Truro School Pre-Prep Leading the way for Speaking, Reading and Writing

Truro School Pre-Prep have scored a faultless trio of 100% scores for Speaking, Reading and Writing in the county’s latest Early Learning Goals figures.

At the end of Reception year, each child is assessed against 17 key areas, called the Early Learning Goals (ELG).

227 providers in Cornwall were assessed by government in order to form the latest data.

100% in Speaking, Reading and Writing

When looking at the county dataset, Truro School Pre-Prep achieved 100% key areas.

The ELG data for the whole year group saw Truro Pre-Prep hit 100% in no less than 10 of the 17 assessment areas. All of the seven other assessment areas scored no less than 94%.

Ms Kate Williams, Head of Early Years provision at Truro Pre-Prep, put the success down to ‘doing the groundwork in Nursery’. She said:

“From the minute that children enter Nursery in Truro Pre-Prep they begin learning important aspects of Reading, Writing and Speaking. From holding a pencil to phonics, we place emphasis on giving pupils a strong start in the education system. All of this means that they are up-to-speed even before entering Reception.”

Ms Williams also attributed the latest ELG figures to small class sizes. She said:

“Children are in small classes with two qualified members of staff in each, which has a positive impact on the level of support that each pupil receives. Every child has the benefit of receiving the highest level of support and input from staff throughout the school with a strong sense of family community.”

The assessment area of Numbers also scored highly in the latest report with 94.4% of Truro Pre-Prep pupils meeting their Early Learning Goals here. The school places emphasis on teaching maths outside of the classroom, with many lessons in areas such as the Pre-Prep’s Forest School.

truro nursery, truro pre-prep in cornwall with forest school

Beyond Core Skills at PreSchool Age

In 10 out of the 17 assessment areas, 100% of the school’s children achieved their Early Learning Goals. These were the areas of Speaking, Reading, Writing, Technology, Health and Self-Care, Self-Confidence and Self-Awareness, People and Communities, The World, Exploring and Using Media and Materials, and Being Imaginative.

Ms Williams picked out the People and Communities Early Learning Goal as a particularly noteworthy success story. She said:

“A major contributory factor in achieving 100% in this area is because of our phenomenal parent partnerships. We regularly have members of the community, parents and grandparents come in to do talks for the children. We recently had a trip to St Agnes beach where local fishermen and lifeguards, people who are known to us, helped deliver demonstrations on the day. The children have a strong sense of belonging in Cornwall.”

Ms Williams also placed important emphasis on Truro Pre-Prep’s Forest School in helping the Early Years provider perform strongly in the areas of Health and Self Care, Moving and Handling, and Being Imaginative.

She explained:

“The pupils learn the rules of the Forest School such as the importance of washing their hands. The children use all of the tools in the Forest School, not just scissors in the classroom. We’ve got the den building, the creative garden and the Gruffalo hunting is all part of that.”

Staff and pupils at school next look ahead to unveiling a new building project in spring 2018 that includes six new classrooms, an assembly/performance hall, and a separate music and drama studio.

Ms Williams finished by saying:

“The latest ELG data is a reflection of the outstanding Early Years teaching programme. At Truro Pre-Prep we all understand the importance of providing strong foundations for children’s learning. Every member of staff takes time to get to know each child and provide opportunities for individual children to reach their full potential and flourish. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the teachers, the parents and the pupils who make Truro Pre-Prep such a wonderful learning environment.”