April 27th 2018
The beginning of this academic year saw the introduction of the new curriculum to Moulsford, and specifically the move away from Common Entrance in Year 8 for subjects other than Maths, English and Science. Common historical feedback from senior schools to the prep school sector was that many children were having to be re-engaged in Year 9 as much of Year 8 had been spent revising for knowledge based exams. Boys are like educational sponges at prep school age. We believe it is important to have a curriculum and assessment/examination system which encourages learning, exploration, investigation and enquiry throughout the prep school years.
The new Moulsford curriculum has given our teachers at all levels further freedom to explore different topics, make links across the curriculum, develop lateral thinking and encourage creativity. There is plenty of debate in the prep school world about the relevance of Common Entrance and its future given that the vast majority of senior schools now pre-test in Years 6 or 7. Over the last 18 months, Moulsford has been contacted regularly by other Prep schools who are keen to learn more about the decisions that we have taken and the new curriculum we are following, and many schools are now choosing a similar path to us. This debate sometimes hits the national press such as a recent article in the Daily Telegraph in March, which was also reported in the Times.
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