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Middle School Entry
Students commonly enter Bales Independent School at Year 9. Some students come from prep schools that finish at Year 8, and some transfer from local secondary schools to be in a more academically focused and supportive environment. With class sizes typically less than 10 students, we continue our theme of small tutorial style teaching, with a strong focus on the performance and development of each pupil.
A limited number of places are available for Year 10 entry, for students who show a strong interest in learning and wish to maximize their potential in the run-up to GCSE examinations.
Subject choice
It is a feature of Bales Independent School that we do not allow the younger students to specialize too early. For this reason, all year 9 and 10 students follow the same curriculum. The subjects taught are;
• English (Language and Literature)• Mathematics
• Information and Communication Technology
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Physics
• French
• Geography
• History
• Art and Design
• Physical Education
It has always been a Bales policy to teach separate sciences at all levels of study. The college is well equipped for science teaching, thanks to the installation of new science laboratories:
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This enables us to organise a full programme of practical work with many relevant teacher demonstrations. These enhance the quality of the overall science courses.
Homework and assessment
Regular homework is set in all subjects in accordance with a timetable, and progress is measured by fortnightly class tests. Each subject is given two pieces of homework per week, on a set day. This way parents know what work their children should be doing on any given night. A homework diary system is in place, where parents sign the diary each week to state that they are aware of each pupil's set work.
Another unusual and crucial feature of Bales is that every student from year 9 through to A2, takes two series of trial examinations each academic year, one in December, the other in March. Hence a student who joins in year 9 will experience six cycles of these by the time GCSEs are taken, and thus becomes highly accustomed to the preparation and pressure of the examination process. This is in addition to the fortnightly class tests.
Progress Reports
Progress reports are sent out to all parents/guardians at the end of every term, and additional reports may be requested at any time. Bales has always been proud of its accessibility and openness - any parent/guardian may telephone at any time to arrange a visit to the school to discuss the child's progress.
Sports
To promote physical health and well being, exercise is very important for young children. On Monday and Wednesday, for sessions of 90 minutes, the classes are taken to a very modern local sports centre, for supervised physical education and games. Students learn about the practical application of injury prevention while being taken through a thorough warm-up session, followed by either football, basketball, table tennis or badminton.
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