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Your Questions Answered

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Does the school specialise in any one particular activity?

King’s Hall aims to be an all-round school. Having said that probably our greatest strengths are academic, sport (including outdoor activities), music, art and drama.

When was your most recent inspection and what did it say?

May 2004. It was virtually faultless. The only suggestion was that we should make more use of ICT for teaching: since then we have built a new computer suite with forty computers so that two whole classes can work in there at the same time. The full report can be found on www.isinspect.org.

How old does my child have to be to start at King’s Hall?

Children can join our Nursery as soon as they have passed their third birthday.

When are the other main ages for joining?

We take children of all ages up to Year 8 provided there is space. The other main ages are 7 (Year 3) and 11 (Year 7).

Why do some children join in Year 7?

Because many boys and girls spend two years at Kings Hall before transferring to King’s College (www.kings-taunton.co.uk) at the beginning of Year 9.

Why not go straight to a school that starts at age 11 (Year 7)?

It’s no coincidence that the traditional age of transfer in independent schools is 13: most boys and girls of 11 are still quite young physically, emotionally and intellectually. Bearing in mind that senior schools have pupils of 17 and 18 who are young men and women it’s a good idea for pupils to transfer when they are really ready – at age 13.

What makes Kings Hall different from the other prep schools in Taunton?

Two things: our amazing rural location (only two miles from the town centre) and the fact that we are not on the same site as a senior school. This gives Kings Hall a very strong community or "family" atmosphere.

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What is the link between King’s Hall and King’s College?

The link is very close and very strong. Both schools are part of the Woodard group of schools. We share the same Board of Governors (known as "Council") which takes the interests of both schools into consideration when making decisions about policy and strategy.

Is Kings Hall a day school or a boarding school?

Both. Numerically there are more day pupils but we have a large boarding community. Many children, particularly the older ones, are boarders because they enjoy the life of this community.

How long is the school day?

8.30 am – 4.00 pm in the Prep department (Y3-Y8)
9.00 am – 3.15 pm in the Pre Prep department (Nursery – Y2).

Children in the Pre Prep can be dropped off any time between 8.30 am and 9.00 am. There is an early morning club which starts at 8.00 am and an after-school club which runs from 4.00 – 5.30 pm. Our supervision session and hobbies and activities programme takes place from 3.15 – 4.00 pm.

Children in the Prep can also arrive from 8.00 am and stay at school until 5.20 pm and either do their prep/homework or take part in one of the many hobbies on offer.

What sports do the children learn to play?

Sport is a strength of the school and all the children have weekly PE and Games lessons. Children in the Pre-Prep have the opportunity to play mini-rugby, uni-hoc, short tennis, football, swimming and tri-golf; in the Prep the children play hockey, rugby, netball, rounders and cricket.

Do children learn another language?

Children in Year 1 and Year 2 have the opportunity to join our French club ‘La Jolie Ronde’. From Year 3 children learn French as part of the curriculum and those children in the fastest streams learn Latin from the beginning of Year 6.

How are new children helped to integrate?

All new children are invited to join us for "welcome sessions" before they start with us and they are all given a "class buddy" or "big brother/sister" to show them around and look after them. Each year group also has a parent who organises the "social" list so that new parents feel part of the King’s Hall family.

Is there any homework/prep given to the children?

Children are heard to read every day in the Pre-Prep, from Reception onwards. There is a Reading Diary which goes home with a child’s reading homework written in the diary. This is a guide only to help parents see how their child is progressing with their reading and to involve them in the process. Once a week there is also a practical, fun maths game for the children and parents to play at home. In Year Two there are also tables and spellings set. Occasionally a child may be given some handwriting to practise too.

Children in Years 3-5 are set one 30 minute prep four nights a week and children in Y6 upwards are set two 30 minute preps four nights a week.

Do most of the children at the school live locally?

The children come from quite a wide area, some even come on the school bus from places as far away as Bampton and Tiverton. Some of our parents car share and we have a few who even walk! So some live in the town and local villages and others live quite a way out in the countryside.

Is there anything on offer for my children during the holidays?

There is an exciting holiday activities programme for every week of our holidays. There are themed weeks for those children whose parents work as well as special days for children to experience a wide range of activities such as sailing, archery, horse-riding, theatre workshops, high ropes etc. A specialist company, "Pro – coaching" also offer a range of specialist sporting activities.

What major developments have been undertaken recently?

An all weather sports area was completed in November 2007. A fine sports centre; a theatre/arts centre fully equipped to professional standards; the computer suite mentioned above; a complete refurbishment of the boarders rooms to make them really comfortable and homely; a log cabin library and computer suite for the Pre Prep (Nursery to Year 2), a new roof for the older part of the school. See the facilities.

And what of the future?

The Pre-Prep (ages 3-7) is scheduled for redevelopment; longer-term plans exist for many other areas.

So, why should we choose King’s Hall?

There is a very warm, family atmosphere at King’s Hall. Pupils are happy and fulfilled. Once new parents have visited King’s Hall, often with their children, the majority apply for a place. See ‘What other parents say’

What are the class sizes?

We do not have more than 20 children in each class: there are normally 17/18 and in the Pre-Prep class sizes are usually smaller. In the Nursery and Reception the ratio is 1: 8 and in Years 1 and Years 2 we try to keep between 12 and 16 in a class.

Can my child learn an instrument?

During class music lessons all children have the opportunity to learn to play a range of pitched and unpitched percussion instruments. We have a large number of children who have individual instrumental lessons, including violin, cello, piano, guitar and recorder and there are three choirs and a variety of instrumental groups who meet on a weekly basis.

What do we do next?

We would love to meet you! Please contact the Admissions Secretary on 01823 285921 to arrange a visit or click here to make a request on-line.

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