Our school is not a treadmill, it’s a launchpad!
Tomorrow Starts Here.
Lead with curiosity.
Question convention.
Discover what’s possible.
Tomorrow Starts Here.
Not all lessons happen at a desk. Some begin with a question, a ladybird and a patch of earth.
Tomorrow Starts Here.
The spark of an idea. The courage to try. The joy of making something new.
Tomorrow Starts Here.
Our Curriculum
Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
From the age of three, children are welcomed into our warm and nurturing Pre-School. Our approach in the Pre-School allows the children to take the lead, and our experienced and friendly staff work with the children as individuals, developing and nurturing each child’s interests and abilities. A wealth of opportunities, both in the classroom and around the school grounds, allow the children to flourish, with the children enjoying forest sessions every Friday as well as weekly PE, Music and French lessons with specialist teachers. We believe that consistency is especially important for our youngest learners, and so whatever days or sessions the children attend, they will always seem the same friendly faces of Mrs Parker and Miss Lane waiting to greet them!
When the children move to Reception, they continue to build on the EYFS curriculum. A child-initiated philosophy remains at the heart of our approach, with the children developing the vital building blocks for learning through play and meaningful interactions with adults. With a small class of no more than fifteen children in Reception, our teachers are able to continue to work with every child as an individual, with the children encouraged to explore and develop their own interests. Children work towards and beyond the Early Learning Goals, exploring mathematics, reading, writing and other areas of the curriculum. In Reception, the children continue to have weekly PE, Music and French lessons as well as sessions in the forest, and they also take part in school-wide activities including sports days, drama productions and charity events.
Lower School
Our Lower School consists of a mixed-age Year 1 and 2 class. As the children move from the Early Years Foundation Stage to the National Curriculum, increasing emphasis is put on developing the skills and aptitudes that will help to propel the children through their time at school. From an early age, we encourage our children to become independent leaners, finding for themselves the resources that might help them from within the learning environment. Emphasis is given to developing an open, resilient mindset, and the children are helped to understand that mistakes are an important part of the learning process. An exciting topic-based curriculum encourages the children to explore, solve problems and think creatively, whilst also learning how to work positively alongside others.
As in Reception, the children benefit from a variety of outings and visitors as well as specialist teachers for PE, Music and French. In addition to weekly forest sessions, the children also enjoy timetabled wellbeing lessons in our wonderful wellbeing space.
Upper School
From Year 3 upwards, the children are taught by subject specialists. Moving around the school for their lessons, the children begin to become more independent, taking responsibility for making sure that they have everything they need for their lessons. In addition, the children begin to take more responsibility for their own learning, developing strategies to enable them to work with greater independence.
In Upper School, the children enjoy a full and varied curriculum, with Engineering and Outdoor Education as timetabled subjects. Considerable time is given to sport each week, including regular fixtures against local schools. In addition, the children have enrichment afternoons [link] every Tuesday, giving them the opportunity to choose from a range of subjects and a chance to work in mixed-aged groups. To fit in all of the additional activities, the school day for Upper School children finishes at 4.20pm.
Form teachers continue to have responsibility for the children’s wellbeing, encouraging the children to be kind and empathetic, and to recognise the importance of treating others equitably. We support the children in becoming more emotionally resilient and help them to develop and use strategies to overcome challenges.
“Sport teaches you character, it teaches you to play by the rules, it teaches you to know what it feels like to win and lose—it teaches you about life.”
Billie Jean King
Sport
Through the PE and Games curriculum, we aim to instill the foundations of a life-long love of sport. We promote both sporting excellence and inclusivity through a balanced programme of PE and Games that provides sporting opportunities for all children.
The principal sports enjoyed at Hunter Hall include rugby, hockey, football, netball, cricket, cross-country running and athletics. In addition to which the children have weekly swimming lessons for one term of the year and PE lessons in which they play tennis, volleyball, basketball, gymnastics and dance.
We ensure that all children are given a chance to represent the school and there is a busy schedule of fixtures throughout the year. Children in Years 3 and 4 are gradually introduced to playing competitive sports in friendly tournaments and matches, providing an opportunity for pupils to play in mixed ability teams. Through sport the children learn that although we all love to win, we cannot always emerge triumphant. We hope the children discover the joy that comes from playing alongside friends and giving it everything, whatever the result.
Outdoor Education
We make the most of our location on the fringes of the Lake District National Park to give the children opportunities to take part in a variety of outdoor activities. The children in Upper School enjoy fortnightly afternoon sessions rock-climbing, sailing and mountain biking, amongst much else.
We strongly believe that words like ‘resilience’ have real resonance when a child is scaling a craggy outcrop whilst being buffeted by a fierce crosswind. A similar depth of meaning is often much harder to capture within the four walls of a classroom.
Engineering
At Hunter Hall, the children in the Upper School enjoy timetabled, stand-alone engineering lessons. In these lessons, the children are challenged to ‘think like an engineer’, working in teams to complete practical problem-solving tasks, related to real-world scenarios.
Engineering provides opportunities for the children to draw on their maths and science knowledge and skills whilst also developing their proficiency with workshop tools. The curriculum is intentionally designed to allow the children to make connections between and across subjects, encouraging both deeper thinking and more purposeful learning.
Learning Support
At Hunter Hall, we are committed to the individual care and development of every pupil. Our Learning Support provision is designed to help all children become confident, independent learners, able to fulfill their potential.
We place great emphasis on early identification of learning needs, enabling timely and appropriate intervention to support progress and well-being from the earliest stages. We closely monitor and track the progress of every child through both formal assessments and classroom observations. When a child needs additional support, we work closely with staff and parents to understand their needs and agree the most appropriate steps forward. This may include differentiated classroom strategies, small group work, or one-to-one specialist teaching.
Where needed, we liaise with external professionals such as Educational Psychologists, Speech and Language Therapists and Occupational Therapists, and can support families in arranging assessments.
Our well-resourced department includes a dedicated teaching room as well as a wellbeing space, offering a safe and welcoming environment for children.
All staff receive training in inclusive teaching approaches, and the Learning Support team plays an active role in sharing expertise across the school. Together, we foster a whole-school culture of inclusion and understanding, where every child can thrive.
Mixed-Age Learning
At Hunter Hall, we have mixed-aged classes in Years 1 and 2 and in Years 3 and 4. We do not see mixed-age classes as a compromise: quite the opposite. Mixed-age classes offer children many benefits, including the flexibility to reach broader academic goals at their own pace and the valuable experience of being both followers and leaders within the same setting.
Reciprocal relationships within mixed-age classes help to develop both communication and social skills, as well as developing metacognitive skills, fostering independence and encouraging children to take greater responsibility for their own learning.
