The School

St Michael's Preparatory School is a Christian foundation providing education for children from the ages of three to fourteen. The school is divided into four areas:
Nursery: children normally enter the September, January or April after their third birthday.
Pre-Prep: welcomes children in September following their fourth birthday and consists of Pre-Prep A (Reception), Pre-Prep B (Year 1), and Pre-Prep C (Year 2).
Juniors: this consists of children in Form 1 (Year 3) and Form 2 (Year 4) and is the last two years when children are 'class based' ie taught by the same teacher for all their lessons except music and PE, when they are taught by specialist teachers.
Seniors: these are all the children from Form 3 (Year 5) to Form 6 (Year 8) and are taught entirely by subject specialists. (Occasionally children stay on for an extra year to enter Hautlieu).
The school's buildings, which are an attractive blend of the traditional and the purpose-built, enjoy open, rural surroundings and, together with its extensive playing fields and hard-court areas, give a feeling of space as well as convenient compactness.

The Headmaster is a member of the Independent Association of Preparatory Schools (IAPS)
 
Curriculum:
The curriculum is designed to give all children a broad, balanced and relevant education, which enables them to develop as enthusiastic, active and competent learners acquiring the knowledge, skills and understanding to allow them to grow up in today's world leading a full and active life. The school's ethos places emphasis on the individual and aims to encourage development in academic, physical, spiritual, moral and cultural aspects of the 'whole child'.
The teaching is multi-sensory, allowing children of all abilities and learning styles to be able to make progress in their learning. Differentiation is integral to the curriculum and children with special needs are well supported, as are the gifted and talented, who go on to achieve scholarship success.
The schemes of work are based upon the National Curriculum, the Jersey Curriculum and the requirements of the ISEB Common Entrance and Scholarship syllabuses.
The school prepares children for Common Entrance and Scholarships to English boarding secondary schools as well as entry to local establishments. Classes are small and there is a very low pupil to teacher ratio. All the normal subjects are taught and there are flourishing and well equipped Art, Music, Science, Design Technology and ICT Departments as well as a custom built Sports Hall, Dance/Drama Studio, Gymnasium and Indoor Swimming Pool.
The school believes that interpersonal communication is important today in an age of electronic messaging and children take part in class Assemblies, drama productions and concerts, which help develop their public speaking and performance skills. They recognise the importance of body language, facial expression and vocal tone.
Physical Education:
The school has a well staffed and exciting PE Department offering an unusually wide variety of sports, from rugby and netball to surfing, sailing and fencing. Regular sporting tours are arranged both to and from England and Guernsey, and there are weekly fixtures with local school teams.
 
Music:
The enjoyment of music is taken seriously in the school, which offers individual tuition in a wide variety of instruments. The three School Choirs participate locally and nationally in events and competitions. The school also has two Orchestras and a number of Ensemble Groups (Strings, Woodwind and Brass). Assemblies for worship are held every day, where the emphasis is on Christian values. Local clergy and other visitors are invited to participate.
 
Trips and Activities
The curriculum is enriched and enhanced by numerous trips and visits as Jersey has an array of museums, cultural sites of interest and environmental locations which bring alive the learning for the children. In the Trinity Term the school runs an Activities' Week, which takes the Fifth and Sixth Forms to France, the Fourth Form to Herm and France and the Third Form take part in island-based activities.
 
Assessments and Reporting:
For children in Form 1 (Year 3) and above there are twice-termly Assessments Assemblies, recognising and recording academic achievement and effort. Form teachers discuss progress and effort with each child in their class immediately after this Assembly. Reporting to parents is carried out each term, either verbally or in writing. Pre-Prep and Juniors have two verbal reports and a summarative end of year report, whereas the Seniors have one verbal and two written reports. The Headmaster and his staff are available for consultation at other times by arrangement. Close liason between parents and staff is encouraged.
 
Opportunities and Challenges:
As well as providing a wide range of academic subjects, the school seeks to introduce each child to a large variety of sports, activities and challenges enabling him or her to discover, through experience, hidden talents and preferences with a view to future specialisation. Every child from Form 1 (Year 3) upwards is allocated to one of four Houses, which compete against each other in sports, general knowledge, spelling and in collecting House points for effort. Particular emphasis is placed upon good manners, care, consideration and courtesy.
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