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Headington Rye Oxford Prep School

What says..

‘My favourite thing is the teachers’, one pupil tells us, ‘they make lessons fun not boring.’ Parents also praise the inclusiveness and open-mindedness of teaching methods – ‘her teacher introduced a couple of simple reading aids and her reading has gone to another level overnight,’ one tells us. Playing fields, courts, pitches and running tracks galore here, with a large sports hall and access to the swimming pool and beautiful dance and fitness centre at HRO Senior. Tag rugby is a new introduction and all sports are played co-ed, including fixtures. They’re good at it, too, with recent accolades in national athletics and IAPS netball. 

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What the school says...

We offer a broad education, with academic success achieved through cultivating a sense of excitement and enthusiasm for learning from the earliest age. There is an emphasis on having fun, with trips to places of historical interest, plays, form assemblies, concerts and workshops. Numerous afterschool and lunch time clubs are offered, together with sporting activities and visiting speakers. ...Read more

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Other features

All-through school (for example 3-18 years). - An all-through school covers junior and senior education. It may start at 3 or 4, or later, and continue through to 16 or 18. Some all-through schools set exams at 11 or 13 that pupils must pass to move on.

What The Good Schools Guide says

Head

Since 2014, Jane Crouch BA, MA. First headship was 10 years at Dame Bradbury’s School, Essex, though before that she was head of the junior section of Ashford School, Kent and deputy head of Great Walstead, West Sussex. Degree in French and geography from Keele; Master’s in education management from the University of London; gigs as an ISI inspector, a governor at Felsted and on the education committee of the GSA. A very experienced pair of hands.

What a shame, then, for Headington Rye Oxford, that Mrs Crouch is retiring in the summer of 2025. ‘I want to leave while I’ve got the energy,’ she says, ‘I never go home thinking I need a nap.’ It’s been a decade since she took over here, but the most jam-packed year of her...

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Special Education Needs

There is an experienced Learning Enrichment department offering specialist tuition tailored to the pupil's specific needs. These are identified early through assessment, consultation with parents and discussion with teachers. The support is delivered within the context of the broader curriculum and may be classroom based or through individual or small group tuition. Support is offered at both ends of the spectrum, for pupils with mild learning difficulties and those who are gifted and talented in any area. The approach is multi-sensory and includes ICT software where appropriate. It is available across all year groups of the school, delivered flexibly in the following ways: - A one off session for a specific skill - A short term boost for a skill or area of learning - Ongoing support, which is required by a minority of pupils. These pupils have an Individual Education Plan, showing their targets and recommended strategies for the classroom, tutor and home. The Learning Enrichment team works closely with all teachers and with parents and in partnership with the pupil, whose progress is monitored closely. 10-09


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