Why Beachborough?

The education at Beachborough Prep is built around the idea that ability and intelligence can be developed and increased through teaching and a positive, ‘can do’ attitude. Children are encouraged to embrace and learn from their mistakes and see them as part of the wider process of improvement through effort and determination. In this way, failure is a useful and necessary part of progress, rather than something that limits and discourages.

As teachers, we achieve this by praising effort and determination, opening the potential for success to everyone in the class and prioritising perseverance, over talent. This creates a positive, lively atmosphere in which children flourish and a strong framework for the outstanding teaching we are known for.

The educational philosophy of Growth Mindset is woven into every aspect of school life through our ‘hidden curriculum’ – a system of seven intellectual characteristics: Curiosity, Originality, Empathy, Challenge, Perseverance and Resilience, Collaboration and Reflection.

These characteristics are encouraged, celebrated and rewarded through our credit system – pupils can earn points for demonstrating them in any aspect of their school life, inside and outside the classroom. They are our guiding principles, encompassing every part of life at Beachborough, and helping the children to develop the skills and traits they need to thrive in the modern world.

students using the globe to learn

At Beachborough, we aim to spark curiosity and develop talents so that our children are happy, successful and confident – and ready for senior school when the time comes. We offer a range of different sports with expert teaching that caters to every level – from supporting our most talented pupils with external partnerships to providing everyone with the chance to represent the school in matches. Drama and Art are an important weekly part of our curriculum throughout the school, complemented by a full program of performances, competitions, clubs and activities.

In the last few years, we have invested in an extensive programme of building new facilities and modernising existing ones, so that the environment at Beachborough delivers the best possible education for our children. Recent projects include a Sports Hall, Performing Arts Centre, Wetlands area, Boardman Library and most recently and exciting of all, our brand-new TED (Technology Engineering and Design) Suite, an overhaul and update of our Food Tech Kitchen and the modernisation of Kites Boarding House.

While we are all together on one site, the school is divided into Nursery and Kindergarten for ages 2½-4, Pre-Prep for ages 5-7 (Reception, PP1, PP2) and the Prep School for ages 8-13 (Forms III-VIII). The Nursery to Form IV classrooms are all based in the Boardman Building, which is cleverly divided so that Nursery & Kindergarten and Reception are in one half, making up our Early Years area and with PP1 to Form IV on the other side. The Nursery to Pre-Prep 1 classrooms have their own external learning spaces and small playgrounds so that our younger learners can enjoy playing and learning outside as much as possible. Forms V-VIII are taught in specialist classrooms throughout the Manor House, giving our older children the independence of moving from lesson to lesson on a timetabled basis and in readiness for senior school when the time comes.

We encourage strong partnerships within our community, especially our Parents. There is no Saturday school at Beachborough because we want our children to have time to spend with their families, enjoy their hobbies and relax after a busy week at school so that they are raring to go again on Monday morning. There is a full and diverse calendar of school events such as The Beachborough and Brackley Triathlon, Equestrian Competitions, Christmas Bazaar, the Colour Run and other events organised by Beachborough families to get involved in – all part of the close relationship between the school, our pupils and their families, something that is cemented by the Beachborough Friends Association of volunteer parents.

Beachborough works hard to ensure fees represent good value for the outstanding all-round education we provide. We care about being as transparent as possible and for this reason, include everything from Learning Support to most Curriculum School Trips and Workshops in our fees, apart from optional music lessons and some co-curricular activities. The free morning and after school care including tea, that we offer children from Reception to Form VIII, helps make our parents busy days a little less stressful, knowing that their child is cared for in the school environment with familiar staff.

We acknowledge the 3 and 4 year old universal funding for children in our Nursery and Kindergarten; however, on par with all the other day nurseries, there is a chargeable rate for meals and any extra hours. As our older children reach Forms V-VIII this also includes supervised prep and evening activities. We offer a flexible boarding provision to not only benefit children’s personal development but to also meet the needs of our busy professional parents during the week.

Read about the scholarship journey for Bethany and her family in our latest news story...