Being Head at Brontë House
As for all of us, 2019-20 will be forever etched into my memory. Not just because of the pandemic that changed the world for all of us – but because it was my very first year of Headship at Brontë House, the school that I was so very proud to be part of and was now entrusted to lead.
In this year of challenges, I was determined that Brontë House would remain the school it has always been; a school that always puts pastoral care and pupil wellbeing at its very core. Our commitment to engendering strong, resilient learners is unstinting and we hope to instil, in all of our children, a confidence in their own abilities and a sense of social responsibility and care for others. Traits that have proved more important than ever over the last academic year.
I can, hand on heart, say that Brontë House staff are exceptional. Their commitment to the school and to the children under their care knows no bounds. This is shown on a daily basis, both in and out of the classroom – and over the last year, holidays, weekends and evenings have been willingly sacrificed to ensure that the children’s learning continued through new and innovative means.
Perhaps one of the most unique and precious aspects of Brontë House is our school community. This last year, more than ever, has demonstrated that this community stretches well beyond the physical walls of our school. We constantly endeavour to nurture a strong partnership between home and school – and it is this that allows our pupils to grow into the very best versions of themselves both in good times and in hard times. Whatever the future holds for them, I am confident that they will flourish.
The Early Years
Our youngest pupils can be found in our purpose-built Early Years provision, Ashdown Lodge – situated a two minute stroll away from the main Brontë House building.
Ashdown Lodge is a bright and vibrant place for children aged two to five to play and learn and benefits from outstanding outdoor facilities – including a covered area for all-weather play and our ever popular pirate ship!
The Early Years curriculum provides the littlest members of the Grove family with high quality learning experiences, both through play and more structured teacher-led activities, following the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum.
We get to know each and every one of the children as the unique people they are. Our highly-trained and experienced staff deliver activities with the children’s individual needs in mind, often taking a child’s own interests and structuring tasks around them, making learning both fun and meaningful.
Whilst developing vocabulary and language skills is important to us, so is nurturing emotions, creativity and a thirst for learning.
Ashdown Lodge is a fun and captivating place to be!
Key Stage 1
The Brontë House Curriculum in Key Stages 1 and 2 is stimulating, challenging and wide-ranging. It covers all National Curriculum subjects but extends the content and level of many subjects beyond that normally taught by a primary school.
Our teaching is Topic-based to excite and motivate the children and give them a context for their learning. We use these Topics to teach humanities and much of the text-based English work, although separate lessons are retained for the teaching of spelling, punctuation, grammar and handwriting. In Key Stage 1, children also begin to receive specialist teaching in music, PE, games and French.
At this stage of their education, the children’s development in their basic skills is particularly rapid – and a joy to behold! Behind every lesson is our our overriding aim of building confidence and self-esteem, enabling our children too grow in independence – ready for Key Stage 2.
Key Stage 2
In Key Stage 2, we help the children to become more independent and take more responsibility for their learning. We expect them to be able to organise their own resources and equipment and follow class and homework timetables.
Homework is set every night, encouraging good study habits from an early age. Most subjects are taught in mixed ability groups, although maths is set-based.
By the time children reach Year 6, they will be used to moving around school for different lessons, taught by different teachers. They will have been given positions of responsibility within school life and have had ample opportunity to represent the school in a multitude of sports. We will have encouraged them to perform in front of their peers and a parent audience. In short, they will have the confidence, independence and resilience to move seamlessly into secondary school life.
It is with great pride that we watch our Year 6 step out of the Brontë gates for the last time, towards the next exciting stage of their education journey…Woodhouse Grove.
Our Facilities
Alongside our bright and spacious classrooms, the Brontë House Library provides a quiet, welcoming space for our children to select and enjoy a wide variety of books.
And our fully-equipped science lab helps bring lessons to life.
Brontë’s extensive grounds offer pupils an award-winning outdoor environment, complete with stream, woodland area and a Bushcraft space and outdoor classroom.
Our music department enjoys superb facilities including six practice rooms and a percussion studio. Our wonderful productions are often staged in style within the 240 seat Grove Theatre at Woodhouse Grove.
Outstanding sporting facilities include netball courts, a football pitch, provision for rounders and athletics and our Sports Hall, where activities such as gymnastics, basketball, hockey and dance take place. Our rugby players have use of a full-sized pitch on site, as well as the excellent facilities at Rawdon Meadows, in the grounds of Woodhouse Grove.
In the summer, our picturesque cricket square provides an idyllic setting. Brontë House pupils use the Jubilee Pool at Woodhouse Grove from the age of five.