- Sarum Hall School Year 6 pupils have achieved outstanding results at 11+
- Collectively the year group received 106 offers to prestigious senior schools
- All pupils had a senior school offer on results day
- The year group secured 21 academic scholarships and 5 music scholarships
The 2024 leavers’ and the staff of Sarum Hall School have been celebrating this year and with good reason!
The Year 6 cohort of 24 pupils have achieved outstanding results, with every individual securing a senior school place on results day. Collectively, the pupils received over 100 offers to prestigious senior schools, including 21 academic scholarships and 5 music scholarships. Some of the schools they will be moving on to include Francis Holland School, Regent’s Park, St Paul’s Girls’ School, City of London School for Girls, Queenswood School, South Hampstead High School and Cheltenham Ladies College.
Sarum Hall School is rightly proud of its excellent academic results and established record of scholarship and examination success. Karen Coles, Headmistress of the school explains:
“We are a non-selective school which means we don’t choose children at 3+ based on their academic ability. To have such strong results at 11+ year on year is a real testament to the hard work of our pupils, the dedicated teaching staff, and the whole school community who have supported them to achieve so much”.
The 11+ process is renowned for the stress that it can cause for pupils and their families, with competition for senior school places at an all-time high. Sarum Hall School does all it can to reduce anxiety for families by ensuring that the parents are fully supported and guided through the process on an individual basis.
Miss Coles continues: “Our strategy is to speak with parents individually about the 11+ process, understand their expectations for their child, and to let them know what needs to happen and when, so that there are no nasty surprises.”
The process kicks off with an annual ‘Senior Schools Forum Evening’ for Year 4 and 5 parents where Heads from leading senior schools are invited to speak to parents on a variety of subjects such as ‘The perils of tutoring’, ‘how does learning change at senior school’, and ‘how can schools take classroom theory into real life’. This is followed by an opportunity for parents to meet Heads and senior members of staff to ask questions and get a feel for how different schools operate.
From here the Headmistress personally oversees a series of individual parent meetings to guide them through the 11+ process, making recommendations and suggestions to find the right senior school for each individual. This hand-held approach continues until the pupils’ transition at the end of the Summer Term. Miss Coles continues: “Finding the right school for each individual is so important. We want each of our pupils to be happy in their senior school, whilst also achieving their personal best. One can’t happen without the other”.
As well as preparing parents, the pupils are well-prepared by the school too. Examination practice comes as standard, and they are also supported through the interviewing process with dedicated practice sessions with an independent interviewer.
The School offers a strong and varied curriculum masterminded and led by Deputy Head (Academic and Innovation), Mr Chen Lee, who works closely with all staff to ensure teaching excellence throughout the school.
In addition to the strong curricular ethos, the School also provides first-rate pastoral support, led by Deputy Head, Ms Bev Gayton. The School highlights its Golden Values of: Kindness; Courage; Respect; Honesty; Fairness and Resilience, as underpinning all life at School. Miss Coles is keen to point out that it’s not all about academic success at Sarum Hall School: “Most children at the age of 11 won’t have come anywhere near finding out what they are good at yet. At Sarum Hall School we are determined to ensure that every pupil embodies our Golden Values in everything they do. If we can ensure that each pupil has a positive attitude and wants to embrace life and all it has to offer, then we have done a good job. The rest is added bonus.”
The pupils themselves have been enjoying their final weeks at prep school before they move onto their senior school. They enjoyed a recent trip to Osmington Bay for outdoor adventures which included zip-wires, high-wire climbing, a giant swing and kayaking! Now they are working on a STEM project involving stomp rocket launches and designing and building racing cars to be fired across a track. And then there is the much-anticipated final show to look forward to as well, which this year is Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Miss Coles concludes: “As we launch our pupils into the next chapter of their lives, I wish them nothing but luck and happiness in their futures. Each and every one of them deserves nothing less.”
Categories: School news
