Achievement through Happiness

Lower & Upper Schools

The education of your son or daughter is ofvital importance to you as a parent; itconstitutes an investment in the future andyou will naturally want to find the rightschool for your child and for your family.

Belmont is an extraordinary school. Here,every child really matters and we look todevelop children as individuals, seeking toinspire, to encourage self esteem and tounfurl the hidden strengths of every boy andgirl. A happy, industrious environment andhigh expectations pervade throughout. Theopportunities, the friendliness and the settingare all conducive to developing the fullpotential of your son or daughter, whereverthat potential may rest.

We have a welcoming atmosphere of love,laughter and fun and this is of paramountimportance to us. The curriculum is closelymonitored to provide challenges for everyboy and girl from the youngest 2 year old tothe teenager of 13 years.

At Belmont, we have a balance of extra-curricular opportunities designed to captivatethe imagination in a school where every childcan thrive: we invest in these qualities in ourschool. We enjoy a strong sense ofcommunity, a commitment to the individualand Christian values worked out in our dailylives.

This prospectus will give you a flavour of lifeat Belmont, but to fully appreciate all that wehave to offer, I hope you will come to visitus. Although we have regular Open Mornings,we welcome visitors every day. Pleasetelephone us on 01306 730852 or emailadmissions@belmont-school.org and we willbe happy to help you.

I look forward to meeting you.

WELCOME TO BELMONT

“We have a welcoming atmosphere of love,laughter and fun and this is of paramountimportance to us.”

Mrs Helen Skrine BA PGCE NPQH FRSAHeadmistress

BelmontPreparatorySchool @BelmontPrep

INTRODUCTION TO THE SCHOOL

Belmont Preparatory School is a fully co-educational day school for children aged 2 to13 years. Additionally we offer weekly andflexible boarding facilities for children agedbetween 7 and 13 years. In common withmost Preparatory Schools, Belmont is aCharitable Trust, administered by a Board ofGovernors. The Headmistress is a member ofthe Independent Association of PreparatorySchools (IAPS) which is the kite mark forquality within the independent sector.

Situated in the Surrey Hills - an area ofoutstanding natural beauty - andconveniently located for Dorking, Guildford,Leatherhead, Cranleigh, Horsham andsurrounding villages, Belmont is situated in65 acres of spectacular wooded parkland andoffers a style of schooling that many childrencould only dream about.

Founded in 1880 in London, Belmont latermoved to the village of Westcott, not farfrom our current site in Holmbury St. Mary.

“We have a finereputation forproviding a firstclass education forboys and girlswithin an impressivelocation.”

The school buildings are centred upon theArts and Crafts mansion, Feldemore, formerlythe home of the Waterhouse family whichforms an impressive backdrop for thisoutstanding school. We have a fine reputationfor providing a first class education for boysand girls within a beautiful location. Weprepare children for entry to senior schoolvia Common Entrance, Scholarship or througha particular school's own entry procedure.Whatever the route to senior school, allpupils sit Common Entrance or Scholarship atthe end of Year 8.

Excellent facilities include an homogenousEarly Years building (The Mews) providingexcellent space for our youngest children, apurpose built Music School, a Sports Halland Performing Arts Theatre.

Classrooms are bright and inviting, boththose used for general teaching and thosethat are specifically equipped for a range ofsubjects such as Science, Design, Computing,Art, Music and Learning Support.

Outdoor facilities include a ropes course,camping and outdoors activities area, twoadventure playgrounds, all-weather hardcourts, cross-country tracks and facilities formountain biking.

Education is to be relished, and pupils hereare challenged, inspired, nurtured andencouraged making Belmont the very bestchoice for you to make for your child. Here,boys and girls are prepared for a wide rangeof senior day or boarding schools, bothlocally and nationally, for their teenage years.

ETHOS

“We seek to find areas of strength in every boy and girl, to build self-confidence and anappreciation of the successes of others.”

When your child joins Belmont he or she willbecome part of a school that seeks to stimulateand develop lively, enquiring minds andpersonalities. All pupils are encouraged toreach their true potential and to becomeindividuals who value participation - both in theclassroom and beyond.

At Belmont you will find pupils who feel secureand valued. They are encouraged to progressboth academically and socially, and to developtheir moral compass. We nurture respect forothers and an appreciation of diversity,enabling boys and girls to become responsibleand considerate members of society.

Your children will benefit enormously from theexpertise of our staff team. With a excellentblend of youth and experience, the teachingstaff is very well equipped with a balance ofskills. We have developed an enviable rapportbetween pupils, staff and parents, upon whichvisitors frequently comment. Our staff care forevery one of our boys and girls - and theatmosphere in the classroom is based onmutually respectful, friendly relationships.

We seek to find areas of strength in every boyand girl and to build self-confidence togetherwith an appreciation of the successes of others.Within this culture of praise and reward,children are happy: they thrive and achievetheir potential.

We have an excellent reputation for outstandingpastoral care and our children are encouragedto demonstrate responsibility towards otherchildren. All staff are thoroughly vetted fortheir suitability to work with children andreceive ongoing training in pastoral issues. Thesecurity and happiness of your child is ofutmost importance to us.

As parents, you are always welcome to comeinto school and we value your contributions.We enjoy close relationships with our localcommunity and endeavour, at all times, toshare our attractive resources with ourneighbours in the surrounding villages.

EARLY YEARS: Our separate Early Yearsprospectus outlines our provision for ouryounger children from 2 to 5 years. Unlikemany playgroups the programme provided atBelmont fully implements the Early YearsFoundation Stage of education, introducingearly literacy and numeracy whilst buildingphysical, social and emotional skills to prepareeach child for life in the Lower School.

It is expected that all our Early Years childrenwill move on through the school and, once aplace is offered, there are no subsequentadmissions tests for entry to the Lower orUpper Schools thereby ensuring that pupilsbenefit from a smooth transition throughBelmont.

Following on from our Early Years education,a class teacher remains at the core of yourchild's learning until the end of Year 4.Emphasis is placed on establishing a firmfoundation in literacy and numeracy, yet thecurriculum is broad, with a wide range ofsubjects taught and a variety of educationalvisits planned to enrich and extend thechildren's learning. Excellent use is made ofour glorious grounds as a valuable learningresource.

We follow, but teach beyond, the NationalCurriculum so that children enjoy a breadthof learning and a wide range of activitiesaimed to develop independence, thinkingskills and a firm foundation for futurelearning. Our class sizes are deliberatelysmall to ensure the closest possible attentionis given to each child. In the Lower Schoolthe members of the teaching staff aresupported by a team of classroom assistants.

Children are taught to read from the EarlyYears using phonics and each child reads to amember of staff on a regular basis. Numberwork is also of prime importance andchildren's skills are developed from basicunderstanding to problem-solving and anappreciation of concepts such as weight,shape, money and time, in addition to solidmental agility in Maths.

Fun and laughter are the means to learning,and children enjoy a fulfilling programmewhere learning extends beyond the confinesof the classroom and into the surroundingcountryside. French, Art, Swimming, Music,and Physical Education, add breadth to thecore curriculum. Design Technology,Information Technology, Personal SocialCultural and Health Education, Drama andGames are all added gradually, and enrichthe learning experience. These subjects areprovided by subject specialist teachers.

Opportunities to represent the school insports teams, plays, choirs and instrumentalgroups are all part of the Belmontexperience. There are regular music lessonsand Belmont has a vibrant Dramadepartment. Coaching in the major games isintroduced from Year 1 to establish a firmfoundation for future success. Private musiclessons on a wide variety of instruments canbe taught from Year 2, and LAMDA and Balletare also available.

LEARNING AT BELMONTLOWER SCHOOL: YEAR 1 TO YEAR 4 (AGE 5 TO 9)

“Fun and laughter are the means to learning, and children enjoy a fulfilling programme wherelearning extends beyond the confines of theclassroom and into the surrounding countryside.”

We believe in educating your child intellectually,physically, emotionally, spiritually andculturally. To that end our academic principlesfoster both the provision of quality educationfor all our boys and girls and an expectationthat every single individual will perform to hisor her highest possible standards. We are proudof our reputation for providing an atmospherein which everyone can achieve in a number ofareas. We understand that children makeprogress at different stages and in differentways. We know that girls and boys often exhibitdifferent learning styles and our teaching takesaccount of this to ensure that Belmont is ahighly effective co-educational school.

From Year 5, all teaching is by subjectspecialists and teaching groups often compriseapproximately fourteen pupils, enabling us tofocus upon every child. Our flexible system ofsetting enables children to transfer betweenteaching groups in response to their progress,and to be challenged appropriately. Vibrantteaching and a purposeful atmosphere pervadein the classroom.

Our children are prepared for entry to a rangeof Senior Schools, both boarding and day, ateither 11+ or 13+ via Common Entrance,Scholarship or a school’s own admissionsprocedures. To this end, we provide astructured timetable covering Mathematics,English, French, Religious Studies, Geography,

History, Physics, Chemistry and Biology, butadding breadth in Drama, Computing andInformation Technology, Art, Design Technology,Music, Personal Social Cultural and HealthEducation, Physical Education and Games. Latinis offered as an extra option after school fromYear 6.

In the Upper School, opportunities for all pupilsto represent the school in Games, minor sports,plays, choirs and instrumental groups, debating,public speaking, general knowledge and subject-specific competitions, all add to the uniqueBelmont experience.

We regard homework as a useful means ofconsolidating and extending learning, and prepis therefore kept to a manageable length anddifferentiated according to pupil age and need.In Years 7 and 8, the requirement for prep isincreased in order to prepare pupils for thedemands they will face at their senior schools,whilst in Years 5 and 6, most prep is completedin school time.

At Belmont, children travel on a journey ofdiscovery and learning alongside their teachers,making progress at a pace that is appropriatefor each individual, and in line with their rate ofpersonal and intellectual development. With thisdifferentiated approach to learning, confidencegrows, and children often achieve more thanthey would have envisaged.

LEARNING AT BELMONTUPPER SCHOOL: YEAR 5 TO YEAR 8 (AGE 9 TO 13)

“We believe in educating your child intellectually,physically, emotionally, spiritually and culturally.”

“We have an inclusive philosophy and believe in Sport for All.All children are encouraged to participate in the major sports.”

Throughout the school we have an inclusivephilosophy and believe in Sport for All,through which children are encouraged toparticipate in a wide range of sports.Belmont's 65 acre site provides excellentGames facilities including grass pitches, all-weather surface tennis and netball courts, amagnificent Sports Hall, and heatedswimming pool.

Teams compete every week against other localpreparatory schools in a variety of Games. Weare also able to offer teams in Show Jumping,Golf, Judo, Sailing and a number of otherminor sports.

Boys play football, rugby and hockey in thewinter and cricket, swimming, athletics andtennis in the summer. Girls play hockey andnetball in the winter and rounders, swimming,tennis and athletics in the summer. In PhysicalEducation lessons, minor sports such asvolleyball and basketball form part of thecurriculum for boys and girls, whilst allchildren participate in cross country. Fitnesstests develop a life-long appreciation of thebenefits of exercise.

GAMES

Musical performance plays a very importantpart in school life. Belmont has a superbreputation for choral singing and all childrenare encouraged to learn an instrument inschool from the Lower School. There areseveral choirs, instrumental groups and manyopportunities to perform either in the safeenvironment of an assembly, or to a wideraudience in a range of concerts and musicalperformances outside school.

Drama is one of the major strengths of theschool and all year groups are givenopportunities to perform. Children are alsoencouraged to become involved in set design,painting, lighting, sound and backstagemanagement. The major school productions areopen to any child who wishes to take part, andare a key catalyst to discovering hidden talentamong our children.

PERFORMING ARTS

“The major school productions are open to any childwho wishes to take part, and are a key catalyst todiscovering hidden talent among our children.”

Our purpose built Studio 4 rooms have theadvantage of multi media facilities so thatfilm making, digital photography andgraphics can be taught alongside other skills.

During the course of a pupil's life atBelmont, various media are discoveredincluding design, sketching, silk screenpainting, ceramics, water colours, textiles,electronics and sculpture. The pupils alwayshelp to prepare stage sets for Schoolproductions and enjoy all aspects ofdeveloping their own skills in the subject.Displays around the school often originatefrom the art room and pupils are very proudof their work.

STUDIO 4 - THE VISUAL ARTS

“Various media are discovered during the course of apupil's life at Belmont, including sketching, silk screenpainting, ceramics, water colours and photography.”

COMPUTING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

“We are committed to ensuring that all our pupilsare equipped with the skills and abilities to thrivein the modern world.”

At Belmont, pupils are educated to become independent learners and one aspect ofthis is to ensure that they are fully competent with modern technologies. All pupilsacross the age range learn using tablets alongside more traditional methods andour virtual learning environment enables pupils to access all resources from home,enabling parents to support their children and to engage in learning with them. All teaching rooms have Apple TV, full multimedia capability and interactivewhiteboards. Teachers and pupils use a virtual learning environment as one ofmany learning tools.

Our technological capability is far beyond what many schools currently offer andour pupils learn to draw upon a range of pedagogic resources, both traditional andcutting edge, to facilitate their learning across all areas of the curriculum. We arecommitted to ensuring that all our pupils are equipped with the skills and abilitiesto thrive in the modern, technological world, whilst valuing more traditionalapproaches as equally valid tools for effective communication and lifelong learning.

Belmont children enjoy an enriched extra-curricular programme, using our twoadventure playgrounds, two ropes courses,pump track, and 65 acre rural site. Activitiesare offered after school for children in theLower and Upper Schools to enable childrento develop a wide range of skills andinterests.

Some of the most popular activities haveincluded photography, Scottish dancing,model railway, riding, public speaking, dramaand crafts, plus a myriad of sporting andmusical opportunities.

Academies are run in golf, judo, ballet,modern dance, and cricket and externalproviders lead activities in forest skills,photography and crafts.

EXTRA-CURRICULAR OPPORTUNITIES

“Activities are offered after school andenable children to develop a wide range of skills and interests.”

At Belmont, we offer the most flexibleboarding arrangements. We understand that,as parents who may be considering boardingfor your son or daughter, you want to beable to introduce your child to boarding in agentle manner, with an emphasis uponmeeting the needs of each individual child.

Weekly boarders arrive at school on eitherSunday evening or Monday morning andreturn home on Friday evening, while otherchildren board for only a few nights eachweek. We can also offer boarding (subject toavailability) on an even more flexible andinfrequent basis as need or want prevails.

We accept boarders from the age of 7 years.Pupils sleep in the main house, Feldemore, insmall, bright single sex dormitories withspectacular views over the Surrey Downs.The shower and bathroom facilities aremodern and of the highest quality, and ourfriendly house-parents, our residential staffand their families all contribute towards thecare of the children.

We also have three student teachers who actas older siblings to the children, and a largeteam of residential staff. These members ofstaff add to the caring and loving atmospherebetween children and staff, and help toreinforce a sense of “home from home”.

Boarders have clubs and activities and prepsupervised by academic staff in the eveningsfollowed by free time. The atmosphere isrelaxed and informal, giving plenty of scopefor the children to choose their own games,or to read, play and chat. They have time tobe themselves, developing their relationshipswith other children across the age range.

We welcome trial boarders and operate aboarding voucher scheme for those who wishto discover what boarding is all aboutwithout any financial outlay. Parents andchildren discover that the residentialenvironment is small, caring, happy and verypopular, so early booking is stronglyrecommended.

BOARDING

“We believe that, as parents, you want to beable to introduce your child to boarding in agentle manner, with an emphasis upon meetingthe needs of each individual child.”

“ With its dedicated teachers, fantastic surroundingsand great facilities, I do not think that you could askfor a better environment in which to help your childgrow into a brilliant and balanced young individual.”

Parent of children in Reception and Year 2

“ Belmont is a gem of a school where every child is cherished for who they are and given everyopportunity to shine. On our first visit, I wasparticularly struck by the fact that every child looked me in the eye and spoke with an attitude of confidence and curiosity. I cannot recommend this school highly enough.”

Parent of children in Years 6 and 8

“ My daughter is so happy at Belmont. Herachievements are acknowledged and celebrated and she is given sound advice and guidance fromstaff at Belmont, both academically and pastorally.Her academic progress has been excellent.”

Parent of a child in Year 7

“ A place that makes children happy and, as a parent,I could not ask for anything better.”

Parent of children in Years 5 and 7

Holmbury St. Mary, Dorking, Surrey RH5 6LQTel: Main Office - 01306 730852 Email: admissions@belmont-school.orgwww.belmont-school.org