With close co-operation and communication between Years 2 and 3, the move to Upper School is smooth and untroubled. The hard working and caring ethos, established in Lower School, is carefully nurtured into the transition to the junior department. Children build upon the strong foundations of mathematics and English, as well as further investigating an ever widening curriculum, including Verbal/Non Verbal Reasoning which coincides with a greater expectation of homework.
The children continue to develop their individuality and are encouraged to explore every avenue and opportunity that is presented to them. Ever increasing independence of thought and action, good manners and respect for each other is expected from all of our children as they grow and progress at Forest Preparatory School.
All pupils are encouraged to reach their highest potential and are fully prepared for all independent school and grammar school examinations. Forest Preparatory School prides itself on the outstanding results achieved to date and we give the children every opportunity to prepare for life in their chosen route of further education, safe in the knowledge that they leave us well equipped for the challenges that lie ahead.
Click here to find out how we prepare pupils for moving on to a wide variety of secondary schools.
In Year 3 the children study topics including MS Word text manipulation, using graphics and data bases.
In Year 4 topics covered include using the internet for research and safely using email. There is also a cross curricular project on the topic of "The Tudors".
During Year 5, amongst topics covered in this year, pupils learn to use MS Publisher and how to use MS Excel for calculations and producing graphs.
During Year 6 pupils learn to use MS Power Point. They also produce posters and leaflets. There is a cross curricular project on "World War 2".
Parents can keep up to date with the latest ICT news by following our dedicated ICT Twitter feed. Parents are also encouraged to view our Parents' Guides which includes valuable information in relation to ICT. Click the links below:
A Parents' Guide to Cyberbullying A Parents' Guide to Snapchat
In the Upper School, pupils build on their language skills. The focus is still on fun and oral activities but they now begin to recognise the written word and are able to write simple sentences.
Use of French expands into other areas of the curriculum, for example Greek myths, ICT, maths and music. Their knowledge of French is enhanced further by a Years 5 and 6 trip to Northern France, where they can put their language learning into practice and experience a different culture.
In Upper School, the focus is on broadening the pupils’ awareness of music in different genres, continuing singing and playing instruments but also involving more group work, including compositions, performances and project work. By the end of Upper School, pupils will know how to combine different note values and all treble and bass clef notes, understand the orchestral instruments, the various musical periods from Baroque to Modern, world music genres and different cultural contexts, both traditional and modern
Singing is one aspect of Music that all Forest students especially enjoy. Songs are an integral part of all music lessons and are used to entertain, educate and encourage the children. Pupils sing regularly in class, at assemblies and during weekly singing practice in the Hall.
In addition, the school has three choirs:
Greenhouse Choir – for budding choristers in Years 2 and 3 (rehearsals for 10 minutes at break time each Monday and Thursday);
Main Forest Choir – for all interested pupils from Years 4 to 6 (rehearsals for 30 minutes at lunch time each Monday, with additional rehearsals leading up to Christmas);
Forest Chamber Choir – an auditioned choir of just 9-12 members from Years 4 to 6 (rehearsals for 30 minutes each Thursday lunchtime).
Forest pupils have sung at Manchester Cathedral, MEN Arena, the Bowdon, Alderley Edge and Altrincham Schools Festival and many other local venues; we are very proud of their efforts and successes!
Instrumental Lessons Children are also offered the opportunity to learn instruments with specialist teachers during the school term. These instruments include:
| Piano | Singing | Recorder | Guitar |
| Flute | Clarinet | Saxophone | Trumpet |
Pupils are expected to practise each day and to be diligent and enthusiastic about their progress. They have the opportunity to perform at assemblies and informal concerts throughout the school year, as well as at more formal school events. There is also the prospect of doing Associated Board and/or London College of Music examinations for those who are practising and progressing extremely well.
An Instrumental Ensemble is formed each year for interested pupils. This takes the form of the Nativity Band leading up to Christmas and then a flexible ensemble rehearsing and performing a range of works for the remainder of the school year. Rehearsals are held for 20 minutes each Monday at break time.
There is also a Percussion Ensemble for pupils in Years 5 & 6, led by the school’s wind teacher, Mr Pearson. This is offered as a club and is held at lunchtime on a Wednesday. Details can be found on the ‘Clubs & Activities’ page.
We have a strong relationship with the other Bellevue North schools and take part in various joint activities. The inaugural Bellevue Northern Music Festival was held at the Royal Northern College of Music in April 2016; our pupils presented a 20-minute performance including Main and Chamber Choirs, Percussion Ensemble, Years 5 & 6 Samba Band and three songs with Forest Park, Brabyns and Edenhurst Preparatory Schools. The concert was a huge success and enabled our pupils to showcase their talents in a world-class venue.
Parents can keep up to date with the latest Music news by following our dedicated Music Twitter feed. Click here to follow.
Pupils play football, netball, rounders and lacrosse and swim every week. School teams and individuals compete with great success in local, regional and national events.
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