“Pupils are keen and willing learners, … [who] work exceptionally well on their own and in small groups, demonstrating initiative and independence. They show clear enjoyment in both the process and the end result… The excellent attitude to learning stems from the variety of teaching methods employed and the overarching ethos of encouraging and celebrating all endeavour.”
ISI Inspection Report

Learning at Pinewood

Pinewood Pupils are encouraged to take ownership of their work, fostering independence and instilling a lifelong love of learning.

Pinewood provides a broad and balanced curriculum that engages, excites and challenges pupils beyond the usual confines of the National Curriculum, 11+ and Common Entrance. It provides knowledge, skills, and understanding appropriate to age and aptitude, enabling pupils to develop, progress and achieve, and then gain entry into their chosen senior schools.

Learning Skills & SEN

The curriculum is designed to be accessed by all pupils who attend the school. If it is necessary to modify some pupils’ access to the curriculum to meet their individual needs, this is done with parental consultation. 

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Setting & Assessment

Pupils have varied lessons with their Form Tutor or class teacher and also benefit greatly from a range of specialist teaching to include Science, ICT, French, Latin, Music and Art.  Classes are small, work is differentiated and streaming and setting are used. Children are carefully set within their year group according to ability (although Years 3 and 4 are only set in Maths).  This allows children to progress at the speed that suits them best and offers an individual, personalised learning approach.

A range of assessments, both formal and informal are carried out during a pupil’s time at Pinewood.  Parents receive regular progress and termly reports, which detail achievement and effort. The strong tutorial system, academic and pastoral, ensures that every child’s success is celebrated and rewarded, whilst those pupils whose reports identify areas that are challenging, are helped and supported. There are formal Academic evenings and Parents’ meetings during the year, and regular and open communication is encouraged between home and school.

Extra-Curricular Preparation

All pupils receive weekly prep.  In Years 3 and 4 this takes the form of a range of Maths and English activities. In the summer of Year 3 and continuing through Year 4 some more formal written preps, particularly in core subjects may be set.

Prep is intended to be set for children from Year 5 to Year 8 as work continuing on from recent lessons or as practice for skills and knowledge recently acquired. Prep takes place on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.  After games or matches on Wednesdays is available as a time for children to catch up or read if they are not going home.

Scholarship & Academic Performance

Pinewood might feel that your child is scholarship material. The work is a big step up from Common Entrance, and the external examinations are generally taken in February or March. Not surprisingly, this is a competitive business, but our academic policy encourages pupils to stretch their potential. 

“The most able are further encouraged through rigorous academic programmes that promote curiosity and higher-level thinking skills.”
ISI Inspection Report

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Subject Departments

Making Learning an Adventure is our commitment to children of all ages at Pinewood. Lessons are carefully planned out, delivered in an innovative, engaging and inspiring manner and very often taught by specialist teachers.

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Enrichment

Enrichment is exciting; it is about imagination, discovery and challenge, wonder and awe, an opportunity to extend the creative learning that goes on throughout Pinewood.

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The Library 

The Pinewood Library exists to provide, promote and encourage access to reading and information for all children and to ensure they are given every opportunity and encouragement to develop a love of books.

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“The quality of the pupils’ academic and other achievements is excellent… Pupils receive excellent support in developing knowledge, understanding and skills through effective teaching and careful lesson planning.” 
ISI Inspection Report