At Felsted Preparatory School we enjoy taking stock of our achievements - academic,

co-curricular and pastoral - and identifying areas for further improvement. To that end, we have

assessed our performance in all of these areas over the course of the last academic year and

have built plans for improvement for the year ahead, which are now in place and can be

viewed at the end of this document.

Key Achievements 2011/12

& Improvement Plans 2012/13

Stewart House - new building opens

Felsted’s new Pre-Preparatory School officially opened in January 2012. The building, named

Stewart House, is specifically designed for this age group and is surrounded by characterful

multi-sensory outdoor play zones. The building was opened by Old Felstedian, Mr Andy

Stewart, whom the building is named after. Local renowned author Nick Butterworth, famous

for his ‘Percy the Park Keeper’ books, was also a welcome guest, officially opening the

Stewart House Library. He delighted guests by giving a series of storytelling sessions to our

pupils and visitors. His well-known illustrations have also been used to name each classroom

and appear on the main stairwell.

Key Achievementsduring 2011/12

Impact of 2011-12 key initiatives

The Olympic motto – Citius, Altius, Fortius (swifter, higher, stronger) - this motto was

embedded into all our thinking and set out to push our children for more, in all areas of school

life.

Pathways – working towards being able to conveniently communicate our tailor-made choices

for Felstedians as they go from 4 - 18. The pathway project aims to demonstrate competency

and consistency as well as care of the individual in each area of school life, thereby justifying

the cost of a Felsted education! This project is considerable and we hope to finish it by the end

of this Autumn Term.

Felsted Learning Standards - a considerable amount of time was spent on developing the

Felsted Learning Standards so that they were ready for publication this term. These standards

show the curriculum in every discipline throughout the School, set against ‘must’, ‘should’,

‘could’ criteria and linked to the Felsted Preparatory School grading system and National

Curriculum Levels in Core Subjects. This aims to show pupils, teachers and parents what

pupils need to do to achieve the different grades and standards and clearly differentiates work

to different abilities, whilst keeping the option to aim high open. This is an innovative piece of

work and shows the development of our curriculum in terms of knowledge, skills, assessment

and accountability.

The 5 P (Planning, pace, progress, presentation, proof-reading (forms of assessment)) lesson

observation sheet was used and 58% of lessons were deemed to be excellent and 42% good.

The language of learning sits under these 5 Ps and the use of this and observation of learning

behaviours led to a learning research project. This looks particularly at gender behaviour. The

result of this was understanding the value of giving pupils autonomy in leading their own

learning behaviour and the introduction of the 6th P – participation. The 5 P approach also

helped drive improvement towards excellence in teaching and learning. Formal observation,

scrutiny of work, learning walks and tracking of targets all help to track the quality of teaching.

The literacy toolkit was developed in response to the need for improved skills. Pilot projects

validated the launch of this year’s toolkit, which is being used across the curriculum focusing on

key reading and writing skills.

Impact of 2011-12 key initiatives:

Impact of 2011-12 key initiatives

Spanish was further embedded and our first exchange with Cádiz occurred. Pupils confirmed

the value of this, both in terms of pleasure and learning. However, it was difficult to get many

takers and the decision to organise a cultural visit was taken.

Key decisions regarding the ICT curriculum were taken and the Courtauld House iPad use

confirmed the way forward.

Research engaged and teacher training school – FPS trained two teachers and carried out

two research projects. We now have 76 iPads in use across the school.

Mrs Burrett was invited to be the European Round Square Coordinator and the decision was

taken to commit more fully to the Junior Round Square.

A new Dance School was opened, although this needs greater uptake.

The Felsted Olympiad was key to the co and creative curricula.

Understanding disability was the key aim of the charity initiatives, as well as raising funds for

our different charities.

The village heritage project is now complete and should enable our children and the village to

know more about where they live and learn.

Monitoring and evaluation led to planning for 2012/13.

Impact of 2011-12 key initiatives:

Exit and Scholarships

We are pleased to report that all Young Felstedians leaving us at the end of Year 8 progress to

the senior school of their choice - either Felsted or another. Many gained scholarships or

awards:

13+ Scholarships to Felsted (Year 8 pupils): six Academic, four Music, two Drama, one

Drama & Music, four Art, two Design and Technology and seven Sport Scholarship Awards. In

addition, Cosima Chisenhale-Marsh was awarded an All Rounder Scholarship to St Mary’s,

Ascot.

11+ Felsted Preparatory School Scholarships & Outstanding Talent Awards (Year 6

pupils): twenty pupils were given awards into Year 7 in recognition of their ability and talent in

the following areas; Academic (English, Mathematics, Science), Sport (overall or specific),

Music, Art, DT and Performing Arts.

Academic Attainment Summary:

Overall, pupils’ learning in the school is excellent, with on average 70-80% of pupils across the

year groups achieving at or above the national average in literacy (reading, spelling & writing)

and Mathematics. Between 25-40% of pupils are working at least one sub-level higher than the

nationally expected level. Further, 10-20% of pupils are achieving in the top 10% nationally.

There is a significant improvement in Verbal Reasoning, Mathematics and Spelling scores for

the School, revealing that it is working hard to achieve higher standards across the School,

though some areas for improvement have been identified.

These academic improvements indicate that the vast majority of FPS pupils are making

progress at a rate that exceeds their peers nationally. Basic skills continue to be developed

effectively as a key aspect of pupils’ personalised learning, but remain an area for constant

attention for some pupils.

The Literacy Toolkit (which all pupils carry with them from lesson to lesson) is seen as being

essential in helping to raise writing and reading levels. A cross-curricular focus on core

numeracy and ICT skills and knowledge (using fixed computers and iPads) is key to raising

standards still further. There is also growing evidence of pupils having a greater understanding

of Assessment for Learning (AFL) – as witnessed and recorded from Learning Walks and

Lesson Observations throughout 2011-12.

Key Highlights

Stewart House

The overall attainment of pupils throughout Years Reception to 2 is at least good and in many

cases excellent in relation to their ability. Progress is at least good, with basic skills developing

extremely well as a key aspect of pupils’ personalised learning.

Reception: 98% of our children achieved 6 or more scale points in each of the 7 scales of PSED and

CLLD. This is the level where a child is said to be working securely within the Early Learning Goals.

This compares with the national score of 59%, so places us near the top of all schools nationally.

Year 1: Although there is a wide range of ability in this cohort, overall pupils attained extremely well in

Literacy (English), with 71% working at or exceeding the national average with their Writing, 76% with

their Spelling and 83% in Reading. 86% of pupils were working at or above the national average in

Mathematics.

Year 2: This cohort has a wide range of ability, but made good progress overall. In Literacy 76% of

children were working at or exceeding the national average (84% with Writing, 76% with Spelling, 84%

with Reading). 79% of pupils were working at or above the national average in Mathematics.

Ffrome Court

Year 3: the overall attainment of pupils relative to their ability is high and in some cases excellent, with

77% of Year 3 pupils achieving or exceeding the national average in Mathematics, 76% Verbal

Reasoning, 71% Spelling, 75% Reading, 73% Writing and 100% in Science. In Spanish, 100% of

pupils achieved the FPS expected level.

Year 4: overall attainment of pupils relative to their ability is mostly good and in some cases excellent,

with 73% of Year 4 pupils achieving or exceeding the national average in Mathematics, 78% Verbal

Reasoning, 84% Reading, 78% Writing and 61% in Science. In Spanish, 85% of pupils achieved the

FPS expected level.

Cloisters

Year 5: attainment in the National Curriculum and other ability tests is mostly good and in some cases

excellent in relation to their ability. 79% of pupils achieved or exceeded the national average in

Mathematics (with 51% working at a higher level), 75% Verbal Reasoning, 100% Reading, 36%

Writing, 68% Spelling and 100% in Science. In Spanish, 92% of pupils achieved the FPS expected

level. Please note that writing scores nationally tend to be lower than reading scores at this age; the

ARS scheme shows clear benefits as the reading levels achieved are impressive.

Year 6: attainment in the National Curriculum and other ability tests is mostly good and in some cases

excellent in relation to their ability. 68% of pupils achieved or exceeded the national average in

Mathematics (with 59% working at a higher level), 75% Verbal Reasoning and Non Verbal Reasoning,

95% Reading, 69% Writing, 60% Spelling and 98% in Science (87% working at a higher level). In

French, 81% of pupils achieved the FPS expected level.

Year 6 to Year 7 Entry Assessment: the mean scores for Internal Year 6 pupils v External Year 6

pupils were: VR: 109 v 115, English 50% v 50% (a harder paper this year brought the averages down);

Maths 74% v 63%. External pupils tend to have more practice at VR papers, English seems equally

accessible to both sets of candidates, whilst FPS pupils have again comfortably outscored external

pupils in Mathematics – a combination of excellent mathematics teaching and papers which are

perhaps more familiar to internal pupils.

Courtauld House

Year 7: Attainment in Year 7 in the National Curriculum and other ability tests is well above the

national average, with MiDYIS scores showing that the 2011-12 cohort is potentially the most able

Year 7 group for several years (92% of pupils are working at or above national average). 69% of pupils

were in the top quarter nationally. However, as usual there is a wide range of ability in this cohort. 74%

of pupils are working at or above national level in Mathematics, 73% Reading, 73% Writing, 85%

Spelling, 92% Verbal Reasoning and 99% in Science. In French, 86% of pupils achieved the FPS

expected level, 94% in German and 90% in Spanish. Basic skills continue to be developed as a key

aspect of personalised learning and it is important to set this attainment in the context of a broadening

curriculum at this age, and where pupils’ progress has been measured in all subjects.

On the fours sections of the MiDYIS assessment, a comparison of the averages this year shows the

boys outperforming the girls in the more academic disciplines of Maths and Vocabulary (by about 3

points) but they have also slightly out performed girls in the Non-Verbal section (This is now a two year

trend). However, the girls outperformed the boys in the Skills section of the test, including

proof-reading and perceptual accuracy (by about 3 points) - similar results were found last year. A

comparison of pupils in each national quartile shows very healthy numbers in the top 25% of the

country and an even balance of abilities amongst the boys and girls.

Year 8: Attainment in Year 8 in the National Curriculum and other ability tests is well above the

national average for the most part, with some excellent levels being achieved. However, there is a

wide range of ability. 92% of pupils are working at or above national level in Mathematics (53% at a

higher level), 72% Reading, 82% Writing, 78% Spelling, 80% Verbal Reasoning and 99% in Science.

In French, 59% of pupils achieved the FPS expected level, 92% in German, 61% in Spanish and 87%

in Latin. FPS levels are set significantly higher than external MFL levels and therefore these results

show Felsted pupils to be far exceeding national standards.

The Felsted Transfer Exam (FTE) review concluded that good and in some cases excellent progress

was made through Year 8 by nearly all pupils relative to their ability. (note: at the start of Year 7, this

cohort had a lower than normal MiDYIS score).

The average score in the core subjects (English, Mathematics, Science and French) was 61% (4%

higher than in 2011) and 64% for all subjects. Individual averages ranged from 36% to 93%, which

again reinforces the range of ability in this cohort. An improvement in Chemistry and Physics is

especially marked and reflects on the greater emphasis that has been placed on these curriculum

areas since 2011. German and Spanish mean scores improved by 9% when compared with 2011.

Academic Achievements

External examinations and tests are a good indicator of our pupils’ attainment, and these are examples

of achievements in the 2011/12 academic year.

World Class Tests are taken by Very Able Pupils (VAPS) in Years 6-8. In Year 7, five pupils gained

distinctions and five gained merits on the problem solving papers, with a further two pupils gaining

distinctions and three gaining merits for Mathematics. In Year 6, two pupils gained distinctions, six

gained merits and four achieved passes on the problem solving papers.

SATIPS General Knowledge Quiz. This was our best year to date being ranked on the 50th percentile

of all Prep Schools. Please note that it tends to be the “academic” prep schools who enter. One Year 6

pupil ranked 11th in the country.

National BA Bronze Crest Awards (British Association for Creativity in Science & Engineering) for

project work in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM). 20 Year 7 pupils gained this

award.

Young Engineers Award: Year 6 pupils took part in a competition called ‘Young Engineers for Britain’

and all received a ‘Young Engineers Award’ for their efforts.

Big Bang Science & Engineering Competition 2012 (East of England Region). FPS did extremely

well once again, winning the following awards. Please note that the age categories for many are up to

age 18.

- Prize Winners Institute for Physics (Age 11-18);

- Winner of Best Overall Science Presentation (Age 11-19);

- Runners-up in Creativity in Science & Technology Award (Age 11-14);

- Prize Winner in National Science & Engineering (Age 11-14);

The FPS Team have now qualified to represent the East of England in the National Science &

Engineering Competition in London (March 2013).

English Speaking Board (ESB) Examinations: 100% pass rate in Year 4 (17% merits, 66% merit

plus and 17% distinctions) and 100% pass rate in Year 7 (1% pass, 5% good pass, 9% merits, 52%

merit plus and 32% distinctions). This continues the excellent run of 100% pass rates achieved every

year since 2009.

GCSE Results: the strong foundations laid by an FPS education can be seen in the GCSE results

achieved by ex-FPS pupils at Felsted Senior School. 17 ex-FPS pupils achieved eight or more A/A*

grades, including seven who obtained ten A/A* grades. In 2011, 22 ex-FPS pupils achieved seven or

more A/A* grades, including the top performer with 12 A* grades. In 2010, 14 of the top 17 performers

were ex-FPS pupils. In 2009:11/13; in 2008:15/16; in 2007:12/16.

A level Results: Eight ex-FPS pupils gained three A* or A grades, and a further six gained two A/A*s

and a B. One ex-FPS pupil gained an Oxbridge place. Two FPS pupils gained Oxbridge places in

2011 and in 2010, 12 pupils gained all A* or A grades.

We use a variety of forms of assessment to enable us to give our pupils the best possible

assistance. Both summative and formative measures are used to decide and guide our

individual lessons and all Learning Support sessions are multi-sensory.

Learning Support

Co-curricular Achievements

At FPS our curriculum is broad and balanced and enhanced by a good range of additional

activities in sport, drama, music, ICT, Design and Technology and other activities. Evaluation is

carried out on a regular basis and pupils’ achievements are noted and celebrated.

Sporting Highlights

Hockey: A fantastic year for both girls’ and boys’ hockey.

Girls’ Hockey: The U13s were Essex & East of England Champions and 5th in the Nationals;

IAPS National Runners-up. The U11 girls were Essex Champions and 5th in East of England

finals.

Boys’ Hockey: The U13s were Essex Champions, Semi-finalists in East of England and

Regional IAPS Plate Winners. The U11 Boys were Essex Runners-up and IAPS National

Champions. The U9 Boys won the Felsted Tournament.

Netball: The U13 team were IAPS East and National Champions! Captain Georgina Stevens

is now playing at U16 level, and several other team members play for Essex.

Rugby: The 1st XV had a strong year, with many fine wins. Captain, Ned Potter was selected

for the U13 Prep School Barbarians’ Tournament. The U11 A team had another unbeaten

season (third in a row!).

Sporting Highlights

Cricket: The boys had a mixed season, with rain causing major disruptions to training and

matches.

Tennis: A year-round tennis programme is run by LTA Professional Rob Hardy, in addition to

our weekly tennis activity sessions. The U13 Girls’ Team were promoted as Champions to

Halsted League A Division and the U13 Boys’ Team as Champions to Division 1. Both teams

won all their matches against other schools, including New Hall. The Green Ball U11 Felsted

Mixed Team also won the Halstead League. James Benbrook reaching a rating of 7.2 by end

of the year and is now playing International Tournaments, most recently in La Manga, Spain.

Rounders: Great rounders strength as always, with mostly wins across the board.

Swimming: Several pupils swam in IAPS East National Swimming Championships.

Athletics: Three pupils qualified via IAPS East Regionals for the IAPS Nationals.

Michael Barton came 6th in the U14 Shot, Nicholas Lawrence was 2nd in U12 100m (a year

young), and Harry Sturge was 3rd in U12 Discus & 5th in U12 Shot.

Golf: Rebecca Earl - best girls’ score at Ipswich Junior Open, girls' prize at the Stowmarket

Junior Open, girls' net prize at the Braintree Junior Open, losing Semi Finalist in the Burhill

Family Foresomes, 2nd place in U14 category at Thorpe Hall, Marshall Cup at Bishops

Stortford, girls' net prize at Saffron Walden. She is in the county final of the Hitchcock trophy for

girls and the County semi-final for the Hunter Foresomes for Adult ladies and juniors.

Cross-Country: The U11 boys won the Gosfield Cut Hedge and Friend’s School Open Meets.

Riding: 4th out of 15 teams at the Woodbridge one-day event, which qualified the team for the

National Schools Equestrian Association Championships, where they came an impressive 2nd!

Skiing: Max Bailes entered the English Schools Championships and was placed 3rd in the

London Area; he also spent the Spring Term training and competing in Austria, winning several

age-group races. Pupils also had a successful and fun ski trip to Austria.

Chess: Three pupils (Oliver Craig Y4, Marcus Kelsey Y3 and Uma MacGeoch Y3) qualified for

the Chess Challenge MegaFinal, with Oliver going on to qualify for the GigaFinal (Southern

Britain). All qualified for the 2012-13 London Championships.

Other: A number of pupils have represented Essex and/or the East of England at Cricket,

Rugby, Hockey and Netball, and in representative Tennis Tournaments.

Associated Board Music Examinations:

Again, a bumper year for instrumental exams with 93 exams taken (91 were taken in 2011).

Autumn 2011 - 100% success rate with 12 passes, 7 merits and 3 distinctions, Spring 2012 -

100% success rate with 12 passes, 16 merits and 10 distinctions, Summer 2012 - 94%

success rate with 19 passes, 6 merits and 5 distinctions. Mrs Burrett and Mr Rees also

achieved distinctions on piano & guitar respectively!

Charlie Adams gained a percussion place at Guildhall School of Music. Our Year 8 Music

Scholars performed very well throughout the year and a number of them have already

established themselves in the choirs, orchestras and bands in the Senior School. Ross Ingram

was chosen to sing as part of the Jubilee Choir in Westminster Abbey as part of the Queen’s

Diamond Jubilee Celebrations. Swing into Spring, Showcase and the regular music concerts

all gave pupils many opportunities to perform.

The Felsted Olympiad: FPS dancers, singers and musicians all took part in The Felsted

Olympiad Launch Event and Flag Ceremony held in January, performing music and dance

from around the world. High School Musical and The Amazing Maurice were performed by

pupils as part of the Olympiad and some pupils took part in a community production of A

Midsummer Night’s Dream - a fantastic introduction to performing Shakespeare. Pupils were

also able to enjoy many professional acts at Felsted as part of the Olympiad programme.

LAMDA: 2012 saw an increase in participation with 41 students taking these performance

exams (37 in 2011 and 28 in 2010). Pupils achieved a 100% pass rate with an impressive

66% achieving merits and 34% distinctions.

Music and Drama Achievements

Improvement Planning

2012/13

Using our assessment of attainment and achievement over the past academic year as a basis,

we have formulated plans for further improvement of the academic and co-curricular provision

at the school, as follows:

Learning and Teaching

The Olympic Legacy - Know your personal best and beat it!

Felsted Learning Standards – A considerable amount of time has been spent on developing

the Felsted Learning Standards so that they were ready for publication this term. These

standards show the curriculum in every discipline throughout the school set against ‘must’,

‘should’, ‘could’ criteria and linked to the Felsted Preparatory School grading system and

National Curriculum Levels in Core Subjects. This aims to show pupils, teachers and parents

what pupils need to do to achieve the different grades and standards and clearly differentiates

work to different abilities, whilst keeping the option to aim high open. This is an innovative piece

of work and shows the development of our curriculum in terms of knowledge, skills, assess-

ment and accountability.

Target setting – Recent years of observation have shown a need to concentrate on the

following Ps, both as pupils and teachers: planning, pace, progress, presentation, proof-reading

(forms of assessment) and participation. A complete review of the learning and teaching policy

to reflect all the changes of recent years, a new lesson observation sheet which reflects the

6 Ps and the ISI observation style have been developed.

My Best Work Folders will be kept up to date to show to parents in due course and as part of

each Phase leadership programme.

More Learning Walks – these informal stops in classrooms allow snapshots of learning

practice to be observed and noted, giving more regular and more informal feedback as to what

the learning school looks like.

Provision for the Very Able Pupils has improved through the publication of the Felsted

Learning Standards, opening up the ‘could’ section to more. Christina Bury continues to run this

aspect of the School and has already run a key session on VAP identification. Opportunities

such as the Science Crest and more are already providing wonderful extension for our pupils.

Provision for Pupils with Learning Difficulties - two children have received 1:1 support this

year.

Literacy toolkit - all pupils now possess the literacy toolkit, pushing them to prioritise such

skills as handwriting and presentation.

Research engaged and teacher training school - training one teacher. 3 research projects

planned. ICT based project, food based project and times table project.

ICT - embedding the use of iPads into the curriculum for both the pupils and staff and dealing

with attendant policy and expenditure issues, as well as the introduction of computing dominate

this year.

Inset training and promoting good practice. Professional Development Review – focus on

embedding 6 Ps and AFL, sales and marketing, TA training, parent training. Tracking tutor

performance – reviewing a variety of SMART starts.

Co-Curriculum

The Co-Curricular plan. Whilst seeking to maintain the broad options on offer this year, there

is an aim to constantly review the demands and needs of the pupils. To this end a Martial Arts

Centre has opened. We aim to find ways to measure success where possible and include this in

our leadership progamme, and to ensure performance reviews of our coaches. There is also an

emphasis on the development of intellectual pursuits, such as Chess and General Knowledge

and the start of a Rock School.

Creative Curriculum. All pupils should have more creative opportunities this year through an

emphasis on the Creative Curriculum.

Internationalism

Green Action Plan

The Green Curriculum - Forest Schools and the development of the Green Curriculum are

highest on the agenda. FPS has been invited to take a lead nationally by sitting on the IAPS

Working Party for Sustainability. This is as a result of the example it sets and the work it is trying

to do. A big saving on energy is the key goal this year!

The Gold Food for Life Award is the target, although this will take until December 2013. This

ties in closely with the green curriculum and other sustainability initiatives and would require a

considerable investment in time (12 hours per annum) in the food technology curriculum for each

child.

International Plan – links with Spain through Model United Nations, internet exchanges (in

French and German too) and real exchange. A cultural visit is planned to confirm the growth of

Spanish as the School’s key language. A Mandarin Club for parents and pupils and a partnership

with a local school to share a Chinese teacher have been established. The School held its first

European Round Square Conference this Autumn.

Personal, Social, Health, Citizenship Education (PSHCE) - a full review of the PSHCE occurs

annually and the plans updated accordingly. There is a focus on work education and money

management this year.

Leadership Development – pupil voice. New League positions in Years 7 and 8 plus an

independent form in place to recognise the more independent students.

Collective Worship and Reflection – a review of the Lent Challenge and the policy are primary

with the arrival of the new chaplain who will develop a whole school approach over time.

Monitoring and Evaluation + Annual reporting. Inspection documentation, compliance etc.

Safeguarding

• All staff continue to gain appropriate safeguarding qualifications

• Ongoing pupil, parent and volunteer training (annual focus on anti-bullying training)

• Policy update as necessary

• National Minimum Boarding Standards Update

• Review of Health and Safety practice in accordance with planning and update

Healthy Schools Planning

• A refocus on mannual hand hygiene and conversation at table

• Consideration of curriculum and co-curriculum time for cooking and gardening

• Children involved in preparing healthy snacks

• Updates to teaching materials

• Further research into the further inclusion of organic foods into the school diet

• Food waste education

• Farm visits and educational talks

• Publicising healthy schools through newsletter

Charity and Service Plan

• New Year 7 and 8 link with Amnesty International and new League charities relating to

Paralympics. Support charities in line with League Continents

• Support other charities in line with choice

• Continue to support Cubs and Beavers in the community

• Launch of Felsted Heritage Trail

• Contribute to Village Cookbook

• Planning History Heritage Project as a cross-curricular project with Art, Music, History

and RS is a key project for the 450th Pageant

• FPS to share planning in school for Village 450th event and encourage FPS Felsted

village families and staff to support this