Figure 1.--
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Figure 1.-- |
The particularly impressive achievement of the prep schools is that they are achieving their results for the most part with average children. While a few schools like the Dragon School are geared to particularly clever (bright) children, most deal with a broad cross-section of abilities. Most school stress that they deal with children with varied abilities. Schools vary widely on how they deal with children of differing abilities. Some schools, especially the smaller ones have mixed-ability forms. Manh schools have implemented various streaming systems.
The particularly impressive achievement of the prep schools is that they are achieving their results for the most part with average children. While a few schools like the Dragon School are geared to particularly clever (bright) children, most deal with a broad cross-section of abilities. Most school stress that they deal with children with varied abilities. Josca's indicates that they cater to academically gifted children, but also welcomes "... those whose talents are practical and artistic". Many schools such as Northaw stress that they believe "the not-so-bright boy to be as important as the bright one, and make sympathetic allowances". More middle-class parents are now enrolling their children in prep schools because of concerns with the state schools. This includes children that are not academically gifted an might be lost in the state system.
Schools vary widely on how they deal with children of differing abilities. Some schools, especially the smaller ones have mixed-ability forms. Manh schools have implemented various streaming systems.
Some schools suvch as Northcliffe do not stream, but place the children in forms according to ability as much as age--giving care to avoid removing a child too far from his or her own age group. As the headmadster at the Downs in Avon stressed, the real accomplishment of the prep schools is creating a structure in which "the true schoolmater" can "achieve" remarkable success with average children, by dedication, dilligence and pastoral care."
Many schools employ a "stream" system to accomodate children with mixed abilities. This is especially common in schools large enough to have more than one class in each form. Durlston Court in Hampshire, like many other schools, tells parents that that the school "... caters for both the able and the not-so-able and is purposely run on mixed-ability lines with a 'stream' system." These believes generally believe that streaming benefits both the academically talented and the not so talented. Usually the children are divided so each form has roughly the same number of children in each stream. Some schools, like Walhampton, may make the slower streamsomewhat smaller to "give maximum help to those who would appear to need it most". The sttreaming policies vary widely from schol to school. Many schools begin streaming after forms 2-3. West Hill Park begins streaming children after Form II. Pyrland Hall after Form III, and Northaw streams after Form IV. The Nottingham High Preparatory School and TownnClose have two parallel streamds for each age group. Walhampton also has two streams ("A" and "B") in each year group and sometimes within years with jnusually large numbers of children a "C" class is added. Yardley Court has two streams and explains that the Junior School classes are ot fully streamed, the emphasis being placed on building a sound foundation; but the Middle and Senior School are fully streamed The "B" stream ficuses heavily on the CEE subjects, but the "A" stream adopts a wider approsach to the curriculum as it is assumed that the boys in the "A" streamwill take the CEE in their stride.
