Our Philosophy

Upper Prep - Years 6, 7 & 8

The purpose of life in the Upper Prep department is the preparation of the children for life after Barrow Hills, with a central focus on academic success in Common Entrance and scholarship examinations at 11+, 12+ and 13+.  All teaching is delivered by specialist teachers in specialist classrooms and all subjects are set or streamed by ability.  The teaching includes encouraging children to take academic risks and to be happy to think "out of the box" and beyond the straightforward.

We work hard to ensure that their preparation for public examinations is very thorough and we are proud or the annual academic and artistic achievements of the Upper Prep examination candidates, reflected in the significant and steadily increasing number of scholarships awarded to Barrow Hills children by public schools.

While there is inevitably a strong focus on academic progress in the Upper Prep, opportunities to develop talent and ability in the Expressive Arts and in Sport are plentiful, and children are strongly encouraged to develop their abilities and achievements in these dimensions.  We believe in the Latin tag 'mens sana in corpore sano" and ensure that time spent in purposeful activity in the classroom is balanced by adequate time spent in exercise and the arts.  The Upper Prep also continues to develop the ability to live successfully with others, and this is reflected in opportunities to support the youngest children in the school.

Children should leave Junior Prep with the confidence to work independently and, while this is further developed in Upper Prep, we also seek to foster an appreciation of the importance of 'interdependence', the value of being able to be a good team player, sometimes leading, sometimes in support.

Accordingly, we give all the Year 8 children an active role in leadership and service in the life of our school community.   These include the traditional roles of Head Boy and Head Girl of the School, House Captains and Captains of the major team games but extend to other roles, such as School Photographer and School Eco-Monitor, all of which give children the experience of taking significant functional responsibility, almost always for the first time in their lives.  While they will not be able to continue such responsibilities immediately after they leave the school, the value of their experience at Barrow Hills will be appreciated in a few years time when they reach the upper years of their senior school.

We firmly believe that children who understand the value of both independence and interdependence are well placed not only to make a successful start at their public or senior school but also to succeed beyond university because of the importance that so many employers place on recruiting team players with leadership potential.

Underpinning all aspects of Upper Prep is the continued development of a sound moral code and the appreciation and practice of empathy and kindness.  Barrow Hills is proud of its warm and community-based ethos and the most senior children are expected and required to be prime exemplars.

Iosold O'Brien, Deputy Head and Head of Upper Prep

iosold.obrien@barrowhills.org.uk