Education at Runnymede College

Runnymede College is a private non denominational British school offering a British education to boys and girls of all nationalities from the age of three to eighteen. It is inspected periodically by British Inspectors whose Report to the British Council and the Spanish Ministry of Education and Culture is the basis of the authorization given to the School.

The education offered follows the British National Curriculum. This facilitates the transfer of British - educated children to and from other British schools whether in the UK or abroad.

The School adapts its curriculum to the circumstances of a British school in Spain. Latin is taught (and Greek if enough pupils show interest) as well as two modern foreign languages – French and Spanish.

Pupils take the End of Key Stage Tests, at the end of Years 2, 6 and 9 (see chart of Terminology), the International General Certificate of Secondary Education at the end of Year 11 (at the age of 16), and the Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced Level Examinations of the GCE at the end of Years 12 and 13 at the ages of 17 and 18.

Pupils of Spanish nationality are offered special studies approved by the Spanish Ministerio de Educación y Cultura which entitle them, in due course, to sit Selectividad and enter Spanish universities.

Each pupil's week includes periods of Physical Education and sports.

The School regards its task as being to provide young people with a general humanistic culture and the necessary basis to succeed in the adult world, and above all, to help them to acquire a moral sense as members of the international, world-wide community.

Organization and Terminology

The chart above is designed to help parents compare the organization and terminology used in British education and at Runnymede with the Spanish and US equivalents.

The Junior School

The Junior School, which is two form entry, consists of 16 classes altogether. There are three stages of development within the Junior School: the Foundation Stage which covers the Nursery and Reception years (3 to 5 years), Key Stage 1 (5 to 7 years) and Key Stage 2 (7 to 11 years).

The Foundation Stage starts when children enter Nursery and continues until the year in which they are 5 years old. The Foundation Stage covers six areas of learning:

1. Communication, Language and Literacy
2. Mathematical Development
3. Knowledge and Understanding of the World
4. Creative Development
5. Personal, Social and Emotional Development
6. Physical Development.

These areas of learning are covered in an integrated way through a topic approach.

Throughout both Key Stage 1 and 2 the National Numeracy and Literacy Strategies are followed for Mathematics and English and all all other subjects are based on the English National Curriculum. Physical Education, Music and Spanish are taught by specialist teachers.

Key Stage 1 covers Year 1 and 2 of the Junior School. The children follow a programme of work through which all the areas of the curriculum - Language, Mathematics, Science, History and Geography, Art, Design Technology and ICT - are followed, in line with the National Curriculum guidelines. The children are taught through a balance of whole class teaching, group work and individual teaching. Key Stage 1 also benefits from a Support Teacher who works across the full ability range of Year 1 and 2 enhancing the teaching of Literacy and Numeracy.

There are two classes per year group in Key stage 2, where the age range of the children is from 7-11 years. Each class has its own class teacher for the core subjects of Mathematics, English and Science along with History, Geography, Art and Design and I.C.T. Music and Physical Education are taught by specialists. Mathematics is set according to ability in all year groups, two groups being the norm, although a Key Stage 2 Support Teacher provides the possibility of forming three groups in Years 3 and 4, as it does in English.

Spanish classes are taught by Spanish graduate teachers and pupils of Spanish nationality follow the Lengua course which is recognised by the Spanish Ministerio de Educación y Cultura. Children start Spanish in Year 1 and receive three 40 minute periods per week. The children are set for Spanish. There are two first language groups and one beginner group. The number of periods is increased to from three to four when the children reach Year 3 and they are divided into four groups from Year 4 onwards, where necessary.

Children take the End of Key Stage Tests and Tasks at the end of Year 2 (Key Stage 1) and Year 6 (Key Stage 2. These tests serve to indicate where strengths and weaknesses lie, thus helping in the planning of immediate and short term goals. The tests provide us with an effective, objective means of assessment which is reported to parents and which also ensures a smooth transition to schools in Britain for children of families who return to the U.K.

Children in other Year groups are also regularly assessed, for internal purposes, at the end of each academic year. The Nursery and Reception children are assessed according to the Foundation Stage Profile and Year 1 pupils are given a Transfer Test. Apart from end of term tests in December and in March, Years 3, 4 and 5 pupils are given the Q.C.A. tests in June. These tests mirror the style and content of the end of Key Stage tests. Apart from this, the Years 2 to 6 pupils' reading levels are assessed twice each academic year using the Suffolk Reading Tests and their non-verbal skills once.

There are co-ordinators for the Foundation Stage, Key Stage 1, Key Stage 2, English, Maths, Science, History and Geography, Art and Design Technology, I.C.T. and P.H.S.E. (and Citizenship). They are responsible for providing staff support throughout the Junior School, leading staff meetings, reviewing policy, guidelines and resources as well as for liaising with Senior School colleagues.

Throughout the school, particular attention is given to children with special educational needs (SEN). Mr Peter Rouco, Runnymede's educational psychologist, is responsible for the daily implementation of the SEN policy. Special educational needs are addressed through a process of referral and assessment which leads to the drawing up of an individual education plan (I.E.P.) in liaison with the teachers and parents concerned. The role of the school's educational psychologist also involves early identification of difficulties and programmes of prevention. Outside agencies are also contacted to provide support.

The move from Junior to Senior school is co-ordinated by Mr John Hunter (Assistant Junior Head and Key Stage 2 Co-ordinator) who works alongside Mrs Christine McGough (Middle School Co-ordinator) and Year 7 teachers to ensure a smooth transition. Year 6 parents are invited to a meeting, usually held in May, at which the full implications of the transfer from Junior to Senior schools is discussed.

The Senior School

At the end of Key Stage Three, all pupils take the corresponding End of Key Stage Tests. There is also internal assessment in the other "non-core" subjects, i.e., History, Geography, a Language, etc. In all these tests, our pupils have achieved very satisfactory results, thus confirming that the School maintains a good standard in comparison with schools in the U.K.