Five Ways Independent School Can Help Your Child Catch Up After School Closures

School closures have disrupted the education of thousands of primary-aged children. While teachers have worked hard to maintain as good an experience for their pupils as possible, distance learning has varied widely from school to school, and parents have struggled to juggle working from home with supporting their children’s schoolwork.

If you are concerned that your child’s education has stalled during school closures, it may be worth exploring what an independent school could offer. A common misconception is that independent education is only for the very wealthy, but there are plenty of schools that provide an exceptionally good education without charging exorbitant fees. It may be more affordable than you realise and a valuable investment in your child’s future.

Here we look at five ways a private school can get children back on track and re-engaged with their learning.

Small class sizes with no mixed year groups

Anyone worried that their child might have fallen behind needs to be confident their teacher has time to assess where they are and identify any areas requiring a boost. Small classes make this achievable. Teachers have the flexibility to build in extra support in subjects a child finds harder, or stretch them in areas where they are more able. In a smaller class of pupils, there is no danger of anyone coasting along unnoticed without reaching their full potential, and keeping a class to a single year group means learning is targeted and relevant.

In addition, Heywood Prep has individualised learning sessions built into the curriculum, allowing staff to further tailor teaching to the child. It offers another opportunity to focus on areas where a child might have lost ground, or explore something completely new that excites their interest.

High quality specialist teachers

Being taught by high quality subject experts will make a huge difference to your child’s experience. Along with a deeper understanding of their subject, teachers with a specialism bring an increased enthusiasm to their lessons, which in turn captures the children’s interest and engagement. At Heywood Prep, children are taught by specialist teachers in English, Maths and Science, as well as Languages, Sport, Art and Music.

A full curriculum

Most private schools will be providing a full curriculum, including Humanities, Sport, Languages, Music and Art. We feel strongly that access to a broad curriculum, beyond the core subjects, is hugely important to every child’s development, and increases their enjoyment of school.   

Distance learning

At Heywood Prep, we ran a comprehensive distance learning programme throughout school closures. The ‘Heywood at Home’ programme included timetables, live lessons, assemblies, form time and live after-school clubs. In general, the contract between independent schools and their parents has guaranteed a high quality of distance learning.

Adaptability

When schools re-opened, Heywood Prep opened its doors to all pupils, offering a full curriculum, 1:1 lessons, wrap-around care and extra-curricular clubs. Independent schools tend to have the physical space and smaller class sizes which allows them to manage any Government guidelines more easily.

If you would like to find out more about how Heywood Prep can help your child get back on track, contact us via email admissions@heywoodprep.co.uk or call us on 01249 713379 to find out more.