Junior (Ages 11 - 13)

Best of Both Worlds

Boys and girls joining in Year 7 (age 11+) or Year 8 (age 12+) at Worth belong to Austin House, a day House with its own accommodation, House staff and tutors, which provides a crucial stepping stone for the pupils as they transition from a primary to a senior school. Worth junior boys and girls are able to access all the academic teaching and extensive facilities of the senior school, but also retain the small classes, co-curricular activities and dedicated support appropriate for their age, and thus have the best of both worlds: a Prep school environment but with all that a senior school can offer.

Space to Grow

Worth recognises how important the first two years of secondary school are in establishing a love of learning. Lessons must be fun, exhilarating and purposeful, creating the best possible foundation for the GCSEs ahead.

Boys and girls joining Year 7 follow a carefully calibrated syllabus that deliberately follows through into Year 9, thus laying the best foundations for their GCSEs. At Worth, GCSE courses begin during Year 9 as part of an enriched curriculum across the Middle School years (Years 9-11) and to most thorough prepare pupils for exam success. The curriculum in Year 7 and Year 8 (ages 11- 13) is purposefully broad and well-balanced. Pupils have lessons in Art, Drama, Computer Science, Design and Technology, English, French, Geography, History, Latin, Mathematics, Music, Physical Education, Religious Studies and Science, and are taught by subject specialists. Lessons are held in dedicated subject classrooms, and the pupils have full access to the laboratories, studios and the theatre of the senior school.

Academic enrichment is fostered by academic clubs and societies which run during timetabled slots each week. There are opportunities for visits, exchanges, talks, conferences and team building sessions — all of which extend pupils’ academic interests beyond the classroom. Each academic department has a subject specific policy on providing for academically gifted pupils and much work is done within departments to stretch academically gifted pupils and to challenge them to aim as high as possible.

Hands up for homework

Year 7 and Year 8 pupils are able to complete some of their homework (‘Prep’) during the school day, making use of dedicated times in which they can work under staff supervision. Some work may also need to be brought home for completion. Worth uses an online homework facility which shows homework information, including content and deadlines, for the benefit of both pupils and parents.

Stress-free transition

As Year 8 pupils at Worth do not have to sit any further examinations — such as Common Entrance — to progress into the senior school, the junior years are focused on learning, rather than testing. The curriculum in Year 7 and Year 8 is carefully designed to dovetail with that in Year 9, allowing for a seamless transition.

Some schools really overdo pressure on academic achievement as the single best way to show they are great school. Worth is not like that. _Parent