Curriculum
Access to the Curriculum in English
Stover School provides an excellent high quality of teaching and care from dedicated professionals. The "Access to the Curriculum in English" department (ACE) not only ensures expert teaching of "English as another language", but also liaises closely with other departments, in order to support learners' study in all subjects.
Our fine level of pastoral care, both in boarding and in the academic field, encourages the development of independence, social skills, co-operation and a sense of belonging and integration into the British Culture. Alongside this, the department's strong ethos of praise and encouragement boosts self-esteem and confidence enabling young people to better attain their full potential.
Our aim is to improve the reading, writing, listening and speaking skills of the English language, encouraging effective communication, both in the classroom and in students' social lives. Stover School ensures a secure, nurturing environment in which to learn, giving self-assurance, building up autonomy and self-belief. Each student is fully assessed and an individually tailored teaching programme is offered, thus, enabling everyone to work to the best of his or her ability. A multi-sensory approach is used to make learning fun, new areas of vocabulary being re-enforced by the use of, games, videos, DVDs and CD ROMs.
Teaching in small groups is usually the norm, however, one-to-one lessons are also offered. Our weekly conversation class, for Years 12 and 13, "THE SIXTH FORM FORUM" provides an ideal opportunity for the older learners to practice working as part of a larger group, developing specialist vocabulary, formulating and voicing personal opinions, alongside developing leadership skills.
English examinations offered at present are the "Key English Test" (KET), the "Preliminary English Test" (PET), the "International General Certificate in Education" (IGCSE), and the "First Certificate", depending on each person's aptitude and capability. In addition to this, the "International English Language Testing System" examination (IELTS) can enable our students to enter University or a place of work where the predominant language spoken is English. This year, there will also be some candidates for International Business exams; in fact almost any examination in English can be catered for and previous results show Stover has an excellent pass rate.
Stover School offers a wide selection of extra-curricular pursuits, including mandarin, ICT, cookery, music, rugby, netball, tennis, drama and art. There is the "Duke of Edinburgh Award" scheme, and visits of educational or cultural interest, including the theatre in London. Besides this, there are regular trips abroad, such as geography studies in South America and ski-ing in Europe.
We look forward to welcoming you to Stover School.