors weekly.
In Years 5 & 6, the children divide most of their lessons between two Class Teachers, one focused on Maths and the other on English and/or Humanities. They receive specialist tuition in Science, Music, French, Information Technology & PE. Key Stage 2 and Common Entrance 11+ exams are undertaken by the pupils in addition to regular internal assessments at the end of Year 6. Whilst most teaching time is given to English, Maths and Science, ample time is given to other subjects to ensure a balance is maintained. The curriculum is designed to enable a range of teaching methods to be used and cross-curricular and individual investigative work is encouraged at all levels. It allows teachers more opportunity for creativity, enabling them to produce lessons that are not just informative but also fun.
Our Form 1 & 2 curriculum centres on the Common Entrance syllabus culminating in 13+ examinations at the end of Form 2. Pupils are taught by Specialist Subject Teachers and the subjects examined include: English, Mathematics, Science, History, Geography, French and Religious Education. Information Technology, Art, Music, PE are assessed internally and based on the requirements of the Keys Stage 3 curriculum. The academic demands placed on pupils is no doubt elevated in during these years. However, it also allows children the time and space to explore their individual talents and it is often at this level that they start to excel in a particular area, be it drama, music, sport, academics, or art, or a combination, or even in all areas. We build on the structures, attitudes and aptitudes developed in the previous years and thoroughly prepare the children for a fruitful continuing education.
The ISEB Common Entrance syllabus is widely regarded as an excellent foundation to Cambridge IGCSE, providing a head start for pupils over their peers in preparing for the next stage of their education. It also provides a platform for any of our Form 2 pupils to meet the requirements of the leading UK Independent Senior Schools and transfer seamlessly, should they wish to continue their education there. Our success rate Key Stage 2 and Common Entrance 11+/13+ examinations indicate that the curriculum meets and even exceeds all the requirements at these levels and enables our pupils to make a smooth transition.
